What has happened to Samuel Umtiti since his famous “breakdown” against Belgium?
Samuel Umtiti, it’s the famous header against Belgium in the semi-final of the world Cup 2018. But since then, the defender has been through a real ordeal, with a series of injuries and setbacks. Kylian Mbappé paid a nice tribute to the player in a press conference before the match against the Belgians. “TEveryone knew he was hurt. I don’t forget what he did for the selection. Thanks to him. Afterwards, his seasons were difficult, he was not able to play as he would have liked. I know the sacrifice he made, he’s a friend“
Because yes, the former OL defender sacrificed his body for the selection and had difficulty returning to the highest level and in particular to Barça, a club that he passed through without leaving a trace.I went to see three or four doctors who told me that I should not have surgery because there was a very high risk. There was a decision to make and that’s what I did. My career was at stake. I received treatment and nothing more. It was hard because things happened afterwards. […] There are things that were done well and others less so. That’s why I lost two or three years. It’s in the past, it’s a very difficult subject for me because I suffered a lot’ he explained to Mundo Deportivo.Yes, at the beginning. For a year or two. It was very hard to live through that. There were so many lies too. Nobody knew what was going on. And because I don’t talk, people talked so it was very hard for me and my family. The lies hurt me. They said I didn’t want to listen to the club. No, the decision was made together.”
The Renaissance in Lecce
In 2022, the Frenchman is loaned to the Italian club and will live again. If he started the 2022-2023 financial year on the bench (two matches played in ten days after his arrival), the defender finally established himself in defense (25 matches) greatly participating in his team’s maintenance mission.“Thank you to Lecce for reaching out to me when other teams doubted me,” he explained on Instagram. “Thank you for your trust. I found a team with values and an exceptional mentality. We had a goal at the start of the season and we achieved it thanks to work. For me, staying in Serie A is like winning a title.
A return to Ligue 1 in Lille
Released by his Barça team, the defender embarked on a new challenge with Lille. Unfortunately, the season did not go as planned. Umtiti’s “real” debut with Losc was in Rennes on September 16 (2-2, 5th day of Ligue 1). That day, he celebrated his first start. Two more would follow against Ljubljana (2-0 victory, Europa Conference League) then against Reims on September 26. The rest of the season was a roller coaster ride with a few games played and injuries like the one that forced him to have knee surgery in February 2024.