Baghdad: Defender Nicolas Otamendi has decided to end his career with the Argentine national football team at the age of 38, days after losing the 2026 FIFA World Cup final to Spain. Otamendi, who recently joined River Plate, announced his decision in a video and a message posted on social media.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Otamendi expressed his thoughts by stating: "I leave the national team with a sense of peace because I gave everything I had. I never held back, I never stopped believing, and I never stopped considering this jersey the greatest honor of my life." Otamendi played 139 matches for the Albiceleste since his debut in 2009 under the legendary Diego Maradona. He participated in four World Cups (2010, 2018, 2022, 2026) and was a key player in the team that won the world title four years ago.

His career with the national team also boasts two Copa Am©rica titles (2021 and 2024) and the 2022 Final Serie A title against then-European champions Italy. Otamendi had previously announced in 2025 that the 2026 World Cup would be his final tournament with the national team.

On Thursday, Otamendi joined River Plate's training center in Buenos Aires. This marked the end of his more than 15 years in European leagues, where he played for Porto and Benfica in Portugal, Valencia in Spain, and Manchester City in England, along with a brief stint in 2014 with Atl©tico Mineiro in Brazil.