David Albelda has called time on his playing career after over 15 seasons of top-flight football, almost of all them with Valencia.
According to Onda Cero and confirmed by EFE sources close to the player, Albelda has decided not to accept any of the offers he received this summer following his release by Valencia and has opted to hang up his boots.
The experienced defensive midfielder, who will turn 36 on September 1, left the Mestalla when his contract expired on June 30 after consultation with the club’s new coaching staff, led by former teammate Miroslav Djukic.
After not being offered a renewal, Albelda left the door open to offers for a possible move abroad, in particular to Major League Soccer, but the proposals he received did not meet his expectations and he was unwilling to uproot his family if the project was not interesting enough.
Albelda has featured in 481 official matches for Los Che since 1997, alongside two loan spells at Villarreal in the late 1990’s, and represented the Spanish national team 51 times between 2001 and 2008, years in which he participated in two World Cup tournaments and a European Championship finals.
His honours include two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, a UEFA Cup, a Supercopa de Espana and a UEFA Super Cup, as well as two Champions League Final runners-up medals in 2000 and 2001.
