56 Facts About Mathieu Valbuena

Mathieu Valbuena was born on 28 September 1984 and is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Greek Super League club Athens Kallithea.

Mathieu Valbuena occasionally plays as a winger and is known for his pace, technical ability, and tenacious style of play.

Mathieu Valbuena was let go from the club after two seasons and subsequently joined amateur club Langon-Castets in the fifth division of French football.

In 2004, Mathieu Valbuena joined Libourne Saint-Seurin in the Championnat National, the third level of French football.

Mathieu Valbuena is a French international and made his debut with the team in May 2010 in a friendly match against Costa Rica.

Mathieu Valbuena scored his first international goal in the same match and was named to the team to participate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a result.

Mathieu Valbuena appeared in only one of the three matches France contested at the World Cup.

Mathieu Valbuena began his football career at hometown club ES Blanquefort.

Mathieu Valbuena developed an interest in the sport of football through his paternal heritage as he often attended matches at the Camp Nou in Barcelona during school holidays as a youth.

In 2001, Mathieu Valbuena was recruited by professional club FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

Mathieu Valbuena spent two years playing on the club's under-18 team playing alongside the likes of Rio Mavuba and Marouane Chamakh.

Mathieu Valbuena appeared in only three matches with the reserve team before being released from the club after failing to impress Jean-Louis Garcia, the reserve team manager.

Unlike at Bordeaux where he trained numerous times a week, Mathieu Valbuena only trained three times a week with Langon-Castets and, due to the club's amateur status, worked as a sports shop salesman when he was not playing football.

Mathieu Valbuena played in 31 league matches and scored nine goals, all of which came in victories.

Mathieu Valbuena earned rave reviews for his performances, but still suffered criticism on occasion due to "wanting to do everything" as stated by Tholot.

The loss was the team's first of the season and Mathieu Valbuena was suspended for three matches.

In November 2005, Mathieu Valbuena returned to his early season form after scoring four goals over the course of three matches.

Mathieu Valbuena went scoreless through the winter months, but remained a fixture in the starting eleven as the club remained in contention for promotion to Ligue 2.

On 29 April 2006, with Libourne in a battle for the final promotion spot, Mathieu Valbuena scored another double, this time against Toulon in another shutout victory.

On 9 June 2006, Mathieu Valbuena signed his first professional contract after agreeing to a transfer to Olympique de Marseille.

Mathieu Valbuena signed a three-year deal with the club and was assigned the number 28 shirt by manager Eric Gerets.

Mathieu Valbuena made his professional debut for the club on 15 July 2006 in the team's third round match against Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Mathieu Valbuena appeared as a substitute for the majority of the season and even spent some time playing on the club's reserve team in the fifth division.

Mathieu Valbuena started the season off healthy under Gerets and featured primarily as a substitute, but by late August 2007, had become a starter forming partnerships in the midfield with Samir Nasri, Lorik Cana, and Benoit Cheyrou.

Later that month, Mathieu Valbuena signed a contract extension with Marseille, committing himself to the club until June 2012.

The first goal Mathieu Valbuena scored in the match was voted the Goal of the Year by the Ligue de Football Professionnel and was scored from almost 40 metres out.

Mathieu Valbuena scored three goals; two in victories over Auxerre and Le Havre and one in a loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

In June 2009, Deschamps declared that Mathieu Valbuena was not in his tactical plans and sought to place the midfielder on the transfer market.

The indecision over Mathieu Valbuena's future resulted in the player being linked to English clubs Aston Villa, Arsenal, and Liverpool.

Mathieu Valbuena's future was ultimately settled following the closure of the transfer window when he was not sold.

In February 2010, Mathieu Valbuena returned to the starting lineup and remained a starter for the rest of the season.

Mathieu Valbuena was an important part of the team that won the league and league cup double.

The victories helped Marseille maintain its first-place position and Mathieu Valbuena was praised by Deschamps.

Mathieu Valbuena was hampered by the constant media inquiries about what happened at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, on which he has refused to comment, stating "I was a neophyte in the France team, I will not allow myself to discuss the events" and that he was "trying to forget" the incident.

Mathieu Valbuena made his return to the team in the second leg at Old Trafford appearing as a second-half substitute.

Mathieu Valbuena finished the campaign by appearing in the team's final five matches as Marseille finished runner-up to Lille in the league.

Mathieu Valbuena opened the campaign by assisting on a Loic Remy goal in the opening match of the season against Sochaux.

Mathieu Valbuena finished the fall season with nine assists, a tally that currently leads the league.

Mathieu Valbuena returned to playing on 2 October 2014 in a Europa League group game against PSV Eindhoven, in which Yuri Zhirkov scored a winning goal deep into injury time after a corner delivered by Valbuena.

On 27 May 2019, Mathieu Valbuena signed a one-year contract with Greek Super League club Olympiacos.

On 6 March 2020, Mathieu Valbuena has extended his contract with Olympiacos until the summer of 2021.

On 29 March 2021, as he reached the end of his contract at the end of the season, Mathieu Valbuena reached an agreement to extend his contract with Olympiakos for another year for an undisclosed fee.

On 23 July 2023, Mathieu Valbuena signed a one-year contract with Cypriot First Division club Apollon Limassol.

Mathieu Valbuena did not receive any call-ups to any of the France national youth football teams.

Mathieu Valbuena was later named to the 23-man team to compete in the competition.

Mathieu Valbuena made his national team debut on 26 May 2010 in a friendly match against Costa Rica appearing as a substitute in the second half.

Mathieu Valbuena capped his return to the national team by scoring against England in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on 17 November 2010.

Mathieu Valbuena was included in France's UEFA Euro 2012 squad but did not make an appearance during the competition.

Under new coach Didier Deschamps, Mathieu Valbuena played in all ten of the team's matches during 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, scoring st Georgia.

On 13 May 2014, Mathieu Valbuena was named in France's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Mathieu Valbuena was named in the starting line-up for the team's opening match against Honduras, making his tournament debut.

Mathieu Valbuena is known for his small size and, while at Langon, began using his diminutive stature to his advantage.

Mathieu Valbuena was born in the southwestern commune of Bruges in the Gironde department to mother Brigitte and father Carlos.

Mathieu Valbuena is of Spanish origin through his father, who is originally from the city of Valladolid.

Mathieu Valbuena grew up in nearby Blanquefort where his parents still reside.

On 24 December 2010, while traveling to Blanquefort to celebrate Christmas with his parents, Mathieu Valbuena was involved in a car accident after losing control of his Lamborghini Murcielago while driving near Begles.