Pablo Zabaleta has announced his retirement from professional football following a breathtaking 18-year career with the Argentine national team as well as at club level.
The 35-year-old spent three seasons with Spanish club Barcelona 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.
The defender played mostly as a right-back, however he confirmed on his social media account on Friday, October 16 that he has retired.
He has been heavily linked with Spanish club Espanyol earlier in the year; as he is well known for spending nine years at Premier League club Manchester City after leaving the Catalan giants.
Zabaleta helped the Citizens to win two Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014, making 333 first-team appearances under various managers before moving to West Ham.
The full-back won 58 caps for Argentina but has not been involved in the international setup since 2016.
Recall that David Silva played his final game for Manchester City in the Premier League when the Citizens took on Norwich on Sunday, July 26. Nicknamed ‘Merlin’, the club’s icon who arrived in 2010 has been described as the club’s greatest-ever player by team-mate Pablo Zabaleta as the curtain starts to come down on his glittering Etihad career.
The 34-year-old could also still win the UEFA Champions League with the club in August, but in any case he will smile home with his massive 11 major trophies including four titles.
He leaves the Etihad with his head high full of lifetime memories as fans will barely hold their emotions.
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