Cesar Azpilicueta announced that this season will be his last as a professional footballer, writing directly to supporters: "Dear football, today, I want to share with you that this season will be my last as a professional footballer." The 36-year-old, who has played for Sevilla this season, said he felt it was time to begin a new chapter and that he will bring his career to an end this summer.
Azpilicueta framed the decision as the close of a long run: "After so many years living my dream, I feel it’s time to start a new chapter in my life." The numbers underline how much he is leaving behind. Across 20 seasons he rose from CA Osasuna to Olympique Marseille and then to Chelsea, where he made 508 appearances between 2012 and 2023 and spent 11 years at Stamford Bridge.
At Chelsea he became one of the club’s most decorated players, winning every major trophy available to the side — including two Premier League titles, a Champions League, two UEFA Europa League crowns plus the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup — and appearing in 13 major cup finals. He spent four years as Chelsea captain after being appointed ahead of the 2018/19 campaign and collected 44 caps for Spain during his international career.
After leaving Chelsea in 2023 Azpilicueta spent two years away from Stamford Bridge, moving to Atletico de Madrid and, last summer, to Sevilla FC. It is at Sevilla that he has chosen to play out this final season and then stop: "Wearing the shirts of CA Osasuna, Olympique Marseille, Chelsea FC, Atletico de Madrid, Sevilla FC, and representing my country at the biggest stages has been a true privilege," he wrote.
The tone of the message mixed gratitude and surprise at his own emotions. "Being honest, even though I have been preparing myself for this moment, I found it hard to write this letter," Azpilicueta admitted, before naming colleagues and staff who helped shape him: "To my teammates, coaches, and every staff member at all the clubs I’ve been lucky to be part of, thank you for helping me grow as a person and a player every day."
His farewell underlines a professional arc defined by versatility and durability: he is widely noted for having played at right-back, centre-back and left-back across a long top-flight career. He also described what football gave him beyond trophies: "Football has given me so much: it has taught me values like teamwork, sacrifice, humility, and respect."
The announcement lands as a neat bookend to a career that pivoted in 2012, when he joined Chelsea from Marseille, and that saw him lift the sport’s biggest club prizes. It also narrows the calendar: this season is now confirmed as his final campaign and the decision is set to take effect this summer, when he will retire from professional play.
There is a gentle tension in Azpilicueta’s message. He says he prepared for the moment, yet was moved by the act of saying goodbye — a reminder that even the most seasoned professionals meet endings with some uncertainty. He closed by addressing supporters directly: "Your passion and support inspired me to give my best every day."
Azpilicueta’s retirement will be measured in trophies, appearances and the raft of clubs he represented, but it will also be counted in the personal lines he chose for his farewell. His letter and career will be read across club websites, fan platforms and outlets including football.london as the summer approaches and the detail of his final matches and farewells crystallise.
When the final whistle blows on this season, Cesar Azpilicueta will leave the game after 20 seasons with the clear record of a modern club great — a player who collected the major honours available to Chelsea, made 508 appearances for the club, earned 44 caps for his country and now elects to close that chapter this summer.
