Bedimo: Former Lyon and Marseille defender quits football at age 36

The ex-Cameroon international could not find a club since he left Marseille in 2018

Former Marseille and Lyon left-back Henri Bedimo has retired from professional football at the age of 36.

Bedimo spent his entire career in France after leaving Douala at the age of 15, and he was part of the Montpellier squad that won the 2011-12 Ligue 1 title.

He started his career at Grenoble in 2002 before moving to Toulouse a year later, where he spent three years and made his debut appearance in the French top-flight.

Lack of first-team opportunities made Bedimo move to Ligue 2 side Le Havre on a free transfer in 2006 where he spent a season before joining their rivals Chateauroux the following season.

The Cameroon left-back earned a move back to Ligue 1 to join Lens in January 2010 after his impressive performances in the second division.

Following the Blood and Gold’s relegation in his second season at the club, he agreed a four-year deal at Montpellier where he won the top-flight title in the 2011-12 season  – his only silverware in his 16-year career – and he was named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for that season.

Bedimo left Montpellier in August 2013 to sign a three-year contract with league rivals Lyon, and he helped the Kids finish as runners-up in the French League Cup during his debut campaign.

He left for Marseille at the end of his contract in 2016, after spending two years at the club and he could not secure another adventure elsewhere since his departure in 2018.

“I close my chapter of professional football. I cannot leave without thanking coaches, volunteers, staff and without forgetting my dear supporters,” Bedimo wrote on Instagram.

“Without you, I would not have been at this level. I was proud to defend the colours of my country, it was with joy and honour. I will have 15 years of wonderful memories … Thank you all and long live football!”

On the international scene, the Douala-born defender made 51 appearances for Cameroon between 2009-2016 and he has a single international goal to his name.

He made an appearance at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil, and featured in the 2010 and 2015 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola and Equatorial Guinea respectively.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*