Matthieu Delpierre

Matthieu Delpierre (born 26 April 1981 in Nancy, France) is a retired French footballer who played as a centre back.

Matthieu Delpierre
Delpierre celebrating the league title in 2007.
Personal information
Full name Matthieu Delpierre
Date of birth (1981-04-26) 26 April 1981
Place of birth Nancy, France
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Playing position(s) 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 41 (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
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 May 2015

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 Nürnberg. On 19 May 2007, Delpierre won the German Bundesliga with Stuttgart, playing a significant part in their success.

Matthieu Delpierre training for Melbourne Victory, May 2015

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]

Delpierre made 53 appearances in all competitions for the Victory during his two seasons in the A-League, scoring once.[8]

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.

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]
Melbourne Victory

Individual

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References
  1. "Matthieu Delpierre". melbournevictory.com.au. Melbourne Victory. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  2. "Bundesliga – Arsenal, Bayern eye Delpierre". Yahoo! Sport. 10 May 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  3. "Four more years". VfB Stuttgart. 30 May 2007. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  4. "Matthieu Delpierre is new VfB captain". VfB Stuttgart. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  5. "Serdar Tasci is the new captain". VfB Stuttgart. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 7 August 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  6. "Victory sign French defender". FFA. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  7. "DelpierreSnared: MVFC re-signs French defender". FFA. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  8. "Matthieu Delpierre announces retirement". Melbourne Victory Football Club. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  9. "France call up 4 new caps". news24.com. 20 March 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  10. "M. Delpierre". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
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