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Samuel Umtiti has retired from football at the age of 31.
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He is best remembered for his 2018 World Cup semi-final win.
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Injuries ultimately cut his career short.
Samuel Umtiti has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 31.
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The France defender said the decision comes after years of injury trouble and repeated knee operations.
“After an intense career with ups and downs, the time has come to say goodbye… I gave EVERYTHING with passion and I regret NOTHING,” – Umtiti wrote on Instagram.
Born in Cameroon and raised in Lyon, Umtiti made his professional debut with Olympique Lyonnais before earning a high-profile move to Barcelona in 2016.
He had a successful run in Spain, making 134 appearances and winning seven trophies across league and cup competitions.
Umtiti played an important role for France internationally.
His most memorable moment came when he scored the decisive goal in the 2018 World Cup semi-final against Belgium.
However, persistent knee problems cut into his playing time in later years and prevented him from building on those highs.
After Barcelona, he had spells in Italy before returning to France.
A late-career move to Lille brought little playing time due to injury.
He left Lille at the end of last season and spent recent months searching for a new contract without success.
That’s led him to step away from the game.
Throughout his career, Samuel Umtiti showed the qualities that made him a reliable centre-back: good reading of the game, aerial strength and composure on the ball.
Yet injuries kept interrupting his progress, and they ultimately shaped how his career ended.
