No farewell caused as much emotion and spent as much paper as his, even though the tribute they gave him in Malaga, after his last match in the Davis Cup, was poor and improvised. Nadal’s final goodbye leaves a gap that is impossible to fill in Spanish sport. His march is the one that best reflects this change of era. With him it was not only about winning, but the way to do it.
Garbine Muguruza
The Spanish tennis player, born in Venezuela, surprised the world last April by announcing her retirement from the courts. After years of poor results and injuries, the 31-year-old athlete said enough is enough to start a new stage of her life. “It sounds very strong to say that I’m retiring at 30, but I’ve been in tennis for 25 years,” he said. He leaves ten titles to remember, among which the 2016 Roland Garros and the 2017 Wimbledon stand out.
Juan Martin del Potro
In 2022, his battered knee had already kept him away from the elite and professional tennis, but Juan Martín del Potro did not want to say goodbye to tennis forever without one last challenge. The Argentine lived his particular tribute in Buenos Aires in an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic full of emotion. US Open champion and former world number 3, Del Potro is already legendary.
Sergio Rodríguez and Rudy Fernández
Two national basketball legends chose to leave almost at the same time. Sergio Rodríguez and Rudy Fernández had parallel careers. Both started in teams with a long tradition ( Estudiantes and Joventut ). The two tried their luck in the NBA (the Canarian in the Kings, Knicks and Sixers, the Mallorcan in the Blazers and Nuggets) and forged their legend in Real Madrid. And both are also two of the most outstanding players in history on the Spanish team, world champions and Olympic medalists. Rudy, also, with the absolute record of international caps.
Alvaro Martin
Double Olympic medalist in Paris (gold with María Pérez in the mixed relay and bronze in the 20 km walk), the Extremaduran decided to abandon elite sport to focus on his law studies.
Shelly Ann Frasier-Pryce
The 37-year-old Jamaican sprinter failed to expand her legend in Paris 2024 after reaching the podium in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, where she added three golds, four silvers and one bronze.
Andres Iniesta
The man from La Mancha finished off a historic career last October, after six years playing under the radar, in the Japanese Vissel Kobe and in the Emirates Club of the United Arab Emirates. The 40-year-old midfielder made history in Barcelona and in the Spanish team . With the Catalans he won a whopping 32 titles, including four Champions Leagues, nine leagues and six Copas del Rey. However, Iniesta, in addition to his talent, will go down in history for being the author of the goal that gave Spain, in 2010, its first and only World Cup in South Africa.
Jesus Navas
One of the last survivors of the magical five-year period (2008-2012) in which the Spanish team became world champions and double European champions. Jesús Navas played his last professional game at the Bernabéu after a prolific and successful career full of trophies both with his clubs (Sevilla and Manchester City) and with Spain.
Toni Kroos
One of the most influential midfielders in the history of Real Madrid. The German arrived at the white club in 2014 and, since then, he has only known how to win. He lifted 23 trophies, among which five Champions Leagues stand out. Last summer he returned to the German national team to try to win the last one he was missing, the European Championship (he won the World Cup in 2014), but Spain stood in his way.
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