France World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi announced his retirement from football.

The 35-year-old Matuidi won the World Cup in 2018 and made the last of his 84 appearances for Les Bleus three years ago. “Football, I loved you so much.

Football, you gave me so much, but the time has come to say stop,” Matuidi wrote on Twitter.

“I’ve achieved my dreams as a child, as a man. It’s with a lump in my throat that I’m turning the page now. Thank you to the people who allowed me to be part of this amazing journey.

Thanks to my teammates who became my friends, my brothers. “Thank you to my family who always supported me. Finally, thank you to you, who have always given me the strength and extra soul to go higher.”

A tough ball-winner with great stamina and good passing skills, the midfielder also had an eye for goal when he pushed forward. He won four French league titles with PSG and three straight in Italy with Juventus.

After playing two seasons in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, he was without a club this year. Matuidi played for Troyes and Saint-Etienne before joining PSG in 2011. He scored 33 goals in 295 games for PSG and was twice voted into the French league’s team of the season.

The Frenchman has already begun some off-field activities, most recently launching an investment fund in March 2022.