Mathieu Debuchy

Lille

Debuchy began his career playing for his hometown club Union Sportive Frétin before joining Lille at the age of eight. After spending a decade in Lille's youth system, he was promoted to the senior team following the winter break of the 2003–04 season. Debuchy was given the number 33 shirt and simultaneously made his professional debut and first start on 31 January 2004 in a league match against Metz. He played the entire match as Lille recorded a 1–0 win. Debuchy made five more appearances that season, which included two starts and three substitute appearances.

The following season, Debuchy switched to the number 2 and his playing time increased significantly. He appeared in 19 matches and scored three goals. His first professional goal came against Bordeaux. Debuchy scored the goal in the first minute of the match. Lille's solid form that season resulted in the club finishing second in the league and, as a result, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. Debuchy was also instrumental in Lille's run to the Round of 16 in 2004–05 UEFA Cup where the club was eliminated by rival French club Auxerre.

Debuchy became a fixture in the starting eleven during the 2005–06 season. On 26 March 2006, he damaged knee ligaments in a league match against Strasbourg. The injury required surgery ruling him out for six months. As a result of the injury, Debuchy missed the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. A week after suffering the injury, on 4 April, Lille officials awarded Debuchy a contract extension until 2010.

Debuchy signed a contract extension on 28 February 2011, tying him down to the club until 2015. That season he was instrumental in the team's advancement to the final of the Coupe de France appearing in all five matches the team contested. In the final, Debuchy played the entire match as Lille defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 at the Stade de France. A week later, Lille clinched the Ligue 1 championship by drawing 2–2 away to Paris Saint-Germain, Debuchy providing the cross from which Moussa Sow netted Lille's second goal. The result meant that the players had achieved the club's first league championship since the 1953–54 season and the club's first double since the 1945–46 season. The domestic cup and league title were the first two domestic honours of Debuchy's career.

The following season started off with a 1–1 draw against Nancy on 6 August 2011, with the right back opening the scoring in the 47th minute. Debuchy was part of the Lille squad that dramatically fell 5–4 to Bordeaux on 12 February 2012, scoring Lille's third goal of the game as former teammate, Ludovic Obraniak netted the winner in the 90th minute. The following weekend, Lille got back on track with a 1–0 defeat of Lorient, as Debuchy scored the only goal of the game. Debuchy started and played the full 90 minutes in all six group games of the Champions League that season, as Lille finished bottom of their tight group and crashed out of Europe because of a 0–0 draw with Trabzonspor on the final matchday. The campaign was hugely successful for Debuchy on a personal level as he made his breakthrough in the French squad as well as being named in the UNFP Team of the Year. Following the season, Lille manager Rudi Garcia described Debuchy as a defender who "plays high and attacks but defensively is also very rigorous and he exudes confidence." Garcia also revealed that the club had rejected a £4 million bid from Newcastle United.

Newcastle United

Seven months after their failed bid, English club Newcastle United signed Debuchy on a five-and-a-half-year contract on 4 January 2013, for an undisclosed fee reportedly in the region of £5.5 million. He made his debut for Newcastle on 12 January 2013 against Norwich City.

He scored his first and only Newcastle goal in the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on 27 October 2013, levelling the score after half time before ultimately losing 2–1. On 1 January 2014, Debuchy was sent off for the first time in his Newcastle career after a rash challenge on Claudio Yacob in an eventual 1–0 defeat away to West Bromwich Albion.

Arsenal

Debuchy moved to fellow Premier League club Arsenal on 17 July 2014, signing a long-term deal for an undisclosed fee (believed to be around £12 million) and was given the number 2 shirt from fellow Frenchman Abou Diaby, whom took the vacant number 24. He said "Playing again in the Champions League is a big excitement for me and I will do my best to help Arsenal compete for trophies".

He made his competitive debut for Arsenal in their 3–0 victory over defending league champions Manchester City in the 2014 FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on 10 August 2014. Six days later he featured in the Premier League for the first time as an Arsenal player, his injury-time shot was saved and then converted by Aaron Ramsey for a 2–1 win at home against Crystal Palace. Debuchy was sent off for two bookings on 27 August in Arsenal's win over Beşiktaş in the Champions League play-offs.

On 13 September 2014, Debuchy damaged his ankle ligaments near the end of a 2–2 draw against Manchester City. He was administered oxygen and taken off the pitch on a stretcher. Following surgery on his ankle, he was ruled out for about three months. He returned to the first team against Galatasaray in a Champions League match on 9 December. Twelve days after that, he scored his first goal for the club, the first equaliser in a 2–2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield. Debuchy went off injured against Stoke City on 11 January 2015. He was then given an operation on his dislocated shoulder, and ruled out for a further three months.

Debuchy made his return from injury on 18 April, playing the full 120 minutes as Arsenal defeated Reading 2–1 in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley. He made no further appearances that season, with Héctor Bellerín instead playing at right-back in Arsenal's 4–0 win over Aston Villa in the Cup Final; Debuchy did not make the substitutes bench for this match.

Arsenal retained the Community Shield on 2 August, with Bellerín again starting ahead of Debuchy. Despite starting the first game of the 2015–16 Premier League season, Debuchy was continuously an unused substitute throughout the campaign.

On 22 July 2016, Debuchy made his return to Arsenal during the pre-season, playing the first half of Arsenal's 1–1 draw against Ligue 2 side RC Lens. He made his first Premier League start against Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium, but went off with a hamstring injury after just 16 minutes as the Gunners won 3–1, ruling him out until mid-January 2017.

Bordeaux (loan)

On 1 February 2016, Debuchy joined Ligue 1 club Girondins de Bordeaux on loan until the end of the season.

International career

Debuchy has been capped with the under-21 team. On 5 August 2010, Debuchy was 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 but did not win his first cap until November 2011. He scored his first goal for France in a friendly against Iceland in Valenciennes on 27 May 2012.

Blanc selected Debuchy in his final 23-man squad for the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine on 29 May 2012. He started at right back for Les Bleus' opening match against England, helping his side to a 1–1 draw, in which his performance was hailed as "outstanding" and "terrific". He played the full 90 minutes of France's second group match against, a 2–0 defeat of co-hosts Ukraine on 15 June, and featured in the remainder of their matches before elimination to Spain in the quarter-finals.

Debuchy was named in Didier Deschamps' French squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He played all of France's matches as they reached the quarter-finals, with the exception of the final group game against Ecuador in which Bacary Sagna played in his place.

Club

International

International goals

Club

Individual