Víctor Vázquez retires to become FC Santa Coloma head coach

Víctor Vázquez, the 38-year-old midfielder trained at La Masia and current president of FC Santa Coloma, has announced his retirement as a player and will take up the role of head coach of the Andorran first-division side. He made the decision public in an emotional video on social media, saying he will now concentrate fully on coaching.

Vázquez ends a professional career of almost two decades after a final season at FC Santa Coloma. The club made the move after the dismissal of Albert Gómez, and the change formalises a transition the club had signalled in recent weeks. Santa Coloma sit fourth in the league, five points behind the leader; Vázquez will be assisted by Àlex Moya.

In his video message Vázquez described the coaching opportunity as a longed-for door opening and insisted the choice was not driven by physical or mental exhaustion, although an old knee injury marked part of his career. He added that his passion for football will remain and that he was not saying goodbye to the sport.

Vázquez reviewed his career in the message, recalling his early years at FC Martinenc and Damm, arrival at La Masia at 14, and his debut with Barcelona’s first team, where he scored at the Camp Nou in a Champions League match. He was regarded as one of La Masia’s standout talents in a generation that included Lionel Messi.

His professional path also included spells abroad with Club Brugge — which he called “my second home” — Cruz Azul, Toronto FC, Al Arabi, Umm Salal, LA Galaxy and East Bengal before moving to Andorra. The announcement drew an outpouring of support from former teammates and figures in the game, including Bojan Krkic, Carlos Martínez, Jonathan Soriano, Marc Muniesa, Rubén Miño and coach Felip Ortiz, and messages of admiration from clubs where he played.

Vázquez said he intends to “begin to write another great story” with FC Santa Coloma and sees his new role as an equal or even more exciting challenge than his playing career. He closed his message with the words “Thanks, football,” marking the end of one chapter and the start of another.