Nicolas N’Koulou calls time on glittering career

Cameroon defender Nicolas N’Koulou has called time on his career that saw him play across France, Italy, England, Greece and Turkey.

The 35-year-old’s glittering career spanned 17-years where he played for Ligue 1 clubs AS Monaco, Olympique Marseille and Lyon before moving to Serie A with Torino.

JUST IN: Cameroonian centre-back Nicolas Nkoulou has retired from professional football at the age of 35.

A member of the Cameroonian side that won the 2017 AFCON, he played for the likes of Lyon, OM, Monaco, Torino, Watford, Aris, Gaziantep, Amedspor and Sakaryaspor.#OM #OL pic.twitter.com/f4ML691C1n

— Nicowizzy Ikenna (@nicowizzyikenna) February 8, 2026

N’Koulou won the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations

Nicolas N’Koulou’s emotional message farewell read: “I told my wife that the day I no longer had the strength to get up every morning for training, I would end my career. That moment has come, so I’m stopping,” he told Afrofoot.

N’Koulou, who is capped 120 times for the Indomitable Lions, won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 with the win coming against Egypt. His other international experience includes three FIFA World Cup finals in 2010, 2014, and 2022.

N’Koulou who had been without a club since August 2025, previously played for Watford in England, Aris Thessaloniki in Greece before winding down in Turkey with Gaziantep FK, Amedspor, and Sakaryaspor.