The ex-FC Porto and Estoril centre-back bid an emotional farewell in a social media video, saying it was time to “move on to something else.”
“Most of my big decisions tend to happen in moments like this, when I feel it’s necessary to move on to something else. That’s how I feel, I don’t spend too much time thinking about it and I realize this is the moment. It’s over,” Mangala said.
“There’s no return to the pitch, it’s over. Thank you, football. Thank you for everything. Thank you to all the coaches I had and to all the people who helped me.
“ I also want to thank all the teammates with whom I shared difficult and happy moments, because, deep down, we are one big family and we all want the same thing.”
Mangala has wasted no time starting the next chapter, joining Ian Cathro’s coaching staff at Saint-Étienne as he begins his managerial career following retirement.