Jesus Navas: Staying at Sevilla Could Have Meant More Spain Caps

Jesus Navas, the legendary Sevilla player and Spain's most decorated international, recently retired from football. Reflecting on his career, Navas shared insights into his experiences and challenges.

Discussing his retirement, Navas said: "It was very difficult for me; I could never have imagined it. I dedicated my entire life to something I loved passionately, but now that period has ended. I wanted to continue with Sevilla until the end of the season, but a persistent hip injury this season was very troublesome, and ultimately, I decided to retire. The past six months were very tough; after each game, I couldn't walk due to the pain. That's when I realized my body could no longer continue."

When asked about the toughest left-back he faced, Navas responded: "I've played against most of the world's top left-backs, but the first name that comes to mind is Roberto Carlos. Getting past him was extremely challenging, and when he joined the attack, stopping him was equally difficult."

Navas also reflected on his time at Manchester City: "My experience with Manchester City was excellent. Moving to this team wasn't as hard as I thought. At that time, Sevilla was facing significant financial difficulties, and I decided to take on a new challenge. Experiencing the Premier League was very beneficial and helped me improve. The only downside was that during my five years at Manchester City, I was never called up to the Spanish national team, which was my worst memory. Whenever international breaks approached, I eagerly awaited the national team list, but not being included was truly disappointing. Perhaps if I had stayed at Sevilla, I would have had more international appearances."