Official | Samuel Umtiti retires at 31 | OneFootball

Samuel Umtiti (31) has announced his retirement from the professional game. The Lyon Academy graduate was a free agent following the expiry of his two-year Lille OSC contract. Umtiti hasn’t featured on a football pitch since January 2024, as his career has been plagued by numerous knee injuries. In the end, Umtiti only featured 13 times for Les Dogues.

“After an intense career with highs and lows, the time has come to say goodbye… I gave EVERYTHING with passion and I regret NOTHING. I would like to thank all the clubs, presidents, coaches and players I have been able to work with”, Umtiti said in a post on Instagram. Umtiti’s career has been marked, in more ways than one, by France’s run to the 2018 World Cup title.

The then-Barcelona centre-back scored Les Bleus’ game-winning goal against Belgium in the semi-finals. But Umtiti soldiered through the competition despite a knee injury, and he has been paying for it ever since. He is the fifth member of France’s World Cup-winning squad to hang up his boots for good, after Blaise Matuidi, Hugo Lloris, Raphaël Varane and Steve Mandanda.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval