FORMER FRANCE defender Jeremy Mathieu, who won the Champions League and two La Liga titles with Barcelona, on Thursday announced his retirement after suffering a bad knee injury in training with his last club Sporting Lisbon.
Mathieu sustained a badly twisted knee in training on Wednesday, Sporting said in a statement.
“It’s tough to say goodbye like that!” the 36-year-old, on crutches, said in an address to his teammates.
“I would have liked to play at home one last time, but life goes on. It was a pleasure to wear this jersey, a pleasure to play with you and enjoy every minute.”
Mathieu, who won five caps for France between 2011-16, joined Sporting in 2017.
He started his career with home club Sochaux before moving to Ligue 1 rivals Toulouse. Then came a move to Spain, first with Valencia (2009-14) before joining Barcelona (2014-17).
Mathieu played 91 games for Barca, notably winning the 2015 Champions League, twice La Liga (2015, 2016), three times the Copa del Rey (2015, 2016, 2017) and the FIFA Club World Cup (2015).
