France’s 2018 World Cup Star Hangs Up His Boots | OneFootball

Former Barcelona and France defender ends his journey at 32 after long injury battles

France’s 2018 World Cup Star Hangs Up His Boots

French defender Samuel Umtiti's officially announced his retirement from football closing the curtain on career marked by both glory & painful setbacks.

The 32 year old .. a 2018 World cup winner confirmed the news in emotional Instagram video.

A career overshadowed by injuries

Umtiti’s career was derailed by recurring knee problems that kept him sidelined for more than 600 days.

The turning point came after the 2018 World cup where he played key role in France’s triumph but suffered long term consequences.

From Lyon to Barcelona glory

Born in Cameroon and raised in Lyon, Umtiti began his career with Olympique Lyonnais before moving to Barcelona in 2016 for 25 million euro.

In Spain, he won 2 La Liga title & 3 Copa del Rey trophies across 6 year.

World Cup heroics in Russia

His finest moment came in the 2018 World cup semi final scoring the decisive goal against Belgium. Umtiti became 1 of the pillars of Didier Deschamps defense as France lifted the trophy in Moscow.

The final chapters in Italy and France

After struggling at Barca, Umtiti joined Lecce on loan in 2022 making 23 appearances.

He later moved to Lille in 2024 but was limited to just 13 matches before his contract expired. Last Friday, he was seen leaving Lyon’s training ground fueling comeback rumors but days later he confirmed his decision to retire.

A farewell with gratitude

He thanked Lyon, Barcelona, Lecce, Lille and the French national team for shaping his journey.

With his announcement, Umtiti becomes the 5th member of France’s 2018 World cup winning squad to retire joining Raphael Varane, Blaise Matuidi, Adil Rami and Steve Mandanda.

🔗 Instagram