Winner Llorente retires from Spain at age 31

Marcos Llorente announced his retirement from international football at age 31, saying he is stepping away after helping Spain win the World Cup this summer. The Atlético Madrid midfielder made 27 appearances for Spain after debuting for the senior team in November 2020 under Luis Enrique. He represented Spain at Euro 2020 and at two World Cups. During Spain’s 2026 triumph, Llorente played three matches, starting against Cape Verde and Uruguay before coming off the bench in the semifinal win over France. In an Instagram post, he said he had decided to end his time with the national team, adding that he was still young but had chosen to stop regardless of future tournaments.