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Veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi has officially retired from international football, bringing the curtain down on a distinguished Argentina career that spanned more than a decade. Although Argentina fell short of defending their FIFA World Cup title, the 38-year-old said he leaves the national team with pride, believing the squad gave everything until the very end.
Otamendi had announced in March that the World Cup would be his final tournament in Argentina colours. On Tuesday, the former Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Benfica defender confirmed his retirement in an emotional farewell message posted on Instagram.
“It didn’t end the way we dreamed, and that hurts,” Otamendi wrote. “Behind these 50 days were sacrifice, tears, hope and a team that gave everything for this shirt. If I take one thing with me forever, it is the pride of having shared this journey with an extraordinary group of players who never stopped believing, fought until the final moment and defended this flag with all their hearts.”
He also thanked his teammates for standing together throughout the campaign and expressed his gratitude to Argentina’s supporters around the world.
“We return home with broken hearts, but also with the satisfaction of knowing we gave everything we had,” he said. “In football there is victory and defeat, but there are shirts that must be defended until your final breath. We defended this one until the very end. Argentina will always move forward.”
Otamendi featured in seven of Argentina’s eight matches at the World Cup, although he started only once. He came off the bench in the final after Lisandro Martinez suffered an injury during the first half.
The experienced centre-back made 139 appearances for Argentina, scoring eight goals. During his international career, he helped the Albiceleste win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, two Copa America titles and the Finalissima.
After his contract with Benfica expired in May, Otamendi returned to Buenos Aires. While he has ended his international career, he will continue playing club football with River Plate, extending a career that has included successful spells in Spain, England and Portugal.
