Spanish midfielder Borja Fernandez, who won two Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) titles with ATK, is due to play the final match of his professional career on Saturday. The 38-year-old will bid his farewell after his team Real Valladolid's final La Liga match of the season against Valencia.

Borja announced his decision at an emotional press conference in Spain on Friday. "The decision is made, I know it will be hard, but I will not regret it," Borja told the reporters gathered at the briefing. Despite calling it a day on his time as a player, the Spaniard announced that he will remain linked with the Valladolid club setup in some capacity. "It's time to enjoy other things and see football from another point of view and in another place in the club," he declared during the same briefing.

💜 Borja anuncia su retirada del fútbol profesional y mañana recibirá el cariño de Zorrilla. Continuará ligado al Club ¡Gracias por tanto!#pucela #RealValladolid pic.twitter.com/hbV8ZgxhtU

— Real Valladolid C.F. (@realvalladolid) May 17, 2019

The decision brings to an end an illustrious career spanning for almost 16 years. A product of the famed Real Madrid youth system, Borja rose through the ranks, becoming a first-team player in 2003. The defensive midfielder would go on to represent Los Blancos on 23 occasions and that too at a time when the Galacticos in place included the likes of Raul, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Luis Figo, Guti, Roberto Carlos and many other global superstars.

After a brief loan spell at Mallorca, he moved to Real Valladolid and helped the second-division side earn promotion to La Liga. Spells at Getafe and Deportivo la Coruna followed. Borja then moved to India and signed for ATK, then called Atletico de Kolkata, as the Hero ISL's first-ever foreign recruit. The Spaniard would go on to achieve cult-hero status at the Kolkata-based club, playing a decisive role in helping them win the inaugural Hero ISL title in 2014. He also scored a screamer of a goal in the very first Hero ISL match ever between ATK and Mumbai City FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and holds the distinction of winning the very first Hero of the Match Award in the league's history.

Borja stayed at ATK for two more seasons and was pivotal in the team's second Hero ISL triumph too in 2016. The combative midfielder played a total of 47 matches for ATK, scoring two goals before moving back to Spain to play for the likes of UD Almería and had multiple stints at Valladolid. The Spaniard has been a part of over 400 competitive matches in his senior career, including over 200 appearances in the La Liga.