Yann M'Vila operates primarily as a defensive midfielder, and is described by his former club as a player who possesses "excellent defensive abilities" and "impressive physical strength", but can play as a box-to-box midfielder, due to his impressive work rates and stamina.
54 Facts About Yann M'Vila
2.
Yann M'Vila has captained several of his age groups including the under-19 team that reached the semi-finals of the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.
3.
Yann M'Vila played on France teams that participated in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
4.
Yann M'Vila made his senior debut on 11 August 2010 in a friendly against Norway, and was part of the French squad which reached the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2012.
5.
Yann M'Vila began his football career at age six for ES Sains-Saint-Fussien.
6.
Yann M'Vila spent three years at the club and, in July 1999, joined the biggest club in the region, Amiens SC.
7.
Yann M'Vila joined the club as a youth player and practised in the club's soccer school, which was established by his father, who had previously played on the club's reserve team.
8.
Yann M'Vila admitted that, during his time at Mantes, he had "forgot his dream" of becoming a professional footballer.
9.
Yann M'Vila subsequently appeared in 20 matches with the reserve team and scored no goals as the team finished first among professional clubs in its group, thus qualifying for the play-offs, where the club lost to Lyon in the semi-finals.
10.
Yann M'Vila made his professional debut in that match appearing as a substitute in the 80th minute.
11.
On 15 September 2009, Yann M'Vila signed a contract extension with Rennes until June 2013.
12.
Yann M'Vila was rewarded for his performances during the season with a nomination for the UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year.
13.
Yann M'Vila finished the campaign appearing in a career-high 50 matches, which included all 38 league contests, as Rennes finished in sixth place.
14.
But, we forget that he has already given so much to the club," while joking that Yann M'Vila "touched the ball so much that they [supporters] couldn't keep up.
15.
Yann M'Vila spent a period training with Dynamo Moscow, but did not officially sign for the Russian club after a dispute resulting in the trashing of his Moscow home.
16.
On 6 August 2015, Yann M'Vila joined English Premier League side Sunderland on a season-long loan with a view to being made a permanent deal.
17.
On 29 August 2015, Yann M'Vila scored his first Sunderland goal, a long range free-kick against Aston Villa.
18.
Yann M'Vila subsequently described the atmosphere of the match as the best he had played in, eclipsing that of the Milan Derby.
19.
In February 2016, Yann M'Vila expressed his desire to stay at Sunderland on a permanent basis, provided the 'Black Cats' avoided relegation.
20.
Yann M'Vila hoped to reach an agreement with Rubin Kazan to terminate his contract, which was running until December 2016.
21.
On 1 September 2016, Yann M'Vila took his frustrations to Instagram, after the club rejected to sign the player by not picking up the phone.
22.
Yann M'Vila was a fan favourite during his time in the North East, which caused an angry repost towards Sunderland club owner Ellis Short.
23.
Yann M'Vila played his first game for Rubin in two years upon the return from loans on 22 September 2016 when he came on as a substitute in a Russian Cup matchup against Chita.
24.
Yann M'Vila returned to league action for Rubin on 2 October 2016, when he was a late substitute in a game against Krasnodar.
25.
On 26 December, Yann M'Vila signed a three-and-a-half-year contract extension with Rubin that was expected to run until the summer of 2020.
26.
On 12 January 2018, Yann M'Vila was released from his Rubin Kazan contract, before signing for Saint-Etienne until the summer of 2019.
27.
On 13 September 2020, Yann M'Vila signed a three-year contract with Super League Greece club Olympiacos.
28.
Yann M'Vila has featured for all of France's national youth teams for which he was eligible beginning with the under-16 team.
29.
Yann M'Vila made his international debut with the team on 23 May 2006 in a friendly against Romania.
30.
Yann M'Vila made his only other appearance in the team in the return leg against Romania.
31.
Yann M'Vila began featuring as a regular international with the under-17 team making his debut on 5 December 2006 in a friendly match against the Czech Republic.
32.
Yann M'Vila scored his first international goal on 20 February 2007 against Portugal in the Algarve Cup.
33.
Yann M'Vila was a member of the team that reached the semi-finals at the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship where they lost to England.
34.
Yann M'Vila appeared in all five matches helping the team reach the quarter-finals where they were defeated by Spain on penalties.
35.
Yann M'Vila made his debut with the team in its opening match against the United States in the Tournoi de Limoges.
36.
Yann M'Vila appeared in all 18 matches scoring 3 goals with the under-19 team.
37.
Yann M'Vila was given the honour of captaining the team by coach Jean Gallice.
38.
At the tournament, held in the Ukraine, Yann M'Vila appeared in all three group stage matches helping France reach the semi-finals.
39.
On 25 February 2010, Yann M'Vila was reportedly named to the senior team for their friendly against Spain on 3 March.
40.
Yann M'Vila was later called up to the under-21 team for their friendly against Croatia, but withdrew from the team due to injury.
41.
On 11 May, Yann M'Vila was named to the 30-man preliminary list by Domenech to play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup but failed to make the final 23.
42.
On 5 August 2010, Yann M'Vila was officially called up to the senior team for the first time by new manager Laurent Blanc for the team's friendly match against Norway on 11 August 2010.
43.
Yann M'Vila earned his first senior cap in the match starting in the defensive midfielder role.
44.
Yann M'Vila last played for French representative teams when he featured in both legs of the France U21 team's qualification play-off with Norway U21; the Norwegians' aggregate victory meant France failed to qualify for the final tournament.
45.
On 8 November 2012, Yann M'Vila was banned from national team matches until June 2014 after an unauthorised night out while on under-21 duty.
46.
Yann M'Vila primarily plays as a defensive midfielder and is described as a player who "boasts a fantastic work-rate" and is "robust in the challenge".
47.
Yann M'Vila is known for his passing ability and "superb vision".
48.
Yann M'Vila has earned critical acclaim for his playing style, which has led to coaches and players drawing comparisons to fellow French internationals Patrick Vieira and Claude Makelele.
49.
Yann M'Vila, himself, declared that Rennes struggled because he was forced to play in a withdrawn role due to "the opponents being organized to close me down" and, as a result, he was "not in the drivers' seat".
50.
Yann M'Vila's passing ability and ability to retain possession consistently has been described as "precise" and "imaginative", respectively.
51.
Yann M'Vila's father, Jean-Elvis M'Vila, was a former football player who is originally from the Republic of the Congo.
52.
Yann M'Vila moved to France in 1983 and played football for 13 years regularly turning out for the reserves of local club Amiens SC.
53.
Yann M'Vila was a police officer and now works in metallurgy.
54.
Yann M'Vila, himself, is married and has a son who was born when he was 18 years old.