Veteran striker Roberto Soldado has announced his retirement from the game, after he was released by his last club Levante.
Coming through at Real Madrid, Soldado would go on to play for Osasuna, Getafe, Valencia, Villarreal and Granada, with his spell at Los Che most sucessful. That earned him a €30m move to Tottenham Hotspur, where he struggled and then returned to Spain.
Soldado would also two-year spell in Turkey with Fenerbahce. For Spain, he won 12 caps and scored 7 goals, although never making a major tournament.
38-year-old striker Roberto Soldado has announced his retirement from the game.
He played for 7 different clubs in Spain, as well as winning 12 Spain caps and scoring 7 goals. #Spurs #VCF pic.twitter.com/z17XBOk0DQ
— Football España (@footballespana_) August 4, 2023
On his Instagram, he made a statement.
“I have something to tell you: Today I put an end to 21 years of career and with it I put an end to a dream that I never thought would come true, much less that it would last so long. Thanks to teammates, friends, family, coaches and fans who helped me have accompanied you on this journey. Goodbye.”
In total, Soldado made 610 appearances, scoring 224 goals and assisting on 74 occasions. While at Valencia, he managed 82 goals and 15 assists in 141 appearances, firing them to Champions League qualification during his time there.
In his latter years, he was a key part of the Granada side that made it to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, eliminating Napoli on the way. At Levante last season, he scored 5 goals in his 31 appearances, often coming off the bench.
Not sure you can call him a “striker” with those stats tbh. Perhaps an attacking midfielder, or “|just a number” is more accurate