Manchester City playmaker David Silva has retired from international football.

The Spain midfielder has penned an emotional letter after making the decision after 125 caps for his country.

He wrote: “It isn’t easy, after everything I have gone through, to sit down and write these words.

“I have spent days and weeks thinking about and assessing my decision to end my time with the Spanish national team.”

The 32-year-old has taken the counsel of boss Pep Guardiola over the career move as he looks for the best way to arrange his schedule so that he can enjoy more time with his seven-month old son Mateo.

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The baby was born prematurely in December and spent the first five months of his life in Valencia’s Casa de Salud Hospital.

“Without a doubt, it is one of the most difficult decisions of my career which I’m now announcing, full of gratitude and humility.

“The national team has given me everything, allowing me to grow as a player and as a person from the youth ranks upwards.

“I am proud to have earned 125 caps and scored 35 goals over the course of my 12-years with the senior team, in which we were able to lift the World Cup and two European Championships.

Silva has hit 35 goals for his country – only David Villa, Raul and Fernando Torres have scored more – and he leaves a whole in new head coach Luis Enrique’s midfield that has already lost Andres Iniesta.