Jérémy Mathieu (born 29 October 1983) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back or a left-back.[5][6][7]

Jérémy Mathieu
Mathieu in 2008
Personal information
Full name Jérémy Mathieu[1]
Date of birth (1983-10-29) 29 October 1983 (age 41)[2]
Place of birth Luxeuil-les-Bains, France
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back, left-back[4]
Youth career
1992–1996 JS Froideconche
1996–2002 Sochaux
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2005 Sochaux 86 (9)
2005–2009 Toulouse 86 (5)
2009–2014 Valencia 126 (6)
2014–2017 Barcelona 62 (4)
2017–2020 Sporting CP 71 (6)
Total 431 (29)
International career
2000–2001 France U18 7 (0)
2001–2002 France U19 3 (1)
2002–2006 France U21 6 (2)
2011–2016 France 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mathieu made 172 Ligue 1 appearances across seven seasons, split equally between Sochaux and Toulouse. He played five seasons in La Liga with Valencia before joining Barcelona in 2014, where he won the treble in his first season.

An international for France from 2011 to 2016, Mathieu was selected in the squad to represent France at UEFA Euro 2016 but dropped out with injury.

Club career

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Sochaux

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Born in Luxeuil-les-Bains, Haute-Saône,[8] Mathieu started his career with the biggest club in the Franche-Comté region, Sochaux. When he was 16 AC Milan was interested in signing him, but Sochaux's coach Jean Fernandez advised him to stay because mentally he still wasn't strong enough.[9]

He made his Ligue 1 debut, during the 2002–03 season, in a league match against Sedan coming on as a late-match substitute.[10] Despite being 18, he was inserted into the starting 11, and quickly provided an impact scoring his first professional goal in just his third league match in a 2–2 draw against Stade Rennais.[11] He made 23 league appearances that season scoring four goals, which included an equalising goal against Paris Saint-Germain,[12] and two game-winning goals against Nantes[13] and Le Havre.[14] His play, along with the team itself, was a main factor in the club finishing 5th and qualifying for the UEFA Cup.[citation needed]

Over the next two seasons, Mathieu continued his great form appearing in 63 league matches and scoring six league goals. He also performed well in Europe appearing in 14 matches and scoring two goals. He also helped Sochaux win the Coupe de la Ligue in 2004. His performances at Sochaux led to strong interest from Italian club Juventus,[15] English clubs Newcastle United, Everton, and Southampton.[16]

Toulouse

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Mathieu with Toulouse in 2007

After announcing his desire to move to another club and only having one year left on his current deal, Sochaux agreed to listen to offers for the player.[17] Eventually, he agreed to join Toulouse after agreeing to a four-year deal. He made his league debut for Toulouse against his former club Sochaux playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 victory.[18] He continued this positive play appearing in 36 league matches and scoring two goals against AC Ajaccio and Troyes. The following season, he made 32 league appearances and score another two goals helping Toulouse qualify for the UEFA Champions League. However, both Mathieu and Toulouse had a horrible 2007–08 season with Mathieu fracturing a bone in his foot, which forced him to miss half the season,[19] and Toulouse finishing just one spot short of relegation. This led to Mathieu pondering his future with the Midi-Pyrénées-based side.[20]

Despite heavy interest from Italian side Roma and other Italian outfits,[21][22][23] Toulouse refused to budge with efforts to get Mathieu to remain at the club. Mathieu responded by turning down a contract extension, which effectively allowed him to leave on a free transfer at the end of the 2008–09 season. Eventually it was agreed by Toulouse and Mathieu that the player would see out the season at Toulouse, after Toulouse turned down a €4.5 million move to Bordeaux.[24]

Despite the ongoing transfer situation, Mathieu remained civil in regards to playing. He made 31 league appearances during the 2008–09 season, contributing to Toulouse's successful league campaign, as well as the team's success in the Coupe de France, where they were eliminated in the semi-finals by the eventual champions Guingamp.[citation needed]

Valencia

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On 10 June 2009, Mathieu signed for La Liga club Valencia on a three-year contract. The transfer came into effect on 1 July 2009.[25] He made his debut for the club in a 2–0 win over Sevilla FC.[citation needed]

On 1 May 2014, Mathieu looked to have scored the goal to send Valencia through to the 2014 UEFA Europa League Final when he scored off of Ricardo Costa's lay-off, making the score 3−0 against Sevilla (3−2 on aggregate) but Stéphane Mbia scored a 94th-minute header to win the semi-final on away goals for the Andalusian side.[26] Three days later, Mathieu headed in a corner to send Valencia into a 1−0 lead at the Santiago Bernabéu but Real Madrid battled back to secure a 2−2 draw as Valencia conceded another late stoppage time goal.[27]

Barcelona

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Mathieu playing for Barcelona in 2014

On 23 July 2014, Mathieu signed a contract with La Liga club Barcelona for the next four seasons, with an optional season.[28] The cost of the transfer was €20 million and the buyout clause was set at €50 million.[29] Mathieu claims that he would rather have stayed as Valencia's captain rather than risking "polishing the bench" in Barcelona but that he decided to move after Valencia's chairman Amadeo Salvo rejected his demand for an intermediate figure between his pay in Valencia and Barcelona's proposal.[9]

On 15 January 2015, he scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 4–0 Copa del Rey away win against Elche (9–0 on aggregate) from a free kick.[30] Mathieu scored his first La Liga goal for the club against rivals Real Madrid in a 2–1 El Clásico win at Camp Nou on 22 March 2015. In the team's next fixture, Mathieu scored the only goal in a 1–0 win at Celta Vigo, to keep his team four points clear at the top of the league.[31] These two winning goals were important for the attainment of Barcelona's 23rd League title, as the team won it by a 2-point advantage over Real Madrid.[citation needed]

In the 2015 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla FC in Tbilisi, he conceded a penalty with a foul on Vitolo, which was converted by Kevin Gameiro as the opponents came from 1–4 down to take the game into extra time; Barcelona nonetheless triumphed 5–4.[32]

Sporting CP

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On 7 July 2017, Portuguese club Sporting CP announced the signing of Mathieu on a free transfer for two seasons.[33] He scored his first goal for the club on his sixth appearance, in a 2–0 home win against Tondela. Upon his return to the Camp Nou, Mathieu netted an own goal for Sporting in a 2–0 loss in their final game of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League groupstage.[34]

On 24 June 2020, Mathieu suffered an injury to his left knee during training, which ultimately put an end to his career.[35]

International career

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Mathieu has received caps with all of France's youth teams beginning with the under-15s. Though, he was a regular with the under-21 squad leading up to the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, he was not selected to participate in the event. He received his first call-up to the senior squad for their friendly against Slovakia. However, he played with the second team, France B, who were playing Slovakia B.[citation needed]

He made his national team debut in a friendly against the United States at the Stade de France on 11 November 2011, playing the full 90 minutes.[36]

Mathieu was named in France's squad for their hosting of UEFA Euro 2016, but dropped out with injury on 28 May, to be replaced by Samuel Umtiti.[37]

Career statistics

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Club

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Source:[38]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sochaux 2002–03 Ligue 1 23 4 3 0 0 0 26 4
2003–04 Ligue 1 29 3 3 2 6[b] 1 38 6
2004–05 Ligue 1 34 2 2 1 8[b] 1 44 4
Total 86 9 8 3 14 2 0 0 108 14
Toulouse 2005–06 Ligue 1 36 2 2 0 38 2
2006–07 Ligue 1 5 2 2 0 7 2
2007–08 Ligue 1 14 1 0 0 2[c] 0 16 1
2008–09 Ligue 1 31 0 4 0 35 0
Total 86 5 8 0 2 0 0 0 96 5
Valencia 2009–10 La Liga 17 1 1 0 6[d] 0 24 1
2010–11 La Liga 29 1 2 0 7[c] 0 38 1
2011–12 La Liga 31 0 6 0 13[e] 0 50 0
2012–13 La Liga 17 1 6 0 1[c] 0 24 1
2013–14 La Liga 32 3 4 0 10[d] 1 46 4
Total 126 6 19 0 37 1 0 0 182 7
Barcelona 2014–15 La Liga 28 2 6 1 7[c] 0 41 3
2015–16 La Liga 21 0 7 0 3[c] 0 3[f] 0 34 0
2016–17 La Liga 13 1 0 0 2[c] 0 1[g] 0 16 1
Total 62 3 13 1 12 0 4 0 91 4
Sporting CP 2017–18 Primeira Liga 29 2 7 1 12[h] 0 48 3
2018–19 Primeira Liga 24 3 7 0 2[d] 0 33 3
2019–20 Primeira Liga 18 1 2 1 3[d] 1 1[i] 0 24 3
Total 71 6 16 2 17 1 1 0 105 9
Career total 431 29 64 6 82 4 5 0 582 39
  1. ^ Includes Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Copa del Rey, Taça de Portugal, Taça da Liga
  2. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. ^ a b c d e f Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, seven in UEFA Europa League
  6. ^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one in Supercopa de España, one in FIFA Club World Cup
  7. ^ Appearance in Supercopa de España
  8. ^ Seven appearances in UEFA Champions League, five in UEFA Europa League
  9. ^ Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira

International

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Source:[39]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
France 2011 1 0
2012 0 0
2013 1 0
2014 2 0
2015 0 0
2016 1 0
Total 5 0

Honours

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Sochaux

Barcelona

Sporting CP

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Entreprise JM 22 à Marseille (13008)" [Company JM 22 in Marseille (13008)]. Figaro Emploi (in French). 16 January 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
    "Jeremy Mathieu". Verif.com (in French). Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Jérémy Mathieu: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Mathieu". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Jérémy Mathieu: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Officiel : Jérémy Mathieu reprend du service". 13 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Foot amateur : Un ex-international français débarque". 12 September 2021.
  7. ^ Anthony Rabemanisa (12 September 2021). "Foot amateur : Un ex-international français débarque". foot-national.com..
  8. ^ "Jérémy Mathieu". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Mathieu: "No quería ir al Barça, iba a pulir banquillo"" [Mathieu: "I didn't want to move to Barça, I was going to polish the bench"]. Marca (in Spanish). 4 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  10. ^ Sedan v. Sochaux Match Report[permanent dead link]. Lfp.fr. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  11. ^ Rennes v. Sochaux Match Report[permanent dead link]. Lfp.fr. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  12. ^ PSG v. Sochaux Match Report Archived 20 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Lfp.fr. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  13. ^ Nantes v. Sochaux Match Report[permanent dead link]. Lfp.fr. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  14. ^ Sochaux v. Le Havre Match Report Archived 19 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Lfp.fr. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  15. ^ Juve watch Sochaux stars. Sky Sports (23 December 2012). Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  16. ^ Patrick Haond . Sochaux starlet in demand. Sky Sports. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  17. ^ Patrick Haond . Sochaux open Mathieu talks. Sky Sports (23 December 2012). Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  18. ^ Sochaux v. Toulouse Match Report Archived 20 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Lfp.fr. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  19. ^ James Dall (9 September 2007) Mathieu to undergo surgery. Sky Sports. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  20. ^ Aurélien Léger-Moëc (24 February 2009) une destination surprise pour Jérémy Mathieu?. Footmercato.net. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  21. ^ Jeremy Mathieu (14 June 2008) Mathieu eyes Roma move. Sky Sports. Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  22. ^ Fiorentina, Palermo chasing Toulouse wing-back Mathieu Archived 15 September 2012 at archive.today. Tribalfootball.com (3 November 2009). Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  23. ^ Genoa closing in on Mathieu. Ontheminute.com (26 February 2009). Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  24. ^ Toulouse block Mathieu move. Sky Sports. Archived 9 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ Jeremy Mathieu, nuevo jugador del VCF Archived 16 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Valenciacf.com (13 June 2009). Retrieved on 31 December 2012.
  26. ^ "Last-gasp Sevilla snatch final berth from Valencia". UEFA. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Ronaldo snatches a point for Real". Sky Sports. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  28. ^ "Barcelona complete £16m signing of Jérémy Mathieu from Valencia". The Guardian. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  29. ^ "Agreement for the incorporation of Jérémy Mathieu". FC Barcelona. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  30. ^ "Cuando el trámite se convierte en un placer" [When the procedure becomes a pleasure] (in Spanish). Marca. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  31. ^ "Celta de Vigo 0-1 Barcelona". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  32. ^ "Barcelona 5-4 Sevilla". BBC Sport. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  33. ^ "Jérémy Mathieu and FC Barcelona part ways". 7 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  34. ^ "Barcelona 2-0 Sporting Lisbon". BBC Sport. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  35. ^ "L'ancien défenseur des Bleus Jérémy Mathieu met un terme à sa carrière". L’Équipe (in French). Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  36. ^ "Loic Remy scores only goal as Laurent Blanc's France beat Jurgen Klinsmann's USA in Paris". The Guardian. Associated Press. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  37. ^ Parrish, Rob (28 May 2016). "UMTITI REPLACES MATHIEU IN FRANCE'S EURO 2016 SQUAD". Goal.com. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  38. ^ Jérémy Mathieu at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  39. ^ Mathieu, Jérémy at National-Football-Teams.com
  40. ^ "Barcelona 2014–15: Statistics". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  41. ^ "Barcelona 2015–16: Statistics". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  42. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 30 de mayo de 2015, en Barcelona" [Minutes of the Match held on 30 May 2015, in Barcelona] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  43. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 22 de mayo de 2016, en Madrid" [Minutes of the Match held on 22 May 2016, in Madrid] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  44. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 14 de agosto de 2016, en Sevilla" [Minutes of the Match held on 14 August 2016, in Seville] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
    "Acta del Partido celebrado el 17 de agosto de 2016, en Barcelona" [Minutes of the Match held on 17 August 2016, in Barcelona] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  45. ^ McNulty, Phil (6 June 2015). "Juventus 1–3 Barcelona". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  46. ^ Johnston, Neil (11 August 2015). "Barcelona 5–4 Sevilla". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  47. ^ "Match report: Club Atlético River Plate – Futbol Club Barcelona". FIFA. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019.
  48. ^ Nogueira, Carlos (26 May 2019). "Leão rei dos penáltis leva para casa o segundo troféu da época" [Penalty-king lion takes home second trophy of the season]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Lisbon. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  49. ^ "Penalties smile on Sporting again as Lions retain Taça da Liga crown". PortuGOAL.net. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  50. ^ "Vencedores dos Prémios Oficiais da Liga Portugal 2018–2019" [Liga Portugal Official Awards Winners 2018–2019] (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
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