A few days after announcing that he would end his career at the age of 28, Alex Arrate returned to the ordeal he has been experiencing for several years, due to problems with his left knee.
Heavily injured in the left knee during a match in January 2018, Alex Arrate has since never been able to completely heal despite the years. This is why, at only 28 years old, the man who has been playing in Vannes since 2023 decided to call it quits, six months before the end of his contract. For The Teamthe center who also passed through Biarritz and Stade Français during his career returned to the ordeal he experienced due to severe pain in his left knee.
“I had never thought of stopping before despite my pain. I see things in a positive way. It could have stopped sooner… Despite my pathology, I managed to perform. (…) Afterwards, when the annoyance outweighs the pleasure, you have to stop. I was in too much pain. But I am very proud to have traveled this path”initially explained the native of Bordeaux, who plans to settle in Paris with his partner to start his new life.
Attention: “I’m not leaving angry with rugby”
“I’ve always held on, but lately it’s become unbearable. The pain was excruciating. I was on painkillers and anti-inflammatories constantly. I was infiltrated four or five times a year. It was starting to feel like a lot. (…) I realized that health comes first. This is why I am stopping my career.” Arrate subsequently declared to the French sports daily.
“Strangely, during the matches, with the anti-inflammatories and the adrenaline, I didn’t feel anything. But in a seven-day week, one day was okay and the other six were a nightmare. It was getting heavier and heavier. (…) I’m not leaving angry with rugby,” also confided the one who was gold medalist in rugby 7 during the Youth Olympic Games in 2014 in Nanking (China) then, more recently, champion of Pro D2 with Vannes in 2024.
