French National Team Midfielder 2018 World Cup Champion Blaise Matuidi Mengerai Sepatu

JAKARTA - Blaise Matuidi, a French national team player who helped Les Bleus win the 2018 World Cup, on Friday declared hanging up his boots exactly a year after he last played.

The 35-year-old was played from the start during the World Cup final against Croatia in Russia four years ago and for this season he has been dropped from the Inter Miami squad.

Midfielder Matuidi has won the Ligue 1 trophy with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and the Serie A champion with Juventus after spending time with Saint-Etienne and Toulouse.

He made 84 international appearances, scoring nine goals before his last Les Bleus match in 2019.

"I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer," he said in a video broadcast on Instagram quoted by Antara.

"I had the opportunity to play for Europe's biggest club, wearing French uniforms, encouraging my family, bringing my passion to life and it's a memory that will stay with me," he added.

He became a member of the 2018 French squad team for the first time retiring.

"My mind and heart have whispered to stop and then think about those who are close to me, my wife and children, and also the life I have built," he said.

"I've come to the end of what I've been able to do all this time."

Matuidi also watched in Qatar last Sunday when France lost to Argentina in this year's World Cup final.