Atlético Madrid star announces international retirement at just 31

Atlético Madrid star Marcos Llorente has on Thursday announced his official retirement from international football with Spain.

Defender Llorente was for his part a member of this summer’s La Roja squad which marched all the way to glory at the World Cup in North America.

Following a stellar campaign at club level in Madrid, the versatile full-back was called up by Luis de la Fuente to provide cover in various positions in Spain’s ranks. This culminated in a trio of appearances, including two starts, across the duration of the tournament.

As alluded to above, though, just weeks on from being crowned a world champion, and despite still being just 31 years of age, Llorente has made the call to step away from international football as a whole.

With a total of 27 caps to his name, the former Real Madrid talent on Thursday took to social media, to announce his retirement from Spanish duty:

“I’ve decided to bring my time with the Spanish national team to an end, despite the fact that I’m aware that I’m still young. It’s a personal decision, one I’ve thought about very carefully and, above all, one that comes from the heart.

“It has been an honour to represent my country.”

Conor Laird – GSFN