Samuel Umtiti leaves soccer at just 31 years old

The curtain falls for Samuel Umtiti. The central defender, 31, announced this Monday on Instagram the end of his professional career, three months after leaving Lille. World champion in 2018 and raised football-wise at OL, Umtiti had played very little with the Dogues (13 games in two years), heavily affected by injuries in recent seasons.

He is the fifth world champion with France in Russia to retire, following his teammate Raphaël Varane, Steve Mandanda, Blaise Matuidi and Adil Rami.

“After an intense career, with ups and downs, the time has come to say goodbye… I gave everything with passion and I regret nothing. I want to thank all the clubs, presidents, coaches, and teammates with whom I have shared this journey,” Umtiti wrote, mentioning the four clubs in his professional career, namely Lyon (2012-2016), Barcelona (2016-2022), Lecce (2022-2023), and Lille (2023-2025), as well as the French national team (31 appearances, 4 goals).