Former Barcelona defender considering retirement at 31

Former Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti is contemplating retirement at the age of just 31, with his chronic knee problems coming back to haunt him once again.

The veteran French defender has played just one game in 2024, and has undergone two more knee operations, one in February and another in August. His contract is up next summer, and Lille intend to let him go.

It looked as if Umtiti was starting to return to fitness two seasons ago, playing regularly for Lecce on loan in 2022-23, and Lille signed him off the back of that on a free. With his last game in January though, Lille have little hope of him returning, and Sport say Umtiti could call it quits.

Umtiti looked like one of the great talents in football when he arrived at Barcelona, but after putting off a knee operation in order to play the 2018 World Cup, which he won, has been battling knee problems ever since.