A former French national team goalkeeper who played for top clubs and was part of the Euro 2016 squad has transitioned to oyster farming in the Gulf of Morbihan after ending his professional football career.
Benoît Costil, 38, now cultivates seafood in a coastal region of France, having retired from the game in July 2024. He has expressed a clear preference for this new, less glamorous life.
“I live life the way I want,” Costil told French sports daily L’Équipe. “I was never interested in the glamour of football.”
He enjoys the “connection to the sea, the effort, the commercial part, working behind the counter and even washing dishes when business picks up.” His current, more practical challenge is straightforward: “I just need to learn to open oysters faster.”
Costil’s professional career included stints at prominent French clubs like Rennes and Bordeaux. He was called up by Didier Deschamps to the national squad for the 2016 European Championship.
His final professional season was with Italian side Salernitana, concluding in July 2024. He also recently participated in the Kings Cup.