Samuel Umtiti reportedly set to retire at 31 after returning to Lyon

Samuel Umtiti, the France centre-back who won the 2018 World Cup, is reportedly preparing to retire from professional football at the age of 31 after returning to his boyhood club, according to French outlet RMC Sport.

RMC Sport reported that Umtiti, a free agent since leaving LOSC Lille this summer, has been at Olympique Lyonnais’ facilities in recent weeks and has sought permission from the club to record a retirement announcement. There was no official confirmation from the player or Lyon at the time of the report.

Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Umtiti moved to France as a child and came through Lyon’s academy, making his senior debut in 2012. His performances for Lyon earned him a high-profile transfer to Barcelona in 2016, where he won two LaLiga titles and established himself as a key member of the side before a series of knee problems and other injuries dramatically curtailed his playing time.

Injury issues have dominated Umtiti’s career since his move to Catalonia. Between 2016 and 2022 he missed 622 days of action, a spell that included lengthy periods on the sidelines and disrupted successive seasons. A loan to Lecce for the 2022–23 campaign produced 25 appearances and led to a return to France with Lille, but he did not re-establish himself on the international stage and had not played for France since a Euro 2020 qualifier against Turkey in June 2019.

Umtiti was part of Didier Deschamps’ France squad that lifted the World Cup in Russia in 2018, contributing to a team that included several high-profile defenders. Despite his earlier promise and the international honour, persistent fitness problems limited his impact in later years.

As of the RMC Sport report, Umtiti has not made a public statement confirming his plans. If he proceeds with a retirement announcement at Lyon, it would close a professional career that spanned Lyon’s first team, Barcelona’s title-winning sides and spells in Italy and back in France.

Umtiti will be two months short of his 32nd birthday if the reported timing is accurate. Representatives for the player and for Olympique Lyonnais did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The French football federation and former clubs had no immediate comment on the report.

Umtiti’s career featured early acclaim, a marquee move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs and the pinnacle of international success with France. His likely retirement will focus attention on a player whose trajectory was significantly affected by injury interruptions after a highly promising start.