Stéphane Dalmat

Stéphane Dalmat
Born	(1979-02-16) February 16, 1979 Joué-lès-Tours, France
Occupation	Professional footballer (retired)
Years active	1997–2012
Known for	Midfielder for multiple clubs including Lens, Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain, Internazionale, Tottenham Hotspur, Toulouse, Racing de Santander, Bordeaux, Sochaux, Rennes, Nîmes

Stéphane Dalmat (born 16 February 1979) is a retired French professional football player who operated primarily as a midfielder.

Club career

Dalmat launched his professional journey in 1997 with Châteauroux before transferring to Lens for the 1998–99 campaign. At Lens, he featured as an attacking central midfielder and earned comparisons to Zinedine Zidane. Subsequently, he moved to Marseille, where a challenging season and deployment out of his natural role led to a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. There, he developed a midfield partnership with Ali Benarbia and Laurent Robert. A change in management at PSG resulted in Dalmat being sold to Italian side Internazionale.

During his two-and-a-half years at Inter, Dalmat found regular first-team opportunities limited. He was loaned out to Tottenham Hotspur for the remainder of the 2003–04 season. While he delivered some energetic displays and netted five league goals, injuries coupled with off-field complications hindered Tottenham's ability to secure him permanently.

In the summer of 2004, Dalmat signed with Toulouse, initially making a strong impression on the left wing alongside former colleague Daniel Moreira. Unfortunately, a foot injury in October 2004 forced him out during a pivotal phase, affecting Toulouse’s chances in European competition.

On 13 July 2005, Dalmat agreed to a five-year contract with Racing de Santander on a free transfer. His spell there was overshadowed by disciplinary concerns raised by club president Manuel Huerta, which contributed to his exit despite his contract running until January 2006.

Returning to France on 14 August 2006, Dalmat joined Bordeaux, again on a free transfer. He later moved on another free transfer to Sochaux in July 2007.

After spending two seasons at Rennes, Dalmat signed for Ligue 2 outfit Nîmes on 6 July 2012. However, shortly thereafter, he announced his retirement due to physical limitations preventing further play.

International career

Dalmat represented the France national under-21 football team during his international career.

Honours

Lens

• Coupe de la Ligue: 1998–99

External links

• Stéphane Dalmat's profile, statistics & photographs