Former Espanyol defender Pablo Zabaleta has decided to retire from football after an 18-year playing career.
The 35-year-old spent three seasons at the Catalan club between 2005 and 2008 after his move from San Lorenzo, helping them to the Copa del Rey title in 2006 and UEFA Cup – where they lost to Sevilla on penalties – the following year.
Spending most of his career at right-back, Zabaleta confirmed the decision on his Twitter account on Friday, having been linked with a return to Espanyol earlier this year.
— Pablo Zabaleta (@pablo_zabaleta) October 16, 2020
Zabaleta is most well-known for his nine-year stint at Manchester City after he left Catalonia – helping the club to win two Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014, making 333 first-team appearances under various managers.
He then moved to West Ham in 2017 on a free transfer where he clocked up 80 matches but featured in just 10 Premier League matches last campaign.
The full-back won 58 caps for Argentina but has not been involved in the international setup since 2016.
