Former France defender Lilian Thuram has officially announced his retirement from football after being diagnosed with a heart problem.
Thuram was set to join Paris St Germain from Barcelona on a one-year deal, but the move was failed after a heart problem was discovered during a medical examination.
The 36-year-old stated his decision to hang up his boots was more due to family reasons than health aspect.
He said at the press conference: "I talked to my mother, who advised me not to continue. My family wants me to stop. I did not want them to worry.
"I wanted to be the (Paolo) Maldini of PSG but that has not been possible."
When announcing his international retirement last June, Thuram explained one of his brothers, Antonio, died of a heart attack playing basketball in the 1990s and that other members of his family suffered from heart problems.
Thuram will go down as one of France's greatest players of the past decade.
He is the most capped player in Les Bleus' history with 142 appearances, scoring two goals. The former Barcelona defender won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the European Championships two years later.
Thuram began his career in 1990 with Monaco before moving to Italy in 1996 to play for Parma, with whom he won the UEFA Cup in 1999.
Then he joined Juventus in 2001, winning four scudetto (2001/02, 2002/03, 2004/05 and 2005/06) in his five seasons in Turin, although the club was later stripped of two titles (2004/05 and 2005/06) after it was found guilty of Calciopoli scandal.
He signed for Barcelona on a free transfer in 2006 but struggled to hold down a regular place till he ended his career at the Nou Camp.
Full name: Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien
Date of birth: January 01, 1972
Birthplace: Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France
Nationality: French
Honours:
FIFA World Cup (1998)
UEFA European Football Championship (2000)
FIFA Confederations Cup (2003)
UEFA Cup (1999)
Coupe de France (1991)
Italian Cup (1999)
Italian Super Cup (1999, 2002, 2003)
Italian Serie A (2002, 2003)
Spanish Super Cup (2006)
French Footballer of the Year (1997)
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Thuram was set to join Paris St Germain from Barcelona on a one-year deal, but the move was failed after a heart problem was discovered during a medical examination.
The 36-year-old stated his decision to hang up his boots was more due to family reasons than health aspect.
He said at the press conference: "I talked to my mother, who advised me not to continue. My family wants me to stop. I did not want them to worry.
"I wanted to be the (Paolo) Maldini of PSG but that has not been possible."
When announcing his international retirement last June, Thuram explained one of his brothers, Antonio, died of a heart attack playing basketball in the 1990s and that other members of his family suffered from heart problems.
Thuram will go down as one of France's greatest players of the past decade.
He is the most capped player in Les Bleus' history with 142 appearances, scoring two goals. The former Barcelona defender won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the European Championships two years later.
Thuram began his career in 1990 with Monaco before moving to Italy in 1996 to play for Parma, with whom he won the UEFA Cup in 1999.
Then he joined Juventus in 2001, winning four scudetto (2001/02, 2002/03, 2004/05 and 2005/06) in his five seasons in Turin, although the club was later stripped of two titles (2004/05 and 2005/06) after it was found guilty of Calciopoli scandal.
He signed for Barcelona on a free transfer in 2006 but struggled to hold down a regular place till he ended his career at the Nou Camp.
Full name: Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien
Date of birth: January 01, 1972
Birthplace: Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France
Nationality: French
Honours:
FIFA World Cup (1998)
UEFA European Football Championship (2000)
FIFA Confederations Cup (2003)
UEFA Cup (1999)
Coupe de France (1991)
Italian Cup (1999)
Italian Super Cup (1999, 2002, 2003)
Italian Serie A (2002, 2003)
Spanish Super Cup (2006)
French Footballer of the Year (1997)
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