MANCHESTER City's David Silva has announced his withdrawal from the Spanish national team – just four days after FC Barcelona's Gerard Piqué broke the news of his own departure.
Silva, one of a small number of footballers who have played more than 100 matches for their country – 125 in his case – along with Piqué, Carles Puyol and Raúl González, has penned an open letter to fans and to the team describing what he calls 'one of the most difficult decisions of his career'.
“The national team has given me everything and has allowed me to grow as a player and as a person,” Silva, 32, wrote.
He says he is leaving La Roja 'proud' and 'happy' with all that it and he have achieved and with all that he has 'lived and dreamed' in his 12-year history with the Spanish side.
This long chapter in Silva's life has included two UEFA Euro wins on the trot in 2008 and 2012 – the first in Austria and Switzerland and the second in Poland and Ukraine – and the FIFA World Cup in 2012 in South Africa, as well as scoring 35 goals for his nation.
The midfielder from Arguineguín, Gran Canaria paid tribute to the late Luis Aragonés, former Spanish team manager, whom he describes as a 'master we will never forget'.
His letter expresses his gratitude to his colleagues, technicians, coaches, Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) employees, his family and his fans, and concludes with 'thanks, good luck and farewell'.
The former Valencia CF player's depature is not connected with that of Piqué, despite coming within days of the latter, nor with the recent appointment of the team's new manager, ex-Barça trainer Luis Enrique Martínez – the decision, Silva says, took 'weeks of reflection and analysis'.
And Piqué had already hinted two years ago that he was planning to retire from the international scene after the Russia World Cup.
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