'They blamed me for everything' - Samuel Umtiti reveals 'rift' with Barcelona as retired defender opens up on 'bouts of depression' during long injury spells

Umtiti started his professional career in 2012 at Ligue giants Lyon and spent four seasons with the Ligue 1 side before heading to Spain to sign for Barcelona. The French international had a bright start at the Blaugrana and was a regular starter under Luis Enrique, winning multiple trophies including back-to-back La Liga titles between 2017 and 2019. During this period, he also won the 2018 World Cup with Les Bleus and was experiencing a high in his career. 

However, he was soon plagued by several knee injuries that started to limit his playing time for club and country. Umtiti was eventually released by the Spanish giants in 2023 after mutually terminating his contract. He returned to France to join Lille but his career was cut short due to persistent injury, which prompted him to announce his retirement in September this year.

Due to the recurring injury issues, the centre-back barely played following the World Cup success as he battled hard to get back onto the field. However, disagreements with Barcelona over treatment options and the mental toll of dealing with his physical issues caused problems between the player and the club. 

Umtiti, who now works as a pundit for DAZN, recently told RMC: "After the World Cup, I wanted to take some time to find out exactly what I had and make the right decisions about my treatment. We weren't necessarily in agreement with the club, so I decided to look elsewhere, to see specialists so that everyone could give me their opinion. Most of them told me that I didn't need to have surgery. In the end, Barcelona listened to my choice, to what I wanted.

"But I think there were things that happened internally that people didn't necessarily appreciate, whereas I have enormous respect for everyone. Just because I'm not doing my rehabilitation with you doesn't mean I don't love you. No, it's just that I had decided on something else because what you offered me didn't work out. But ultimately, from that moment on, I think the rift was created and people started talking, saying things that weren't necessarily true, putting all the blame on me. The most important thing for me was to come back."

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Umtiti added: "Looking back, I know that mentally I was very, very, very affected by it, perhaps by the bouts of depression. There were so many things… I didn't even leave my house. People didn't know all of this. They thought: 'Anyway, if he doesn't show anything on social media, it means he's not doing anything.'" But I worked so hard, I was doing two or three training sessions a day, I had a prep course... It was incredible what I was doing, I didn't even really have a life, I didn't see my friends. When I read everything that came out in the press, I thought to myself: 'How can they think that about me? I'm not like that, money isn't what motivates me. I just wanted to play football

"I tried to do things the way the club wanted, but it didn't work; my knee was always swollen. I decided to do things differently, but I still followed the advice I was given because I'm not a doctor. I also read books about the problem I had, I stopped eating meat and fish, I followed an incredible diet that helped me get rid of the inflammation. My inflammation was so severe that I had to change my diet. Some people didn't necessarily do what they should have done, and for me, when you're a professional, you can't be that incompetent. I had a lot of resentment before, but I've done a lot of work and I don't hold a grudge against anyone. I'm at peace with all of that."

While he is currently working as a pundit, his ultimate ambition is to become a coach as he told OLDTV: "I'm so passionate, I watch every match. I know I’m going to get my diplomas in the next few weeks. It’s going to take a few years, but being a coach is the ultimate goal I’ll set for myself. He added that his 'inspiration' will come from 'a bit of everything' he has learned throughout his career, underlining his passion to stay connected to football."