👋 30 iconic 2025 retirements: Marcelo, Busquets, Mertens and more 🥹 | OneFootball

2025 was a year in which many important players, local heroes, and legends of the game said "goodbye" to their football careers.

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Let’s take a look at a list of the most important ones, and a few names you may have forgotten.

Marcelo (37 years old)

After becoming a free agent from Fluminense, Marcelo retired at the age of 37 as one of the most successful players in history: 25 trophies with Real (only Modric, Carvajal, and Nacho have more) and 4 with Fluminense.

Mats Hummels (36 years old)

World Champion, top-level defender, and 14 trophies in total between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. His last season with Roma wasn’t brilliant, but that’s minor when looking at the entirety of Hummels’ immense career (retired at 36).

Busquets and Jordi Alba (37 and 36 years old)

Two Barcelona pillars who joined Messi to enjoy the final moments of their careers together at Inter Miami: that’s how it went for Sergio Busquets (37 years old) and Jordi Alba (36 years old). Both have won it all: Treble, World Cup, European Championship, and even the MLS in the last match of their lives.

Jerome Boateng (37 years old)

Jerome Boateng called it quits at 37 after his experience at LASK (following a stint at Salernitana): it was just the end of a career in which he won every possible trophy. Boateng won a World Cup, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 Club World Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 9 German championships, 5 German Super Cups, 5 German Cups, and 1 FA Cup (with Man City).

Samuel Umtiti (31 years old)

Another World Cup-winning defender: at 31, Umtiti retired after his experience at Lille. A career with incredible highs (goal in the World Cup semifinal), significant dips, and a hugely important spell at Lecce, which he himself mentioned in his farewell to football: "I felt a love I had never experienced before."

Callejon (38 years old) and Mertens (38 years old)

Dries Mertens and José Callejon: think of one and the other comes to mind. Two key men in Napoli’s revival retired in 2025: the Spanish winger ended his career at Marbella, while the Belgian striker did so at Galatasaray, where he became an idol just as he did in Naples.

Pepe Reina (42 years old)

Pepe Reina had a long career: from 2000 until 2025, during which he won a World Cup, 2 European Championships, and 3 Premier League Best Goalkeeper awards, as well as other trophies with Napoli and Bayern. In his last season at Como, he lost his starting spot halfway through the season: just a small detail in a splendid career.

Alderweireld (38 years old) and Vertonghen (36 years old)

The Belgian and Tottenham backlines seemed to have just one name: Alderweireld-Vertonghen. Two cult players of the 2010s: the first retired at Anderlecht and the second at Antwerp, both after 3 years at a high level.

Ivan Rakitic (37 years old)

Ivan Rakitic won everything with Barcelona, became a Sevilla idol, reached a World Cup final with Croatia in 2018, and finally ended a career with 15 trophies at Hajduk Split: the club where he is now technical director.

Alexandre Pato (35 years old)

One of the greatest what-ifs in football over the past 20 years: Alexandre Pato quickly became one of the world’s best young players with Milan, only to lose his way amid injuries and transfers, leaving Europe in 2017. The striker announced his retirement at 35 while attending a Milan tour in Asia, wearing a Rossoneri tracksuit in honor of his best experience.

Bonus:

If you have other iconic names who have retired, write them in the comments!

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 David Ramos - 2012 Getty Images