OFFICIAL: Former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo retires from football

The promotion with Real Valladolid was Alvaro Negredo's last memory as a player. The striker had been without a team since last summer and, although it was a decision that could have been foreseen, it was he himself who confirmed it on social networks in a short video in which he complemented with a “thank you for everything, football”.

Alvaro Negredo started his professional career at Rayo Vallecano, who at the time were playing in the Spanish third tier. He did not escape the radar of Real Madrid, who signed him in 2005. He spent two seasons with the reserve team and, although he never made his debut with the first team (he scored 22 goals in the reserve team, 18 of them in the second season), he earned a chance with Almeria in La Liga. With the Andalusian side he scored 13 and 19 goals in the two seasons he spent, both in the top flight. 

For this, Sevilla paid 15 million euros to Real Madrid, who had bought him back. In the Andalusian team, he became even more of a goal scorer: 85 goals in the 182 matches he played in that shirt, the one he has worn the most throughout his career. Then came his first title: the 2009-10 Copa del Rey. In the summer of 2013, one after being champion with Spain in the Euro (2012), Manchester City paid 25 million to take him to England. He stayed only one year, but won the Premier League. He scored 23 goals in 49 games he played. After that, with Valencia he entered his thirties. He scored 18 goals in 74 matches with the 'Ches' shirt.

At the age of 31 he returned to the Premier League with Middlesbrough, where he still had enough time to score 10 goals and five assists before signing for Besiktas. Two years in Turkey, the first at a very good level, before embarking on a much more exotic adventure with Al Nasr Dubai. At 35, he returned to Spain to spend three and a half years at Cadiz. All three in the top flight. The last line of his career was reserved for Valladolid, with whom he achieved promotion to La Liga after arriving in the winter market despite having a minor role (585') in the second half of the year.

Now, after 20 years of professional career, he says goodbye to football after a year in which he had not talked about what the future would bring.