The French center-back of Sporting Lisbon Jérémy Mathieu hangs up his boots due to a serious knee injury

The 36-year-old French central defender of Sporting Lisbon Jérémy Mathieu suffered a serious injury to his left knee during training on Wednesday, which means he will not be able to play in the remaining seven games of the Portuguese League. Mathieu announced on his Facebook profile that he "hoped to end his career in a different way".

He remembered his 19 years as a professional footballer, which he lived "passionately and intensely", after playing for five teams: Sochaux, Toulouse, Valencia, Barcelona, and Sporting.

The French central defender arrived at the Alvalade club in mid-2017, after leaving Barcelona, and despite his 36 years, he was always one of the undisputed starters in the Lions' defense under different coaches.

The player will be evaluated in the next few hours to determine the exact extent of the injury, but according to sources from Sporting, it is serious.