Real Madrid announced today, Tuesday, the departure of one of its prominent players from the "Santiago Bernabéu" fortress. The club stated in an official statement: "The club announces that captain Nacho has decided to end his career as a player at Real Madrid."
It added: "Real Madrid wishes to express its gratitude and love for Nacho, one of the greatest legends of our club." It continued: "Nacho joined Real Madrid in 2001 at just 10 years old and played in all levels of the academy until becoming a first-team player in 2012. Since then, he has defended our shirt for 12 seasons during one of the most successful periods in the history of Real Madrid."
It further noted: "During this time, Nacho played 364 matches and won 26 titles: 6 UEFA Champions League trophies, 5 FIFA Club World Cups, 4 UEFA Super Cups, 4 La Liga titles, 2 Copa del Rey trophies, and 5 Spanish Super Cups."
Additionally, it mentioned that Nacho won the Under-21 European Championship with the Spanish national team and the Nations League, and he is currently participating in the 2024 UEFA European Championship in Germany.
The statement continued: "Nacho ends his career at Real Madrid as the captain who lifted the 15th cup at Wembley, as one of 5 players who won 6 European Cups in football history, and with the most titles in the history of our club."
It added: "All Real Madrid fans feel immense pride toward one of the most legendary academy players in our history."
Florentino Pérez, President of Real Madrid, stated: "Since he arrived at our academy as a child, Nacho has always been a model of excellence to everyone and has the affection, recognition, and admiration of all Real Madrid fans. Real Madrid has always been and will always be his home."
