At the end of the season for the Montreal Alouettes, veteran Kristian Matte remained very vague about his future. A few weeks later, the reflection is over: the giant announced his sporting retirement on Thursday.
Posted at 3:14 p.m.
Matte will meet the media to provide an update on his career and future plans next Monday.
The offensive lineman played 14 seasons with the Alouettes, tied for third in team history behind Anthony Calvillo (16), Scott Flory (15) and Peter Dalla Riva (14).
“It’s truly a page of history that is turning for our team. Matte was quite a player and always acted like a true gentleman, says Danny Maciocia, general manager of the Alouettes. He played a key role in our training during his career and he led our younger players very well. He spoke in our locker room when necessary and he didn’t hesitate to encourage his teammates at other times. The Alouettes can count themselves lucky to have had such a leader on their team for all these years.”
The 6-foot-4, 296-pound colossus has played 190 career games, all with the Alouettes, since 2010, which places him 8e rank in the history of the club.
Matte also appeared in 10 playoff games, notably helping the offensive line limit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to just two sacks at the expense of Cody Fajardo in the 2023 Gray Cup. He lifted the Gray Cup for the second time of his career at the end of this duel in Hamilton, after that of 2010.
“I started playing football at 8 or 9 years old, and I’m 39 years old,” Matte said during the end of season review, without going further. I’m never going to leave football, no matter what level. We’ll see when it’s time. I’m always going to want to be involved. It’s an exceptional sport. »
Canada
