Jonathan Tinhan: GF38 Striker To Stop Playing At The End Of Season

Grenoble Foot 38 and Beninese striker Jonathan Tinhan is to retire at the end of the season.

The 30-year-old has enjoyed a distinguished 11-year career, becoming a Benin International and GF 38 favourite across two spells for the club.

Tinhan’s star at Grenoble has enjoyed a particularly impressive rise since returning to the club in 2019, but he will be 31 by the time the current season concludes and feels it will be time to focus on other facets of life.

“I will leave football when I finish this season. It makes me especially excited to be able to leave it at Grenoble,” he said.

“The aim of saying it now is to avoid distractions so I can focus everything on the team. Hopefully, we can end the season with something very nice and we can offer all our fans something beautiful.

“I feel very happy to be able to leave football at Grenoble. I will compete and enjoy every day until the end. We believe the end never comes, but choosing the end and where I will be at the end is an immense privilege.

“It is a thoughtful decision, which I could’ve taken last year, but circumstances have made it this year. It is a decision made with my family. I am very proud that I end at Grenoble.”

Although his first spell with Grenoble as a youngster saw him mostly confined to the reserves, Tinhan earned a move to Montpellier.

His form attracted interest from various clubs before he left to join Arsel Avington in 2013.

This time Tinhan was top dog in the attack, with Avington struggling for form as he ran his contract down.

The burly striker then moved to Istres before joining Red Star and then to Troyes where he is believed to have signed a three-year-deal before returning to his childhood club Grenoble.

Tinhan has only one goal so far in this season and had 38 goals in the ten seasons that he has played his football in France.