Despite signing a new deal in May through 2027, Inter Miami defender Jordi Alba announced a surprise retirement earlier in the week, joining longtime teammate Sergio Busquets in walking away from the game.
The 36-year-old will step away at the end of the current MLS season, which could wrap up as soon as Nov. 9 should Miami fall in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, or as late as Dec. 6, if they qualify for MLS Cup. But the shocking U-turn was far from an easy decision for the 2010 World Cup winner.
“It’s true that I renewed my contract in May, but the conversations were much earlier, and well, maybe it’s true that the time in May, now October, hasn’t been long, but it’s a decision I’ve been meditating on, that I’ve been making over time,” Alba told reporters in Spanish on Friday, adding that he told the club and his teammates weeks ago.
“Obviously, I’m still physically fine, but I’ve weighed everything up and I think it’s the most honest, the fairest, and it’s also a decision that I made alone,” he said. “Well, it changed, just like you, because any human being changes their mind from one day to the next.”
Alba helped the team win the 2023 Leagues Cup and 2024 Supporters’ Shield—setting an MLS regular season record with 74 points. Through his 95 appearances in all competitions, Alba has 14 goals and 28 assists.
Before his time with the Herons, Alba captured six La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona, as well as the World Cup and European Championship with Spain.
Mascherano Not Shocked by Alba Decision
For Javier Mascherano, Alba’s head coach and former Barcelona teammate, the decision didn’t come as a shock.
“Saying I want to retire this way doesn’t mean I have to reach a stage in my life where I have to get injured a lot or no longer have as much continuity to make the decision,” Mascherano said, having hung up his own boots in 2020. “He’s totally convinced, and obviously he knows he could play for one or two more years. He wants to retire and wants to start a different kind of life, and that’s totally acceptable.
“They’re decisions, everyone experiences them in their own way. The important thing, I repeat, is that he does it in a very natural way.”
With Alba and Busquets set to retire, Miami enter a new era as well. Messi and Suárez both remain without a contract, and the only superstar player tied up for 2026 is Rodrigo De Paul, who should take on Designated Player status after the 2025 season.
Before taking on the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, Miami will play two more regular-season games: Atlanta United at home on Saturday, and away to Nashville SC on Oct. 18.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba Breaks Silence on Shock Retirement Decision.
