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Jérémy Mathieu

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Jérémy Mathieu
Born (1983-10-29) October 29, 1983 (age 43)
Luxeuil-les-Bains, Haute-Saône, France
OccupationProfessional footballer (retired)
Years active2002–2020
Known forPlaying as centre-back and left-back for Sochaux, Toulouse, Valencia, Barcelona, Sporting CP; France national team

Jérémy Mathieu (born 29 October 1983) is a retired French professional football player who operated primarily as a centre-back or left-back.

Across seven seasons, Mathieu accumulated 172 appearances in Ligue 1, evenly split between Sochaux and Toulouse. He then spent five campaigns competing in La Liga with Valencia before transferring to Barcelona in 2014, where he secured the treble during his first year.

Representing the French national team from 2011 until 2016, Mathieu was selected for the squad at UEFA Euro 2016, but had to withdraw due to injury.

Sochaux

Originating from Luxeuil-les-Bains, Haute-Saône, Mathieu launched his professional journey with the foremost club in the Franche-Comté region, Sochaux. At age sixteen, despite interest from AC Milan, Sochaux's manager Jean Fernandez recommended he remain to mature mentally and develop his skills.

His Ligue 1 debut came during the 2002–03 season as a late substitute against Sedan. By eighteen, he had secured a regular starting position and netted his inaugural professional goal in just his third league appearance, contributing to a 2–2 draw with Rennes. That season, he featured in 23 league matches, scoring four times, including an equalizer versus Paris Saint-Germain and two decisive goals against both Nantes and Le Havre. His efforts helped Sochaux achieve fifth place and qualify for the UEFA Cup.

In the following two campaigns, Mathieu sustained impressive performances, amassing 63 league appearances and six goals, alongside participating in 14 European fixtures where he scored twice. He played an instrumental role in Sochaux’s triumph in the Coupe de la Ligue during the 2004 final. His displays attracted attention from Italian giants like Juventus as well as English clubs including Newcastle United, Everton, and Southampton.

Toulouse

With one year remaining on his contract, Mathieu expressed a wish to depart, leading Sochaux to accept offers on his behalf. He secured a four-year contract with Toulouse and made his debut in a 1–0 victory over his former club. In his initial season at Toulouse, he played 36 league games and scored twice against Ajaccio and Troyes. The subsequent season saw him make 32 appearances and score two goals, contributing significantly to Toulouse’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League. However, the 2007–08 season proved challenging; a fractured foot sidelined him for half of the campaign, and Toulouse narrowly escaped relegation. This period led Mathieu to reassess his tenure at the club.

Despite considerable interest from Italian sides such as Roma, Fiorentina, Palermo, and Genoa, Toulouse declined multiple transfer proposals. Mathieu opted against renewing his contract, enabling him to leave on a free transfer following the 2008–09 season. Toulouse also rejected a €4.5 million offer from Bordeaux. Throughout this phase, Mathieu remained professional and consistent, appearing in 31 league matches and aiding Toulouse’s progression to the Coupe de France semi-finals before their elimination by Guingamp.

Valencia

On 10 June 2009, Mathieu committed to a three-year deal with the Spanish La Liga side Valencia, which became effective on 1 July 2009. He made his first appearance in a match that ended with a 2–0 victory over Sevilla FC.

During the UEFA Europa League semi-final on 1 May 2014, Mathieu scored to extend Valencia's lead to 3−0 against Sevilla; however, Sevilla progressed due to an away goals rule following a late equalizing goal. Just three days later, he found the net at the Santiago Bernabéu, giving Valencia a 1−0 advantage over Real Madrid, though the match concluded in a 2−2 draw after a late goal from Real Madrid.

Barcelona

On 23 July 2014, Mathieu inked a four-year contract with La Liga powerhouse Barcelona, which included an option for a fifth year. The transfer fee amounted to €20 million, and his release clause was established at €50 million. Although Mathieu preferred to retain his captaincy role at Valencia, he transferred following unsuccessful salary renegotiations.

He opened his scoring account for Barcelona on 15 January 2015 by converting a free kick in a 4–0 Copa del Rey triumph over Elche. Mathieu's first league goal for Barcelona came during the 2–1 El Clásico win against Real Madrid on 22 March 2015, and he later scored the decisive goal in a 1–0 victory at Celta Vigo, contributing to Barcelona securing their 23rd league championship by a margin of two points.

In the 2015 UEFA Super Cup clash against Sevilla held in Tbilisi, Mathieu conceded a penalty that enabled Sevilla to push the game into extra time; nonetheless, Barcelona triumphed with a final score of 5–4.

Sporting CP

On 7 July 2017, Mathieu joined Portuguese outfit Sporting CP on a free transfer, signing for two seasons. He scored his inaugural goal for Sporting during his sixth appearance in a 2–0 home victory over Tondela. Returning to Camp Nou, Mathieu unfortunately scored an own goal in Sporting's 2–0 defeat in their concluding group stage match of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League.

On 24 June 2020, a left knee injury sustained during training forced Mathieu to end his professional playing career.

International career

Mathieu represented all levels of the French youth national teams and was regularly selected for the under-21 squad prior to the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, although he did not participate in the tournament itself. His initial senior call-up came for a friendly against Slovakia, but he featured instead for the second-tier squad, France B.

He made his senior international debut on 11 November 2011 in a friendly versus the United States at the Stade de France, completing the entire match.

Mathieu was included in France's roster for UEFA Euro 2016 but withdrew on 28 May due to injury and was replaced by Samuel Umtiti.

Club

Source:[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] 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[lower-alpha 2] 1 — 38 6
2004–05 Ligue 1 34 2 2 1 8[lower-alpha 3] 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[lower-alpha 4] 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[lower-alpha 5] 0 — 24 1
2010–11 La Liga 29 1 2 0 7[lower-alpha 6] 0 — 38 1
2011–12 La Liga 31 0 6 0 13[lower-alpha 7] 0 colspan="2"|— 50 0
2012–13 La Liga 17 1 6 0 1 [lower-alpha 8] 0 — 24 1
2013–14 La Liga 32 3 4 0 10 [lower-alpha 9] 1 — 46 4
Total 126 6 19 0 37 1 0 0 182 7
Barcelona 2014–15 La Liga 28 2 6 1 7 [lower-alpha 8] 0 — 41 3
2015–16 La Liga 21 0 7 0 3 [lower-alpha 8] 0 3 [lower-alpha 10] 0 34 0
2016–17 La Liga 13 1 0 0 2 [lower-alpha 8] 0 1 [lower-alpha 11] 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 [lower-alpha 12] 0 — 48 3
2018–19 Primeira Liga 24 3 7 0 2 [lower-alpha 9] 0 — 33 3
2019–20 Primeira Liga 18 1 2 1 3 [lower-alpha 9] 1 1 [lower-alpha 13] 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


International

National team appearances and goals by year
National team Year Appearances Goals
France 2011 1 0
2012 0 0
2013 1 0
2014 2 0
2015 0 0
2016 1 0
Overall 5 0

Honours

Sochaux

Barcelona

Sporting CP

Individual

External links

  1. ↑ Template:Soccerway


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