Without a club since his departure from Rennes, at the end of the past season, the former Le Havre goalkeeper, OM, Crystal Palace and of course the Blues, bows down at 40.
Retirement time has come for Steve Mandanda. Without a club since the end of the past season (but not without proposals), the 40 -year -old porter ends his career. It’s official. The main interested party explains it in the columns of The team . «I needed to take my time to accept it, already, because it is not simple, but yes I stop. (…) I had a great period of reflection because I had a lot of calls but I said no every time“Explains the native of Kinshasa on a sports daily. The clubs in question? Le Havre, Lorient, Guingamp, Brest and Montpellier, we slip.
And Mandanda add, always to The team : «It’s flattering, that means that leaders, coaches still think of you. And, whenever I said no, I wondered if I was not going to regret it. But by dint of saying no: Turkey too far, Saudi Arabia the same, in L1 for other reasons…»
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Figures that make you dizzy
Brother of Riffi Mandanda (Retraite), Perfect Mandanda (Caen) and Over Mandanda (without club), all guardians, Steve Mandanda joined the Le Havre training in 2000. It was with the Norman club that he made his debut (72 games), before rally OM, in 2007. The start of a long and fruitful story. The numbers make you dizzy, vertigo. 613 official games, club record, including 469 in Ligue 1 and 101 in the European Cup, also records in Olympian history. A title of champion of France (2010), three victories in the League Cup (2010 to 2012) and two in the Champions Trophy (2010, 2011). Simply giant. “”I do not realize, even today. I just feel privileged. I am happy to leave a trace of course but, later, I will especially remember my titles ”jure-t-
This marriage with OM was an alignment of planets.
Steve Mandanda
«Despite my fairly calm temperament, I also have my character, do not believe (smiles)he laughs, the question of how he resisted Marseille pressure for so long. This marriage with OM was an alignment of planets. (…) When you are young, carefree and efficient, you only take the positive. I was lucky to have a song with my name at the stadium fairly quickly. And then, I think I took the time to observe well, to understand where I had set foot. I started to participate in meetings with the supporters, I had more important roles. I cogitize a lot, on everything. Some questions happened with the armband but it is my personality, it is also what helped me last in the world of football and OM in particular. Even if there were very, very complicated moments ”he slips, citing in particular “The invasion of the Commandery in January 2021”.
Sampaoli in gravedigger
2016, the time of the exodus at Crystal Palace, for a season (10 games), then … that of the return to the Vélodrome, a year later. 2021, competition with Pau Lopez, under Jorge Sampaoli. And the big departure, in 2022, with a new adventure in Rennes … where Mandanda finally found Sampaoli, who put Brice Samba in his legs. End of contract last summer. The wait. Reflection. Then the decision, that of hanging up definitively this Wednesday.
Obviously, Steve Mandanda has long attended the Blues. 35 selections, from May 27, 2008 against the equator (2-0) to November 30, 2022, against Tunisia (0-1), during the World Cup in Qatar. “El Fenomeno” had retired international at the end of the World Cup, at the same time as the one who has long barred him in blue, Hugo Lloris. “”It’s time for me too, at 37he said at the time. There are young people arriving. This allows you to complete the loop with Hugo. It was with a lot of pride and emotion that I experienced all of this. Today the French team stops for me. We talked about it with Hugo, we came to the same decision. Me, it happens logically, I lived a lot of seasons, I am also older. It was time, it was normal to stop».
I used to say that it was not Hugo who won his place, it was Steve who lost it.
Raymond Domenech
“For a year, he was the holderrecalls ex-selector Raymond Domenech, on the channel The team. I used to say that it was not Hugo who won his place, it was Steve who lost it. He never managed to perform in international matches, to show something … We felt a discomfort. There was a form of pressure. It was too early for him at that time … “ The former boss of the Blues, from 2004 to 2010, recognizes, however, that Steve Mandanda “Make an extraordinary career and he is a really extraordinary guy, really nice, no problem with anyone.”
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All its titles under Deschamps
Steve Mandanda was part of the world coronation in Russia in 2018. He had played the third group match against Denmark (0-0) on this occasion, but he was already an influential member of the locker room. A privileged relay of Deschamps, with whom he won his titles in club as in selection. A figure among the Blues, a legend at OM, the velodrome having paid him a vibrant tribute when he entered a symbol in the Marseille-Rennes at the end of last season. “”This moment was unique because nothing was prepared. I said “no” all week. For me, it was not necessarily the last match of my career. I decide at the last moment, and I had one of the most beautiful emotions in my entire career. Frankly, I couldn’t have a better end». Respect.
