Among high-level athletes, the announcement of retirement is often experienced as a “little death”. But the years that follow can also be very complicated to manage, especially on a physical level. Like Ronaldo Nazario and Wesley Sneijder, many footballers slack off and fail to maintain the line during their post-career.
In France, former internationals like Olivier Dacourt and SĂ©bastien Frey have experienced this and are now fighting with their extra pounds. This is also the case for Fabrice Pancrate. The one who has 132 matches and 14 goals in the colors of PSG, from 2004 to 2009 (he was loaned to Betis Sevilla and Sochaux in 2007 and 2008), has indeed taken a very high price on the scales.
Fabrice Pancrate with PSG, in 2008.
According to
The Teamthe former Parisian striker (45 years old) weighed 138 kg last December, while his healthy weight was 85 kg when he was still active. That’s 53 kg more in ten years! A physical transformation so significant that one of his ex-teammates didn't even recognize him one day at the Parc des Princes. Same with the wife of Mario Yepes, who also passed through Paris.
“One morning, you step on the scale and…”
“At the beginning, when I was doing splits, I was going to runhe confides to the sports daily. But I started to have joint pain because of the tarmac, I was often alone, I lost motivation, I stopped and then I got better very quickly. (…) One morning, you step on the scale, and you realize that you exceed 100 kg, then 110, 120, 130…”
Excess weight that has become dangerous for your health.
Suffering from sleep apnea, Fabrice Pancrate went to consult a specialist, whose diagnosis was clear.
“The lady told me: 'Sir, it's not possible, you are at 117, you are in my top 10'. She was talking about a benchmark: it meant that 117 times in an hour, I stopped breathing. It’s extremely dangerous”says the ex-Nantes resident, retired since 2014.
This alert served as a trigger for him. He says he has lost 40 kg since December 10: “When I got out of bed, my joints creaked, it was complicated to climb stairs, it even became difficult to tie my shoelaces because of my stomach. I was in for something terrible. I couldn't go on like this and this time I won't take back what I lost. »
Fabrice Pancrate in June 2025, during a match between the legends of FC Nantes and the Variétés Club de France.
