After nine successful years at Etihad Stadium, the Former Manchester City defender decided to rack up his boots.
Former Manchester City and Espanyol defender Pablo Zabaleta confirmed on Friday that he will exit football for good. Evidently, the Argentina international played a fabulous career alongside football’s greatest members for 18 years.
Subsequently, the 35-year-old spent three years at the Catalan club from 2005 to 2008. This was right after Zabaleta’s transfer move from San Lorenzo, the top-tier club from Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Consequently, Zabaleta aided Espanyol to win the Copa del Rey trophy in 2006. He also managed to help the club reach UEFA Cup level in 2007. Although, Espanyol suffered a defeat from Spanish club Sevilla on penalties.
Nonetheless, after working hard on the right-back position on the field, Zabaleta decided to quit football. On Friday, he posted a message on Twitter thanking everyone for his time in the football world.
Sadly so, the Argentine could have come back to his old club in Barcelona after a good spell at West Ham.
Nevertheless, Zabaleta is renowned for his nine-year run at Manchester City. After leaving Catalunya, the defender aided City to win two Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014. Furthermore, he made 333 first-team appearances for the Blues under different managers.
After the stint at City, Zabaleta transferred to West Ham in 2017 on a free transfer. He managed to play 80 fixtures with the Hammers. Though, during the last campaign, the right-back only appeared for 10 Premier League games.
On the other hand, Zabaleta capped 58 times for Argentina. But, he did not play a single game after 2016 for his nation.
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