Sako, Getty Images January 13, 2026, 1:45 p.m

The former defender of the French national team, PSG and Liverpool Mamadou Sakho officially ended his professional football career. This was reported by the French publication RMC Sport.

The 35-year-old announced his decision on Monday at the Parc des Princes stadium ahead of the French Cup match between PSG and FC Paris, which ended in defeat for Luis Enrique’s side.

Sako is a pupil of the Paris club and entered the history of Ligue 1 as the youngest captain of the championship. He received the captain’s armband at the age of 17 years and 8 months in 2007. In total, as part of PSG, the defender played 201 matches.

After performances in France, Sakho’s career continued in England, where he defended the colors of Liverpool and Crystal Palace. He subsequently returned to France, signing for Montpellier, but the deal was terminated in November 2023 due to a conflict with head coach Michel Ter-Zakarian.

As part of the French national team, Sako played 29 matches. The most memorable episode of his international career was the return match of the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Ukraine. After a 0:2 defeat in Kyiv, it was Sako’s double in Paris that helped the French win 3:0 and advance to the World Cup.