Sometimes it’s by doing something unexpected that a player goes down in history and plays his way into people’s hearts – a striker dashing back to make a tackle in his own box, a goalkeeper pushing up to the halfway line and slipping in a decisive pass, or a defender scoring a goal in one of the most important matches of all, and then pulling off an iconic celebration.
In 1982, Marius Tresor crashed home a sumptuous volley in extra time of France’s FIFA World Cup™ semi-final against West Germany and sprinted away triumphantly, arms aloft. In 1998, Lilian Thuram caused a sensation by scoring twice – the only two goals of his career for Les Bleus – in the World Cup semi-final, before kneeling with his arms crossed and a finger to his lips.
Twenty years later, again in a World Cup semi-final, Samuel Umtiti kept up the tradition by glancing home at the near post from a corner to score what would turn out to be the match-winner before wheeling away, arms flailing, to celebrate in style with his joyous team-mates.
Although “Big Sam” stood out throughout his career for his defensive solidity, tackling and distribution, he will forever be known for his outstanding goals too. Lyon fans, for instance, will never forget his thunderous first goal on the European stage in a 2-1 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.
That was in 2013, and a few months later Umtiti became a world champion for the first time as part of the French side that lifted the FIFA U-20 World Cup™ by defeating Uruguay on penalties after a goalless draw in the final. Alongside him were Paul Pogba and Florian Thauvin, with whom he would go on to lift football’s most prestigious trophy five years later.
Despite struggling with his knee, Umtiti gave his all to help Les Bleus win their coveted second star. His injury problems would later get the better of him, but that did not stop him winning two Spanish league titles with Barcelona.
In 2023, after a successful loan spell in Italy with Lecce, Umtiti returned home and joined Lille. He made only a handful of appearances before undergoing knee surgery, which kept him on the sidelines for the entirety of the 2024/25 season. On Monday, 15 September 2025, he announced his retirement from the game at 31 – incidentally the same age at which Raphael Varane, his partner at the heart of the triumphant French defence at Russia 2018, also hung up his boots for good in 2024.
“After an intense career full of ups and downs, the time has come to say goodbye,” said Umtiti in a long message posted on social networks. “I gave it my all, with passion, and I regret nothing.”
The world of football thanks you, Samuel.
