Samuel Umtiti, the former Barcelona defender who won the World Cup with France, has retired from football at the age of 31.
Umtiti was most recently contracted with Ligue 1 club Lille but made just 13 appearances across two seasons, with the latter years of his career hampered by chronic cartilage damage in his knee.
“After an intense career with ups and downs, the time has come to say goodbye,” he said in a social media post on Monday. “I gave my all with passion and regret nothing.”
A left-footed centre-back, Umtiti made 31 appearances for France and, alongside Raphael Varane in defence, played a leading role in France’s World Cup win in 2018. He scored the only goal in the 1-0 semi-final victory over Belgium, and played in six matches across the tournament.
Umtiti made 133 appearances over a seven-year spell with Barcelona, where he won seven major trophies, including two La Liga titles in back-to-back seasons.
In the 2017-18 campaign, Umtiti began experiencing knee pain. He opted against surgery, and helped Barcelona to win the Spanish title before his success with France that summer. He told L’Equipe in 2019: “I clenched my teeth and played as best I could.”
His retirement statement thanked the clubs, presidents, coaches, and teammates he encountered during his career.
