Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has announced he will retire from football at the end of the World Cup.
Alonso, 32, has been an integral part of Spain's success in recent years, winning Euro 2008 and Euro 2012 as well as the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Alonso won his 112th cap for Spain in the 2-0 defeat to Chile, a result that made La Roja the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.
He was hauled off at half-time in that game after a poor first half, which included him losing the ball in the build up to Chile's opener.
The former Liverpool man has scored Spain's only goal of the tournament so far, from the penalty spot in the 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratingsShow all 22 1 /22Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Spain: Iker Casillas 5/10 Another nightmare showing from the Spanish captain. Looked frail at set-pieces and was to blame for Chile’s second. Is this his last major tournament with with his country?
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta 6 Did very little after a surprise call-up to the Spanish starting eleven. Gave possession away far too cheaply and looked out of place.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Sergio Ramos 6 Constantly striving to get forward, as well as defending well, Ramos at least showed an intent to halter Spain’s slide.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Javi Martinez 6 While not doing too much wrong, Martinez failed to excel when Spain needed a leader.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Jordi Alba 6 Ran the line reasonably well but was left wanting defensively on far too many occasions. Had a difficult afternoon trying to contain Alexis Sanchez.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Xabi Alonso 5 The former Liverpool man had an awful first half, surrendering possession far too easily. A number of wild shots, which blazed over the bar, summed up his country’s night.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Sergio Busquets 5 The Barcelona midfielder will ultimately be remembered for that horrendous miss in the second half. Offered little else.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Pedro 6 Had a quiet evening when much was required from him if Spain were to get back into the game. Will be bitterly disappointed with his distribution tonight.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings David Silva 6 Went missing for large periods of the game but did improve towards the end of his shift. Could have made the difference if luck went his way.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Andres Iniesta 6 While his undeniable class was evident throughout, Iniesta’s passing didn’t penetrate the Chilean defence nearly enough. An ineffective evening.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Diego Costa 5 A poor performance from a striker who looks severely out of place in the Spanish set-up. His game, built on power and pace, doesn’t match up with the philosophy in which he has been expected to embrace.
Getty images
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Chile: Claudio Bravo 8 While consciously adding an air of the spectacular to his saves, Bravo made a range of excellent stops to keep Spain out. A fine display from an exciting goalkeeper. Bravo indeed.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Mauricio Isla 7 Racing forwards at every opportunity, Chile’s right-back has made something of a name for himself tonight. Chileans, however, won’t be surprised by his display tonight.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Eugenio Mena 7 Like his counterpart on the other side of Chile’s defence, Isla, the Santos left-back offered an attacking threat as well as defensive solidity.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Gonzalo Jara 7 A rock at the heart of Chile’s backline, the former Nottingham Forest defender earned his stripes by keeping the likes of Diego Costa at bay.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Gary Medel 7 Playing in his more familiar position at centre-back, despite being used in midfield for Cardiff City, Medal wore his heart on his sleeve and made a couple of essential interceptions.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Francisco Silva 7 Offering a springboard for Chile to leap into attack from, Silva often stayed back and manned the fort. Giving the players around him the freedom to run at the Spanish defence, he played a vital role this evening.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Charles Aranguiz 8 Scoring Chile’s second and proving to be a constant thorn in Spain’s side, this was a marvellous performance defined by his electric pace. A true shame he couldn’t stay on the pitch.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Marcelo Diaz 7 The FC Basel man was an essential cog in Chile’s well-oiled, and well drilled, midfield. Kept his teammates grounded when they may have become over exuberant.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Arturo Vidal 8 An impressive performance from Juventus’ 27-year-old star man. Representing all that Chile stand for, Vidal held up the ball superbly and wasn’t afraid to run with it.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Alexis Sanchez 9 A menace throughout, the occasionally maligned Barcelona playmaker was at the top of his game today. Unlucky not to score from one of his many opportunities.
Spain 0 Chile 2 player ratings Eduardo Vargas 8 After putting his side ahead early into the game, Vargas then became more defensively-minded and did an important job in holding the ball up until the cavalry could catch up. An effective display.
Uncertainty also surrounds the futures of fellow midfielder Xavi and goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who have both had terrible tournaments.
However, one man who will not be moving on is the coach Vicente del Bosque, who has been backed by the Spanish football federation despite the poor performance of his team.
Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Alonso made the decision before the start of the tournament in Brazil.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies