Former France international goalkeeper, Steve Mandanda, has officially called time on his playing career, bringing the curtain down on an illustrious journey that spanned nearly two decades at the top level.
The 40-year-old, who previously featured for Crystal Palace and Marseille, confirmed his decision after his contract with Rennes ended in July.
“I needed to take my time to accept it, because it’s not easy, but yes, I’m stopping,” Mandanda told French sports daily L’Equipe. “I had a long period of reflection because I had a lot of calls but I said no every time.”
Mandanda rose to prominence at Marseille, where he became a club legend during 14 seasons across two spells.
With the team, he lifted the Ligue 1 trophy in 2009-10 under Didier Deschamps and added three Coupe de la Ligue titles to his cabinet.
He was also part of the side that reached the 2018 Europa League final, narrowly falling to Atletico Madrid.
On the international stage, the veteran goalkeeper earned 35 caps for France, representing Les Bleus at both the World Cup and the European Championship.
Across his career in Ligue 1 with Marseille and Rennes, Mandanda amassed 555 appearances and recorded 177 clean sheets, a testament to his consistency and reliability between the posts.