"People blamed me for everything. I didn't even leave my house" - Samuel Umtiti opens up about the injury that ended his Barcelona career
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
Samuel Umtiti has decided to speak out about one of the most difficult chapters of his career.
Details: Defender Samuel Umtiti candidly discussed a turbulent period in his career that culminated in a serious injury at Barcelona.
The footballer revealed that he had disagreements with the club regarding his injury treatment. As a result, he began seeking alternative recovery methods. According to Umtiti, most of the medical specialists he consulted insisted that surgery was not necessary.
"We didn’t fully agree with the club, so I started looking for other options… Most of the specialists told me I didn’t need surgery," the defender admitted.
The injury and the conflict with the club took a heavy toll on his mental health.
"People blamed me for everything. I didn’t even leave my house. It really affected me mentally, maybe it was even depression," Umtiti shared.
The player did everything possible to return to the pitch.
"I was training two or three times a day, changed my diet, stopped eating meat and fish to reduce inflammation. I just wanted to play football—money didn’t motivate me," he emphasized.
In early October, Umtiti ended his career at the age of 31. He played for clubs such as Barcelona, the French sides Lille and Lyon, the Italian club Lecce, as well as the French national team.
Reminder: Kylian Mbappé left the French national team due to injury.
