FC Barcelona confirms Víctor Valdés' retirement

FC Barcelona confirmed on Wednesday the retirement of Víctor Valdés, who was the goalkeeper during the most successful period of the Catalan club (2002-2014), two days after the 35-year-old player hinted his goodbye.

In a message on social media, the blaugrana club posted a video with images of Valdés' career, from his time at the La Masia training center to his successes with the first team, accompanied by the message "Thank you for everything, Víctor".

Valdés had posted an enigmatic message on January 1, with a picture of a road and the text "Thank you for everything", while erasing all traces of himself on social media, which was interpreted by the Spanish press as his farewell to his sports career, seven months after leaving Middlesbrough, his last club.

Spanish international on 20 occasions, Valdés was part of the team that won the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 Euro Cup, although always as a substitute for Iker Casillas.

It was with FC Barcelona that he achieved his greatest successes, including three Champions League titles (2006, 2009, and 2011), six La Liga titles (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013), two Copa del Rey titles (2009 and 2012), and two Club World Cups (2009 and 2011).

With a strong personality, Valdés surprised everyone when he announced his departure from the blaugrana club despite being an undisputed starter.

Subsequently, he suffered a serious knee injury, an injury that prevented him from returning to his level at Manchester United, Standard de Lieja, and Middlesbrough, his other clubs. (D)