You love him or you hate him. Fabien Barthez, one of the best goalkeepers in the world and a fixture on the French national team, has decided to retire.

When he’s good, he’s amazing, unbeatable, the best goalie you’ve ever seen.

But when he’s having an off day, it’s painful to watch because he lets in the most ridiculous goals and just seems to fall apart altogether in a very short period of time.

I belong to the “Very Nervous About Barthez” camp (also known as the “Oh No Is Barthez Having a Bad Day” contingent). There are those who have full confidence in him such as Raymond Domenech, the trainer of the French national football team, who made Barthez start every match in the last World Cup 2006. It’s always sad to see a great goalie retire, but everyone has a sell-by date so here’s three cheers for the remarkable Fabien Barthez.

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