‘Jordi Alba made a firm decision shortly after moving to America’

Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at 6:43 PM• Sam Vreeswijk • Last Updated: 20:37

Jordi Alba has ended his international career. That news has yet to be confirmed by the Guardian, but was reported by various Spanish media on Tuesday. The now 34-year-old defender has made 93 international appearances for Spain and scored 10 goals. He won the 2012 European Championship with his country and the Nations League last June in the Netherlands.

Alba has reportedly decided to no longer feature in the national team in order to focus fully on club football. Since this summer he has been playing for Inter Miami, a club that also features Lionel Messi and compatriot Sergio Busquets. While many European competitions have a break for international competition a few times a season, this is not the case with Major League Soccer. This means Alba has to choose between his club and his country during international matches.

So he no longer has to make that choice. The left has reportedly decided it’s time for younger players to take over. Alba made his debut for Spain in a 2011 European Championship qualifier against Scotland (1–1). A year later he won the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine, beating Italy 4–0 in the final. He himself signed 2-0.

He played in the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups, as well as the 2016 and 2020 European Championships. And during the final four of the Nations League in June this year. As captain, he played against Italy (2–1 win) and Croatia (win on penalties). The final he won turned out to be his last international, meaning he finished in style: with a prize.