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Former Chelsea academy goalkeeper Nicolas Tie has retired from football at the age of 24 and joined the French army. Although he was representing Ivory Coast at the international youth level, he made the switch to France when he decided upon a military career.
He joined up with the Blues academy in 2017 and played at Cobham until 2020, when he moved to Vitoria Guimaraes. In 2022, he broke through the B team at the Portuguese club, but his contract was mutually terminated in 2023. In 2025, he announced that he had retired from football.
He admitted in an interview with Quest France that he had lost his "taste for football", while opting to join the army. Nicolas Tie said (via GIVEMESPORT):
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"I've had some good tests, I've got the regiment I asked for. I'm ready, I'm training every day for this. I always liked military careers, so I said to myself: 'Why not join the army?' My stepfather is a paratrooper in Ivory Coast; I would go to the barracks to observe… It inspired me."
The former Chelsea academy player also spoke about potentially being deployed to Ukraine:
"I don’t do politics. I have committed to treating the problem at the source. If the OPEX (external operations) in Ukraine is open, let’s go! It doesn’t scare me."
Nicolas TIe did not make a first-team appearance during his football career at Chelsea. He got to play in the UEFA Youth League, while also featuring in the Premier League 2.
Chelsea edge past Everton to boost Champions League hopes
Chelsea have edged past Everton with a narrow 1-0 win to boost their chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season. Nicolas Jackson was the man of the moment as the striker scored in the 27th minute to ensure all three points for the Blues.
Everton are currently safe from relegation, and they have no part in the chase or fight for any European qualification spots. However, the Toffees did show some intent in the second half of the game, taking the game to the Blues.
Chelsea rallied defensively though, ensuring they held onto their single lead, while goalkeeper Robert Sanchez kept a clean sheet. Next in the Premier League, the Blues have a very important game against Liverpool (May 4). But first, they have a Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against Ddjurgarden on May 1.
