A year after being inducted into the European Hockey Federation Hall of Fame, Spanish hero Santi Freixa has announced his retirement from international hockey. The 2004 FIH Young Player of the Year, 31, confirmed the news on Saturday (30 August).
The iconic attacker netted a remarkable 126 goals in 193 appearances for his country, having made his debut way back in 2000. He was a central figure in a golden era in Spanish hockey, forming one third of arguably the world’s most potent strikeforce alongside Pol Amat and Edi Tubau.
Santi’s on-field brilliance helped Spain claim Olympic Silver (Beijing 2008), World Cup Bronze (Mönchengladbach 2006) as well as Gold medals at the 2005 European Championships and the 2004 Champions Trophy.
A series of injury issues in recent years and the increased demands of the international schedule saw Santi make an honest assessment of his ability to reach full fitness and duly made the decision to step back following his captaincy of the team at the 2014 Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague.
Speaking to hockey journalist Cathy Harris last year, Santi said that he was both surprised and honoured to be named alongside Netherlands legend Teun de Nooijer and Germany star Natascha as the first inductees into the EHF Hall of Fame before explaining that goalscoring is just one small element of a successful team. “When you look back on your hockey career it’s more than all about scoring goals. It’s being part of a team off the pitch and on, sharing experiences and living a way of life.”
If you need a reminder of the Santi’s greatness, watch the video below. We have no doubt whatsoever that he will stay a familiar face in his beloved hockey and we look forward to the next chapter in the life of this extraordinary young man.
Honours board at a glance ...
- 193 caps and 126 goals
- Olympic Games silver medal 2008
- World Cup bronze 2006
- Champions Trophy winner 2004
- Champions Trophy silver 2008, 2011
- Champions Trophy bronze 2006
- EuroHockey Nations Championship winner 2005
- Seven times national club champion with Atletic Terrassa 2004-7 and 2012-13, 2011 (Amsterdam)
- Winner European Cup Winners Cup 2000
- FIH Young Player of the Year 2004
