Throughout his professional career at FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi established himself as a true legend of world soccer. He shared the pitch with numerous players who evolved into legends themselves, such as Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, and Thierry Henry. Yet, he also played alongside some unique players. One of these players is a World Cup champion, but he has not played since January 2024 and continues to be a free agent.

Since joining FC Barcelona in 2016, Samuel Umtiti quickly established himself as one of the world’s most dominant center backs. Renowned not only for his physical power, he also showcased a remarkable touch on the ball, swiftly becoming a fan favorite in Lionel Messi’s team. However, the trajectory of his career took a drastic turn in 2018 due to a severe knee injury.

During a high-stakes clash between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona on May 6, 2018, Umtiti began experiencing discomfort in his left knee. Despite advice from team management to forgo participating in the FIFA World Cup 2018 with France, Umtiti chose to push his limits. He managed the pain with cortisone injections, a decision that, according to El Confidencial in 2021, contributed to recurrent relapses.

In spite of these challenges, Samuel Umtiti started in six of France’s seven games during the FIFA World Cup 2018, playing a pivotal role in their defensive lineup. Yet, post-tournament, a series of knee injuries ensued, causing him to miss a staggering 170 games from the 2018-19 season through to his last professional tenure. In fact, his last professional game was in January 2024 while playing for Lille in the French Cup.

Samuel Umtiti of France celebrates following his sides victory in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final between France and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium on July 15, 2018 in Moscow, Russia.

Former Lionel Messi’s teammate Samuel Umtiti opens up on painful ordeal from long injury battle

After several years of silence, former Lionel Messi teammate Samuel Umtiti broke his silence in a candid interview with the French media outlet L’Equipe. He opened up about the difficult times he faced following his injury. “I’ve been through some tough times. I worked hard on this because I had a lot of resentment, a lot of things inside me, and in the end, it was holding me back,” he confessed.

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Umtiti further explained how his recovery unfolded while he was in Barcelona. He shared, “I shut myself off. I didn’t want to go out with my friends. I didn’t want to go out in Barcelona because of my injuries. I don’t know if it was depression, but it’s true that I shut myself off. I didn’t feel like going out.”

Could Samuel Umtiti draw fresh interest from any team during this transfer window?

Samuel Umtiti, though he last graced the professional field over a year ago, was on LOSC Lille’s roster until his departure was confirmed in July 2025. During this period, the French defender focused on training and recovery. At 31, he has not sparked interest from any team, primarily due to his extended inactivity and troubling injury history. Nonetheless, with the free-agent market open until September 1 of 2025, the landscape could still shift.