Lionel Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate now works in a sports shop, 10 years after lifting the Champions League

While Lionel Messi is enjoying life in Florida playing for Inter Miami as his career begins to wind down, one of his former Barcelona team-mates has taken a completely different turn since leaving Camp Nou.

Barcelona won the 2015 Champions League 3-1 against Juventus at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, with Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Neymar all scoring in the Blaugrana’s victory.

Javier Mascherano and Gerard Pique started at the heart of Luis Enrique’s defence during the final, but the Spanish manager introduced another centre-back late in the game who is now working in a sports shop in France.

Lionel Messi’s ex-Barcelona team-mate now works in sports shop

Frenchman Jeremy Mathieu came on in the 91st minute of that Champions League win to help Barcelona see the game out, with the defender replacing Rakitic on the pitch. He had signed at the start of the 2014/15 season from Valencia in a deal worth €20m, and went onto make 41 appearances in total that campaign.

Mathieu spent three seasons at Barcelona between 2014 and 2017, playing alongside greats such as Lionel Messi, Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, though never really managed to nail down a consistent spot in the starting XI. He left for Sporting after those three years, before retiring in 2020.

Now, though, the 41-year-old is working at an Intersport in Marseille, with L’Equipe reporting that the sports shop has been inundated with calls asking whether it’s true the Champions League and France international is now working there.

The French publication suggests that Mathieu manages a department and teams at the shop, and is juggling those responsibilities alongside obtaining his coaching badges.

Mathieu, who reportedly earned £100,000 per week while at Barcelona, also picked up two La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey trophies during his time at the club, helping facilitate team-mates such as Messi with his versatility and ability to play at both centre-back and left-back.