Former Liverpool centre-half Mamadou Sakho has announced his retirement from the game at the age of 35.
The Frenchman, a brutish defender, enjoyed an impressive career which saw him make more than 200 appearances for PSG, his hometown club, before signing for Liverpool and then Crystal Palace.
Sakho revealed his decision to hang his boots up on Monday night at the Parc des Princes before the Parisian derby. The former France international played for Paris FC as a child before signing for PSG at the age of 12.
Fighting back tears, Sakho told the crowd pre-match: ‘It’s a great pleasure to be back at my home ground with such an amazing crowd.
‘The pitch is still as beautiful as ever. I have so many wonderful memories here. I wanted to introduce you to my mother. Without her, it would all have been different. Big shout out to all the mothers in the world.
‘My brother, the kids, the cousins. Haidi, the little girl I was holding when I left PSG. She’s grown into a beautiful young woman. I want to thank everyone.
‘I want to officially announce my retirement. Thank you to the Parc des Princes, to Paris FC. Without Paris FC, for me, there’s no PSG behind it.’
Sakho made some 201 appearances for PSG before being snapped up by Liverpool for £18million in 2013.
He went on to make 56 appearances for the Reds before eventually being banished by Jurgen Klopp for turning up late for a flight, team meal and treatment session on a pre-season tour of the United States.
He departed for Crystal Palace, where he spent four years before returning to France to sign for Montpellier. However his spell at the French club ultimately came crashing down two seasons later in 2023 following an explosive falling out with Michel Der Zakarian, his manager.
Sakho played out the final season of his career at Georgian outfit Torpedo Kutaisi, but left last summer. He had been without a club for six months before announcing his retirement yesterday.
The defender also played 29 times for the French national team, and is fondly remembered for scoring his first two international goals in a World Cup play-off against Ukraine in 2014.
