Matthieu Delpierre
 Delpierre celebrating the league title in 2007. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthieu Delpierre | ||
| Date of birth | 26 April 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Nancy, France | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1999 | Lille | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2004 | Lille | 83 | (3) |
| 2004–2007 | VfB Stuttgart II | 6 | (0) |
| 2004–2012 | VfB Stuttgart | 162 | (3) |
| 2012–2014 | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | 23 | (1) |
| 2014 | FC Utrecht | 14 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Melbourne Victory | 39 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| France U18 | 2 | (0) | |
| France U20 | 11 | (0) | |
| France U21 | 12 | (0) | |
| 2008 | France B | 1 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 March 2016. | |||
Matthieu Delpierre (born 26 April 1981 in Nancy, France) is a retired French footballer who played as a centre back.
Delpierre's professional career started with Lille OSC, before a move to VfB Stuttgart in Germany where he eventually became the club captain. Delpierre spent eight years at Stuttgart before moving on to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, then FC Utrecht and ended his career in Australia with Melbourne Victory FC
He represented France at U18, U20 and under-21 level, making appearances during the 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Club career
Lille
In his first season with Lille, Delpierre made few appearances but helped in the club's promotion to Ligue 1. Delpierre played more regularly in his second season, helping Lille finish third and thereby qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Delpierre continued to perform well for Lille though the club finished at a lower position in the league every season.
Stuttgart
Delpierre was signed by VfB Stuttgart on a free transfer after Lille refused to grant him a contract extension. Stuttgart struggled during the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons, but Delpierre began to improve under the tutelage of coach Armin Veh.
The following season, during which he missed only one game through illness, the French defender formed an almost impenetrable barrier alongside Fernando Meira at the heart of the Stuttgart defence. Matthieu has also been a vital cog in Stuttgart's success in the 2006–07 DFB-Pokal, in which the team conceded only three goals before losing the final to Nuremberg. On 19 May 2007, Delpierre won the German Bundesliga with Stuttgart, playing a significant part in their success.
His defensive performances attracted the attention of Arsenal and Bayern Munich[2] and also French clubs Marseille and Saint-Étienne. However, he remained at Stuttgart, extending his contract until the summer of 2012.[3]
On 1 December 2009, Delpierre was appointed the new captain of VfB Stuttgart by Markus Babbel.[4] On 12 January 2012 he asked Bruno Labbadia to appoint another player.[5]
Delpierre joined Hoffenheim on a free transfer at the end of the 2011-12 season. He spent 18 months with Hoffenheim before moving to FC Utrecht in January 2014.
Move to Australia
On 7 July 2014, A-League club Melbourne Victory announced the signing of Delpierre on a one-year deal.[6]
On 10 October 2014, Delpierre scored the first goal of the 2014–15 A-League season in the Victory's first round match against the Western Sydney Wanderers, scoring from a Guilherme Finkler free kick in just the 8th minute of the match. The Victory eventually won the match 4–1.
On 1 May 2015, Delpierre extended his contract with Melbourne Victory for one more year.[7]
On 26 April 2016, Delpierre announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 35, having completed 17 seasons since his debut with Lille in 1999. Delpierre, who has made 53 appearances in all competitions for Victory over the past two seasons, and was widely regarded as the best central defender the Hyundai A-League has ever seen.[8]
International career
Delpierre was called up to the senior France team in March 2008[9] but was ultimately never capped at that level.
Honours
Club
- Lille
- Stuttgart[10]
Individual
- PFA Team of the Season: 2014-15, 2015-16
- Victory Medal: 2015-16
- Players' Player of the Year: 2015-16
References
- ↑ "Matthieu Delpierre". melbournevictory.com.au. Melbourne Victory. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ↑ "Bundesliga – Arsenal, Bayern eye Delpierre". Yahoo! Sport. 10 May 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
- ↑ "Four more years". VfB Stuttgart. 30 May 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
- ↑ "Matthieu Delpierre is new VfB captain". VfB Stuttgart. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
- ↑ "Serdar Tasci is the new captain". VfB Stuttgart. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ↑ "Victory sign French defender". FFA. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ↑ "DelpierreSnared: MVFC re-signs French defender". FFA. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ↑ "Matthieu Delpierre announces retirement". Melbourne Victory Football Club. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ↑ "France call up 4 new caps". news24.com. 20 March 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ↑ "M. Delpierre". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
External links
- Matthieu Delpierre at Stuttgart's official website
- Matthieu Delpierre at Eurosport
- Matthieu Delpierre profile at Fussballdaten
- Voetbal International profile (Dutch)