Blaise Matuidi, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, announced his retirement on Friday night.The 35-year-old midfielder, who started the showdown against Croatia in Moscow four years ago, is the first member of that Didier Deschamps’ side to retire.Football, je t’ai tant aimé. Football, tu m’as tant donné, mais le moment est venu de dire stop. J’ai accompli mes rêves d’enfant, mes rêves d’homme. C’est la gorge serrée mais avec fierté que je tourne aujourd’hui cette page.MERCI ❤️ 👉🏾 https://t.co/j9S9b7QaiD pic.twitter.com/rkDwnxX9Tj— Blaise Matuidi (@MATUIDIBlaise) December 23, 2022 Matuidi had been omitted from Inter Miami’s squad for this season. Before that, he won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain and Serie A with Juventus after spending time with Saint-Etienne and Toulouse.He made 84 international appearances, scoring nine times before his final Les Bleus game in 2019.”I’ve decided to end my career as a professional footballer,” he said in a video on YouTube.”I had the chance to play for the biggest European clubs, wear the France shirt, give my family a buzz, live my passion and they are images that will stay with me,” he added.”My head, my heart, tell me to stop and to think about those close to me, my wife, my children, and this life I built,” he said.”I think I’ve come to the end of what I’m able to bring to the table.”##NAJAVA_MECA_6906224##
