The veteran French goalkeeper Steve Mandanda announced today, Wednesday, his final retirement from football at the age of 40, after a long career spent in French leagues and on the bench of the national team.

Mandanda confirmed in his statements that he decided to stop playing after a period of contemplation, saying: "I needed some time to accept the idea of retirement; it wasn’t easy, but the time has come to stop."

He added that he received several offers during the summer from clubs such as Le Havre, Lorient, Brest, and Montpellier, but he rejected them all.

Mandanda is known as one of the most prominent backup goalkeepers in the history of the French national team, having played only 35 international matches between 2008 and 2022, and participated in major tournaments such as the World Cup and Euro, but remained on the bench in many editions.

Mandanda did not appear in any matches during his participation in Euro 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2022, while he participated in only two matches in the World Cup during the 2010, 2018, and 2022 editions, missing the 2014 edition due to injury.