Former Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu reveals reason for working in sports shop

Former Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu has revealed that his decision to work in a sports shop after retiring from football was driven by personal struggles rather than financial difficulties.

According to Sportbible, the Frenchman opened up about his experience on beIN Sports’ Safe Play, explaining that he took the job at Intersport to rebuild his social life while dealing with a legal dispute.

“If I’m working at Intersport, it’s because something’s going on that’s causing me a lot of problems,” he said. “I can only say that I’m in the middle of a lawsuit. I will not do it forever. It was to have a social life.”

Mathieu, who made 91 appearances for Barcelona and won two La Liga titles and the Champions League, struggled with depression after an anterior cruciate ligament injury ended his career earlier than expected in 2020.

Speaking to So Foot, he admitted: “I went through a depression, there’s no denying it. I missed the pitch, the locker room, everything we’d experienced.” The 42-year-old has since returned to football, managing an Under-15 team while working towards his coaching qualifications.