Saint-Etienne (AFP)
The emblematic captain of AS Saint-Etienne Loïc Perrin announced Thursday officially ending his playing career, a few days after the final of the Coupe de France against PSG where he was sent off for a foul on Mbappé.
The central defender, who will turn 35 next month, has spent his entire professional career at ASSE, since 2003, with 470 matches played in the green jersey, against 492 for Robert Herbin, club legend who died in April. .
The player had been trained at the age of 12 at AS Saint-Etienne.
"It is with great emotion that I announce to you that I played my last match with my club last Friday in the final of the Coupe de France," he said in a message posted on his Instagram account.
Loïc Perrin admits to having "hoped for another end" after 17 seasons of professional footballer, "with ups and downs, but always giving the maximum of myself".
The emblematic captain of the Greens, known for his fair play, refers to his exit on red card in this lost final (0-1), following a bad tackle against the young Parisian prodigy Kylian Mbappé.
Perrin addresses a special thank you to his advisor David Venditelli who "accompanied him throughout his career" and also thanks the "many supporters and fans of Saint-Etienne who allowed me to experience fantastic atmospheres in Geoffroy-Guichard ".
"A page turns, but my story with ASSE is not yet over ...", he concludes.
At the same time, the Saint-Etienne club paid tribute on Thursday on its website to this "exemplary captain" who "after 23 years of presence at the club and an impressive career (...) will leave the mark of a person of integrity and of a talented footballer ".
Loïc Perrin, who has a reconversion clause in his contract within AS Saint-Etienne, recently obtained a university diploma in management of sports organizations (Dugos).
Earlier this week, Bernard Caiazzo, chairman of the club's supervisory board, had also declared that Loïc Perrin was called upon "to take responsibility" in the future.
© 2020 AFP