Samuel Umtiti opens up on Barcelona fallout and hidden battle with depression

Updated: 23 Nov, 2025 • 0 • min read

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Samuel Umtiti opens up on Barcelona fallout and hidden battle with depression

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Former Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has criticised the Catalan club for their handling of his long-term injuries, revealing that disagreements over treatment and a growing internal "rift" contributed to some of the darkest moments of his career.

Umtiti, once regarded as one of Europe's best defenders, retired from professional football this summer at the age of 31 after years of persistent knee issues.

Speaking to RMC, the 2018 World Cup winner reflected on his decline from Barcelona regular and France star to a player battling both physical and mental exhaustion.

Umtiti Felt Blamed for His Own Injuries

Umtiti joined Barcelona from Olympique Lyon in 2016 and quickly established himself under Luis Enrique, winning back-to-back La Liga titles and lifting the World Cup with France in 2018.

But shortly after football's biggest triumph, knee problems derailed his progress.

He revealed that the first major conflict occurred when he wanted time to properly assess his health after the World Cup:

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.

Although Barcelona ultimately accepted his decision, the defender says a damaging divide formed behind the scenes.

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.

'I Didn't Even Leave My House

Umtiti admitted the situation had a severe impact on his mental health, explaining that he slipped into a deep emotional struggle as public criticism grew and his knee failed to respond to treatment.

Looking back, I know that mentally I was very, very, very affected by it, perhaps by the bouts of depression.

I didn't even leave my house. People didn't know all of this. They thought, "If he doesn't show anything on social media, it means he's not doing anything."

In reality, he says he was pushing himself harder than ever.

I worked so hard, I was doing two or three training sessions a day. 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.

Barcelona Exit, Lille Move and Retirement

After years of tension and limited minutes, Barcelona mutually terminated Umtiti's contract in 2023.

He returned to France with Lille, hoping for a fresh start, but his body couldn't keep up.

Inflammation issues became so severe that he radically changed his diet, cutting out meat and fish in an attempt to control the swelling.

Despite his efforts, he eventually retired in September 2024, bringing an end to a career that promised so much before injuries took over.

The former centre-back, now working as a DAZN pundit, says he is finally at peace.