Life after football sometimes feels like a second match, often even more difficult than those played on the pitch. In his book "Les jours d'après" (The Days After), published by Flammarion, Steve Mandanda sheds light on the dark weeks that followed the end of his professional career in the summer of 2025.

The former iconic goalkeeper of Olympique de Marseille and 2018 world champion candidly recounts the silent depression that struck him after he hung up his gloves.

After more than twenty years at the highest level, the former Stade Rennais goalkeeper explains that he experienced a real emotional void. In an interview with "Le Parisien" on Monday, May 11, the man who was Hugo Lloris's long-time backup for the French national team describes days spent without energy, lying on his sofa, unable to find the intense rhythm that had structured his entire life.

"It was a difficult moment, because more than twenty years of my career suddenly came to a halt," he confides. Despite knowing that the end was approaching, leaving Rennes left him with a feeling of incompleteness and deep disappointment.

Throughout the book, Steve Mandanda also addresses a widespread problem in professional football. According to him, "eight out of ten footballers" find the transition to retirement difficult. He describes it as a "sudden end," comparable to a bereavement, even when it is anticipated.

Accustomed to the adrenaline of competition, the constant pressure, and a daily life entirely dictated by sport, many players struggle to find balance once the spotlights are off. "When everything stops, your daily life becomes bland," he succinctly summarizes.

A powerful statement that illustrates the often overlooked psychological reality of elite athletes after their careers.