Alvaro Arbeloa is retiring from football

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Official:

Former Liverpool, Real Madrid and West Ham defender Alvaro Arbeloa is retiring from football aged 34.

The Spanish right-back made three Premier League appearances for The Hammers last season before being released. The time has come for Alvaro Arbeloa to hang up his boots, the ex-Real Madrid player announcing his retirement after a disappointing time at West Ham. 

"I always thought I would play until my legs held out, but in the end it was a head and motivation issue," he told Spanish newspaper Marca.

The defender spent three years with Liverpool before returning to the club for whom he made his senior debut, Real Madrid, in 2009.

Arbeloa arrived at West Ham after spending seven years at Madrid, where he claimed LaLiga, the Champions League, Copa del Rey, the Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Supercopa de Espana.

He also won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and two European Championships in 56 appearances for his country.

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Born in 17 Jan 1983, his talent alone never looked like making him a world-beater but a world-beater he became in 2010 when he was part of the Spain squad that won the World Cup in South Africa.

And while it's true that he barely played during Spain's journey to the final it was a very different story two years later when he started all of his country's Euro 2012 games including the final when they thrashed Italy 4-0.

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He was fortunate to be around at a time when great right backs were thin on the ground. Álvaro Arbeloa wears No 17 and No 5 as Madrid and West Ham defenders. He is a versatile player who is a born leader inside and outside the dressing-room. These are the qualities that made him stand out in the Real Madrid youth team. In 2005 he captained Real Madrid Castilla and was one of the key players in their promotion to the Spanish Second Division, a promotion which had taken 14 years to achieve.

Alvaro Arbeloa was given a magnificent farewell by the Real Madrid fans in his last game at the Santiago Bernabeu, before completes move to West Ham on free transfer. We can understand that Arbeloa is a popular figure at Real Madrid, where he has been a true defender of the shirt, both on the pitch and social media.

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