Former France goalkeeper Steve Mandanda on Wednesday announced his retirement from football after a distinguished career, including World Cup and Euro appearances.
The 40-year-old former Crystal Palace and Marseille player’s contract with Ligue 1 club Rennes expired last July.
“I needed to take my time to accept it, because it’s not easy, but yes, I’m stopping,” Mandanda, who was capped 35 times, told French sports daily L’Equipe.
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“I had a long period of reflection because I had a lot of calls but I said no every time.”
His breakthrough came at Marseille, with whom he spent 14 seasons across two spells, winning the Ligue 1 title under Didier Deschamps in 2009-10.
Mandanda also won three Coupe de la Ligue trophies with Marseille and went to the final of the Europa League in 2017-18, losing to Atletico Madrid.
Overall, he made 555 appearances in Ligue 1, with both Marseille and Rennes, keeping 177 clean sheets in total.
