Jordi Alba has achieved pretty much everything there is to achieve in soccer. Now, at the age of 36, the Spaniard has announced his retirement.
“The time has come to close a truly significant chapter in my life. I have decided to end my professional soccer career at the end of the season,” Jordi Alba announced via Instagram, emphasizing that he is doing so “with complete conviction, calmness, and joy.”
He said he had pursued his path “with every ounce of passion I had” and that now “the right moment has come to open a new chapter and close the past one with the best possible feeling. Soccer has given me everything, thanks to all my teammates, coaches, club staff, and my opponents who pushed me to give my best.”
Jordi Alba was once trained at FC Barcelona, but had to take a detour before finally becoming a defining figure at the Blaugrana for many years. The 36-year-old has not forgotten his various stops along the way, and he explicitly addressed them in his farewell video.
“I would like to express my special gratitude to the clubs that have shaped my life: to Atletico Centro Hospitalense, where it all began; to Cornella, where they believed in me and helped me; to Nastic de Tarragona, where I learned and matured; to Valencia, the club that enabled me to fulfill my dream and make my La Liga debut; to FC Barcelona, the club of my life, with whom I had over ten years full of unforgettable moments and won every possible title.”
In total, Jordi Alba can look back on 387 La Liga games for Valencia and FC Barcelona. With the Catalans, he won six league titles (2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023) and five cup titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021), among other honors. Internationally, he celebrated his greatest success by winning the Champions League in 2015 (3-1 against Juventus Turin) and the Club World Cup (3-0 against River Plate) in the same year.
National team, Miami, fans
The left-back was also part of the golden generation of Spanish players who dominated world football in the early 2010s, although he was not part of the team that won the World Cup in 2010. He was in the starting line-up for every game in the 2012 European Championship. He said that wearing the Spanish national team jersey, with which he also won the Nations League in 2023, filled him with pride. “I am grateful to have been a small part of their history.” Jordi Alba played a total of 93 international matches and scored nine goals, officially retiring from the Furia Roja in 2023.
Finally, the Spaniard also thanked his current club, Inter Miami, “where I was welcomed with open arms and allowed to enjoy this journey until the very last moment,” and he also revealed what soccer fans had taught him. “You taught me that you don’t just wear a jersey—you feel it. Today I close this chapter because I know I gave it my all. Soccer was and always will be an essential part of my life. Thank you, soccer, thank you for everything.”