Xavi retires from international football
Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez has announced his retirement from international football.
Speaking at a press conference, the 34-year-old Barcelona player said: "I have decided to leave the national team. I think my time there has finished.
"It has been a wonderful, fantastic period for me. It has been an honour.
"We have managed to achieve many successes in the past six or eight years and now I am just another fan of the Spain team."
An icon of both his club and country, pass master Xavi typified Spain's tiki-taka style of play that led them to World Cup success in 2010 along with back-to-back Euro titles in 2008 and 2012.
Since making his debut in 2000, the midfield maestro has accumulated 133 caps for La Roja and scored 13 times.
Xavi's last appearance for Spain was at the 2014 World Cup when he started their opening group match which ended in a 1-5 defeat to Holland.
The Spanish national team's official Twitter account led the tributes with a #GraciasXavi hashtag:
Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher also tweeted his praise for Xavi:
Source: AFP, Twitter
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