Defender Hassoun Camara announces retirement from professional soccer

Holds record for most starts and most minutes played in MLS regular season club history

DMontreal Impact

efender Hassoun Camara announced on Thursday that he is retiring from professional soccer due to injuries, following seven seasons with the Impact, including the last six in MLS.

"It is with a lot of emotion that I am announcing today my retirement from professional football," said Hassoun Camara. "Throughout my career with the Impact, I experienced great moments that will forever stay in my heart. I also discovered and loved a city that I now consider my own. I want to sincerely thank all of those who were with me in this amazing adventure and more especially the supporters, with whom I had a unique and special relationship."

« We want to congratulate Hassoun for a terrific career and we wish to thank him for his contribution and devotion to the Montreal Impact, on the field and in the community," said Impact president Joey Saputo. "He was an important figure of the club over the years, he always gave everything for the Bleu-blanc-noir and proudly wore and defended our colours. We can only wish him tremendous success in all his future projects."

Camara, 33, concludes his MLS career with seven goals and eight assists in 134 games, including 125 starts, and 10,979 minutes, in first place in MLS club history for most starts and most minutes, in second place for most games played and tied for ninth for most assists.

He also ranks tied for eighth in club history in terms of games played (MLS and second division) with 156 games, including 146 starts, and in 10th place in terms of minutes played with 12,928.

He played seven MLS Cup playoff games, including six starts, and 616 minutes, and was named three times to the Mlssoccer.com Team of the Week during his career.

Camara won the Impact Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016, after missing most of the 2015 season due to a knee injury. He came back strongly, recording two goals and two assists in 27 games and 2,246 minutes, including 26 starts.

At the continental level, Camara helped the Bleu-blanc-noir win two consecutive Canadian Championships, scoring the game-winning goal in the second leg of the 2013 final, in Vancouver. He appeared in 14 Canadian Championship games, including 12 starts. He was also part of the team that reached the 20142015 CONCACAF Champions League final against Mexican giant Club América. He scored one goal and featured

in nine Champions League games, starting seven.

Originally from Noisy-le-sec in the Paris suburbs, but now calling Montreal home, the player of Senegalese descent joined the Impact in 2011 and was named the team's Most Valuable Player in his only season in NASL, before making the jump to MLS. He was named to the league's All-star Team that year.

He previously played with Olympique