BBC Sport world-cup-2010
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Mathieu Valbuena
- Position: Midfielder
- Squad number: 20
- Date of birth: 28 September, 1984 (25 years old)
- Height: 5'6" (167cm)
Tournament totals
| Games played | Shots on target | off target |
|---|---|
| 1 Mathieu Valbuena | 0|1 Mathieu Valbuena |
| 0 As substitute | 23|17 Total France |
| 20 Most shots on target Diego Forlan | |
| 3 Total France | 12 Most shots off target Asamoah Gyan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wesley Sneijder |
| Goals | Assists |
|---|---|
| 0 Mathieu Valbuena | 0 Mathieu Valbuena |
| 1 Total France | 1 Total France |
| 6 Best Diego Forlan | 4 Best Leo Messi, Bastian Schweinsteiger |
| Fouls by | on | Cards yellow | red |
|---|---|
| 1|0 Mathieu Valbuena | 0|0 Mathieu Valbuena |
| 45|44 Total France | 6|1 Total France |
| 20 Most fouls by Mark Van Bommel | 3 Most yellow Victor Caceres, Nigel De Jong, Gregory Van Der Wiel |
| 25 Most fouls on Andres Iniesta |
France games played
- Uruguay 0-0 France
Friday, 11 June Match report - France 0-2 Mexico
Thursday, 17 June Match report - France 1-2 South Africa
Tuesday, 22 June Match report
Player Profile
The diminutive attacking midfielder was a surprise inclusion in the squad but had a brilliant campaign for French champions Marseille and scored the winning goal against Costa Rica at the end of May in his debut international.
Valbuena came through the ranks at Bordeaux, but was released because of his small stature and ended up at Libourne Saint-Seurin in the third tier. He quickly became a regular in the side, helping the club win promotion to Ligue 2 in his second season (2005/06) and winning the club’s Player of the Year award.
His performances earned him a transfer to Marseille in 2006, but he had been in and out of the side until the second half of this season, when some superb performances helped inspire them to their first league title since 1992 and their first-ever League Cup victory.
He is only 5ft 5in and is known in France as ‘Le Petit Velo’ (the small bike), playing on the name of Marseille’s stadium, the Stade Velodrome.
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