Last chapter after more than twenty years at the highest level. International goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, world champion with the French team in 2018, announced an end to his career in an interview with the newspaper The team. “I needed to take my time to accept it already, because it’s not simple, but yes I stop”, announced on a daily basis the former goalkeeper of Olympique de Marseille, who has 35 selections with the Blues.
“I had a great period of reflection because I had a lot of calls [des clubs du Havre, de Lorient, Guingamp, Brest, Montpellier selon l’Equipe, ndlr] But I said no every time ”, Adds Mandanda, who had been free since July 1 and the end of his contract with Stade Rennais.
Trained in Le Havre, where he revealed in Ligue 2, Mandanda had been recruited by Olympique de Marseille where he won in his first season in the elite in 2007-2008.
The native of Kinshasa spent most of his career at OM, 14 seasons in total. He won a title of champion of France in 2010, three consecutive league cups (2010, 2011, 2012) and two Champions Trophies (2010, 2011) under the leadership of Didier Deschamps who will become his coach in Blues from 2012.
After having honored his first selection in Blue in May 2008 under the orders of Raymond Domenech, Mandanda had established himself as a holder in the French cage before losing his place in 2009 for the benefit of Hugo Lloris.
The former OM goalkeeper remained many Lloris’s lining, participating in the greatest adventures of the Blues de Deschamps, from the final of Euro 2016 at home, in the World Cup final in 2022 in Qatar and was especially in the group during the second world title won in 2018 in Russia. He announced the end of his international career in January 2023.
