If you’ve ever wanted to meet a Champions League winning footballer, all you have to do is go to a sports retailer in Marseille.
That’s because five-time France international and Barcelona Champions League winner Jeremy Mathieu is now working at an Intersport on the south coast.
Twitter/XVarious fans shared snaps with Mathieu in his Intersport bib[/caption]
Over the weekend pictures went viral of the former defender posing for snaps with shoppers in his Intersport bib and it was assumed it was some kind of publicity stunt for the company.
However, they’ve now confirmed to LesViolets that the 41-year-old is working as an employee while he earns his coaching badges.
Speaking to the Toulouse fansite – one of the clubs Mathieu played for during his storied career – a spokesperson said: “Jeremy is an employee of the Intersport Cabriès – Plan de Campagne store, located in the Marseille region.
“He is not the director, but simply employed in the football department.”
The career change is certainly a shock for Mathieu, who played at the very top level in France, Spain and Portugal before retiring in 2020.
Debuting in Ligue 1 with local side Sochaux in 2002, he later moved to Toulouse before spending five seasons with Valencia in Spain.
There he became one of LaLiga’s most reliable and versatile left-back centre-backs, earning him a move to Barcelona in 2014.
During his time in Catalunya, Mathieu picked up eight trophies, including the Champions League and two LaLiga crowns, while adding five France caps along the way.
His final years as a professional took him to Portuguese giants Sporting where he claimed three more titles before retiring.
Much loved at every team he played for, Mathieu still had a contract at Sporting but announced his retirement in June 2020 after an MRI showed a knee injury sustained in training was worse than first feared.
Informing his teammates of the news in emotional scenes, he said: “I thought I would end my career in a different way, but that’s part of football.
“I got injured this morning. I wanted so much to finish on the pitch, but fate decided otherwise.
“In any case, I spent 19 years living my passion intensely, with ups and downs, joy and tears, victories and defeats and incredible trophies.
“I had a lot of fun doing what I love and I always will.”
