FORMER Chelsea goalkeeper Nicolas Tie has quit football aged 24 to join the French army.
Tie was on the Blues' books between 2017 and 2020.
The Lille-born stopper did not crack ‘s first team, but did feature for their various academy age groups in the Premier League 2, Youth League and Under-18 Premier League.
Tie, who was called up to the Ivory Coast national team in 2018, in 2020 for Portuguese side Vitoria.
After failing to make the first team in , the 6ft 1in goalkeeper has opted to hang up his boots.
In an interview with French paper Ouest France, Tie revealed that he has joined the .
“I've had some good tests, I've got the regiment I asked for,” Tie said.
“I'm ready, I'm training every day for this.”
On what led him to such a drastic career change, the former Blue admitted: “I lost my taste for .
“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.”
Tie, who claimed to be “proud” of his “little career” also revealed that he would be willing to serve in .
The goalkeeper-turned-soldier said: “I don’t do . 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.”
