Josuha Guilavogui announced his retirement from professional football on Saturday afternoon, ending a career that took him across France, Spain, Germany and England. The 35-year-old said in a heartfelt message on his social media channels that it was “time to write THE famous sentence” and that he was “hanging up the boots.”
Leeds United said everyone at the club would like to send their best wishes to Guilavogui, who joined in October 2024 and made his debut in a 3-0 home victory over Plymouth Argyle. He went on to feature 18 times across all competitions for Daniel Farke’s side last term, helping a squad that lifted the second-tier trophy last season.
Guilavogui’s message was written in the voice of someone stepping away with gratitude rather than regret. He thanked the game for giving him the chance to fulfil his father’s dream, which he said later became his own, and said he would “take my share of gratitude” and leave the rest of that joy to others. Leeds responded by describing him as a hugely popular figure and a great presence within the club.
That reaction fits the short time he spent in West Yorkshire. Guilavogui was praised at Thorp Arch for his professionalism, his personality and his commitment to the Leeds United Foundation, qualities the club said embodied what it stands for. He arrived late in the season but still left a mark in a dressing room that finished with silverware and a promotion campaign that demanded steadiness as much as flash.
The retirement closes a career that included spells with Saint-Étienne, Atlético Madrid, VfL Wolfsburg, Bordeaux, Mainz 05 and Leeds United, along with seven caps for France. His path was unusual in one respect: he spent only a brief period at Leeds, yet his farewell drew the kind of message usually reserved for a player who had been there far longer.
What comes next is not a contract or a transfer, but the next stage of a career he has not yet defined in public. For Leeds, the last act is already written: a 35-year-old who arrived in October 2024, helped in a title-winning season and left with the club’s best wishes.
