Inter Miami defender and legendary Spanish left-back Jordi Alba has announced that he will retire from professional football at the end of the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) season. The 36-year-old made the announcement on Tuesday, confirming that this campaign will be his last before hanging up his boots.
Alba’s decision marks the second high-profile retirement from Inter Miami this year, following the recent farewell of his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets. The veteran full-back, widely regarded as one of the best in his position, said he made the decision “with complete conviction and happiness.”
“The time has come to close a truly meaningful chapter in my life,” Alba said in a social media post. “I’ve decided to bring my professional football career to an end at the conclusion of this season. I do so with complete conviction, with peace and with happiness because I feel I’ve walked this path with every ounce of passion I had, and now it’s just the right moment to open a new chapter and close the previous one with the best possible feeling.”
Although his current contract with Inter Miami runs until 2027, Alba has chosen to retire at the end of this season, citing a desire to leave the game on his own terms.
During his illustrious career, Alba became synonymous with FC Barcelona’s golden era. Across nine seasons with the Catalan club, he helped deliver six La Liga titles, five Copa del Rey trophies, and the 2015 UEFA Champions League. His pace, vision, and attacking prowess made him an integral part of the club’s dominant style of play.
On the international stage, Alba was equally influential, earning over 90 caps for Spain and famously scoring in the final of Euro 2012, which Spain went on to win.
Alba joined Inter Miami in June 2023, reuniting with Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez to form a star-studded lineup that transformed the club into a competitive MLS force. His retirement will mark the end of an era both for Inter Miami and for one of modern football’s most decorated defenders.
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