Real Betis winger Joaquin on Wednesday said he will retire at the end of the season, by which time he could have broken La Liga’s appearance record.
Joaquin, who turns 42 in July, is captain at Betis which is fifth in La Liga with nine matches to go.
He has played 615 Liga games, seven fewer than former Spain goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta, who holds the record with 622.
In a video posted by the club on social media, sitting in the changing room, a tearful Joaquin said: “My time has come. The time to tell you this my last season with Betis.”
In another, showing Joaquin painting and drawing, he said: “For 23 years, I have tried to make my football an art and to be remembered through the generations.”
Joaquin made his debut for Betis in 2000 aged 19.
He left for five seasons at Valencia in 2006 and then spent two years at Malaga. He also spent two seasons outside La Liga with Fiorentina in Serie A before returning to Betis in 2015.
He has won the Copa del Rey twice with Betis and once with Valencia. Joaquin played 51 times for Spain between 2002 and 2007.
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