I won the Champions League 10 years ago - now I work in a sports shop'

 It is easy to see how the end of a career as a professional footballer could see stars firmly be hit with a reality check. But going from winning the Champions League to working in a sports shop is not the traditional post-playing path most end up taking.

In a world where stars rake in millions over the course of their contracts before moving into coaching or punditry or make use of investments, working in retail is not what is expected. But former Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu appears to have done just that.

From the sparkling lights of Camp Nou and tasting European glory against Juventus in 2015, the Frenchman made a return to his home country and was seemingly spotted working in an Intersport in Cabries.

Mathieu was part of a Barca squad that won the treble and also featured for Sochaux, Toulouse, Sporting CP and Valencia during his career. The Frenchman may even be best remembered for his ability from a free-kick, with an effort against Elche proving particularly striking.

In a picture that went viral, Mathieu could be seen wearing an Intersport vest that sported his name. It said he was a manager at the store and also has responsibilities in charge of departments and different teams.

Mathieu is also said to still harbour ambitions to move into coaching. While working at the sports shop that is located between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille, the 41-year-old, is also working towards obtaining his coaching badges.

The former France international saw his top-flight playing career come to an end with Sporting after suffering a knee injury in training in 2020, having earlier decided to delay retirement by 12 months. Mathieu was disappointed to bring his 19-year profession to a close in such a manner, after racking up 582 appearances, including 91 for Barcelona.

“I thought I would end my career in a different way, but that's part of football," he said in 2020. "I got injured this morning. I wanted so much to finish on the pitch, but fate decided otherwise.

"In any case, I spent 19 years living my passion intensely, with ups and downs, joy and tears, victories and defeats and incredible trophies. I had a lot of fun doing what I love and I always will."

At least one more outing remained for Mathieu however. The ex-Sochaux youngster turned out for French Regional 1 side Luynes in October 2023.

Mathieu came on as a substitute against AS Maximoise in the 84th minute to a degree of clamour with each team-mate embracing him on the field. "I was designated to take penalties," he said following the game.

"Too bad! But the most important thing is that the team won. I wanted to finish differently, on the field, in front of the crowd, with my head held high."