Xavier Samin (born 1 January 1978) is a French former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AS Tefana and AS Dragon in the Tahiti Division Fédérale[2] and the Tahiti national team.[3]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Xavier Samin[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 January 1978 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tahiti, French Polynesia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–2000 | AS Tefana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2012 | AS Tefana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | AS Dragon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | AS Tefana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2013 | Tahiti | 28 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career
editSamin started playing football at the age of eight at AS Tefana. Ten years later he was promoted to Tefana's main adult team, on which he remains to date. In 17 seasons with Tefana, Samin won the Tahiti First Division three times, as well as five Tahiti Cups and the 2007 Tahiti Coupe des Champions.[4] Outside of the field, Samin works as a football teacher,[5] and an accountant.[6]
The first caps for Samin in the Tahitian squad were in 2000. He has since taken part in four FIFA World Cup qualification tournaments, and was a major part of the Tahitian title of the 2012 OFC Nations Cup. Starting the competition as a backup goalkeeper to Mickaël Roche, Samin was promoted to a starting position in the third match, a 4–1 win against Vanuatu. He was also the starting goalkeeper for the next two matches, keeping a clean sheet in the semifinal match against Solomon Islands and in the final against New Caledonia, both won by 1–0.[4] His long experience with the "To'a Aitos" made defensive midfielder Lorenzo Tehau declare that "I’ve played with Samin since I was a kid. He’s like my dad."[7]
The OFC Nations Cup qualified Tahiti for its first international competition, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. There Samin played in the team's first game, a 6–1 defeat to Nigeria in Belo Horizonte.[8] He also wrote a fight song for the Tahitian squad, "Song of the To’a Aitos".[9]
Honours
editTahiti
- OFC Nations Cup: 2012;[10] 3rd place 2002[11]
- Pacific Games: 3rd place 2011[12]
References
edit- ^ "Squad lists for the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 7 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Xavier Samin". Worldfootball.net. 1 January 1978. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ Xavier Samin at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ a b "FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013". Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ Igor Resende (17 June 2013). "Desempregados, vendedor de celular e até alpinista: as profissões dos jogadores do Taiti". ESPN.com.br. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ Ítalo Ridney. "Candidato a pagar o pato - Copa das Confederações 2013". Pe.superesportes.com.br. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ "A Soccer Win for Tahiti? A Goal Would Be Terrific". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ "FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013: Tahiti 1:6 (0:3) Nigeria - Summary". Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ Ítalo Ridney. "Taiti lança sua música para a Copa das Confederações - Copa das Confederações 2013". Superesportes.com.br. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ "2012 OFC Nations Cup-Tahiti Squad". Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "Oceania Nations Cup 2002". Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "Football at the 2011 Pacific Games-Tahiti Squad". Retrieved 31 October 2024.