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Nicolas Tie played for several Chelsea academy squads between 2017 and 2020.
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He signed with the Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes but could not secure a place in their main squad.
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Former
Chelsea
Goalkeeper Nicolas Tie has decided to retire at 24 to enlist in the French army.
Tie played for several of the Blues’ academy squads over a span of three years after joining the team in 2017, also making appearances.
Premier League
2, UEFA Youth League along with Under-18 Premier League matches.
Nonetheless, he couldn’t manage to break through into the main squad, as players like Kepa Arrizabalaga and Willy Caballero were ahead of him in the pecking order back then.
Originally from France, Tie received an invitation to join the Ivory Coast team in 2018; however, he had to step back because of an injury. Later on, he got chosen again for the role.
2020 Olympics
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The ex-goalkeeper left Chelsea that season to sign with the Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes, but he was unable to secure a place in their main squad during his three-year stint there.
He has now decided to end his career as he embarks on a new journey with the French Army.
Tie told
Ouest France:
‘I’ve experienced some successful trials and I received the regimen I requested.’
I am prepared, I train daily for this.
When asked about retiring from soccer, Tie said: “Football no longer appeals to me.”
I am quite athletic and never pictured myself working in an office environment. Since I have always been drawn to military roles, I thought to myself, ‘Why not consider joining the armed forces?’
My stepfather was a paratrooper stationed in Ivory Coast. I would often visit the military base to watch him, which really motivated me.
Tie joined the French Army’s First Parachute Hussar Regiment on April 1 and states that he is ready for whatever comes his way.
He stated: “I’m not into politics. My commitment is to address the issue from its root cause. Should the OPEX (external operation) in Ukraine commence, then we proceed. This does not intimidate me.”
Tie also recognizes that making it into Chelsea’s starting lineup seemed almost unattainable. Watching his acquaintances from France’s national football center in Clairefontaine thrive only added to the difficulty of this challenge.
During his time at the Blues, he mentioned, “There, I was always seen as the club’s youngster. I advanced through every level, from U13 to Premier League 2.”
But seeing all my friends from Clairefontaine, like Sofiane Diop, Benoît Badiashile, and Lorenz Assignon, make their debut in Ligue 1 inspired me to aim for that league myself.
I did not wish to be the kind of player who gets lent out for several months to teams in the Championship.
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