Horse chucks list of unretired South Africa World Cup champions: Ramos, Busquets, Pedro, etc.

Today is the 15th anniversary of Spain's World Cup championship in South Africa. In the past period, the players at that time have retired one after another. Only five South African World Cup champions are still active on the football field: Ramos, Busquets, Pedro, Albiol and Xavi Martinez.

Pedro (Lazio)

Of the remaining five, Pedro maintains the highest level. With the singing of "Pedro, Pedro, Pedro", he has become an idol in the hearts of Lazio fans. On the 28th of this month, Pedro will celebrate his 38th birthday. He renewed his contract for a season, which could be the last season of his career. Pedro is one of the newcomers on Boske's roster. The South African World Cup is his first appearance on behalf of the national team, and he started in the semi-finals and finals.

Two years later, Pedro won the European Cup with the team. On October 9, 2017 (losed 0-1 to Israel, coached by Lopetegui), he played for the national team for the last time.

Ramos (Monterrey)

Club World Cup showed Ramos' good competitive form, and the Spanish national team record holder (180 games) joined Monterrey after a setback season in Seville. Ramos, who is close to 40, will expire at the end of the year, when he will decide his future and he still has some football career to continue.

In the South African World Cup, Ramos served as the right back, participating in all seven games. On March 31, 2021, he wore the Spanish national team jersey for the last time in the match against Kosovo. After that, his relationship with Louis Enrique broke down.

Albiol

A training injury made him miss Bosque's plan, and despite this, Albiol stayed in South Africa. He made his debut under Aragonese and was trusted by Bosque, Louis Enrique and Robert Moreno. On September 8, 2021, he completed a farewell performance of the national team in Kosovo.

Albiol (born September 28) is looking for a new team after saying goodbye to Villarreal, like Ramos, who is part of the Golden Generation from 2008 to 2012.

Busquets (Miami International)

Busquets is one of the key players in the South African World Cup. Boske's fierce defense after losing to Switzerland made him famous and triggered a joke in the locker room: "Is Boske your father?"

Busquets played for the national team for 143 games and won the World Cup and European Cup championships. His national team career ended after a penalty shootout to Morocco in Qatar's World Cup. Next week (17th), he will celebrate his 37th birthday and is currently playing for Miami International.

Xavi Martinez (Qatar Sports)

Like Pedro, Xavi Martinez also entered the national team through the South African World Cup. He won several minutes of playing time against Chile. A serious injury in August 2014 affected his career. Two months ago on June 18, he ended his 18th game with the national team at the Maracana Stadium against Chile.

After that, he was called up by Lopetegui twice, but he did not appear again. After leaving Bayern, Xavi Martinez (who turned 37 on September 2) will usher in his fifth season at Qatar Sports.

Juan Mata (West Sydney Rambler)

Juan Mata is looking for a new team, and at the age of 37 he has a unique experience, such as playing football in Australia. He bid farewell to the national team at Wembley Stadium in November 2016. Now, football is no longer his professional priority.

Coaches

Many members of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa chose coaching after retirement, and Iniesta is preparing to go on this path, while Xavi Alonso (Real Madrid), Fabregas (Como), Torres (Atletico B), Aveloa (Real Madrid Castia), Xavi and Valdes (no team) have begun their coaching careers.