Jean Beausejour facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jean Beausejour

Beausejour with Universidad de Chile in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Jean André Emanuel Beausejour Coliqueo
Date of birth	(1984-06-01) 1 June 1984 (age 41)
Place of birth	Santiago, Chile
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Left wing-back
Youth career
1994–1998	Universidad de Chile
1999–2002	Universidad Católica
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2004	Universidad Católica	16	(3)
2003	→ Universidad de Concepción (loan)	30	(3)
2004–2005	Servette	13	(1)
2005	Grêmio	55	(7)
2006	Gent	0	(0)
2007	Cobreloa	22	(0)
2008	O'Higgins	34	(13)
2009–2010	América	45	(3)
2010–2012	Birmingham City	39	(3)
2012–2014	Wigan Athletic	85	(3)
2014–2016	Colo-Colo	54	(7)
2016–2021	Universidad de Chile	93	(1)
2021	Coquimbo Unido	22	(0)
Total		508	(44)
International career
2004	Chile U23	7	(2)
2004–2021	Chile	109	(6)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Chile Copa América Winner 2015 Chile Winner 2016 United States FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up 2017 Russia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jean André Emanuel Beausejour Coliqueo (born 1 June 1984) is a Chilean former professional footballer. He played as a left-sided wing-back.

Jean played for many clubs in different countries. These included Chile, Switzerland, Brazil, Belgium, Mexico, and England. In England, he won the League Cup with Birmingham City. He also won the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic.

He first played for the Chile national team in 2004. He played his 100th game for his country in 2018. Jean was part of the teams that won the Copa América in 2015 and 2016. He is the only Chilean player to score in two World Cups in a row. He scored in the 2010 and 2014 tournaments.

About Jean Beausejour

Jean Beausejour was born in Santiago, Chile. His father was from Haiti and worked for the United Nations. His mother is Chilean and has Mapuche heritage. Jean's parents separated when he was very young. He was raised by his mother and her parents. He saw his grandfather as a father figure.

The family lived in Villa Carmelitas in Santiago. Jean went to local schools there. In 2010, the local government called him an Hijo Ilustre, which means 'honoured son'. Six years later, a new sports center was named after him.

Jean briefly studied kinesiology at the University of the Americas. He had a scholarship, but he did not finish his degree.

Because of his dark skin, some media nicknamed him "Palmatoria" in 2004. This was after a character from a children's comic. Jean said the name did not bother him. He felt that being Black caused him fewer problems than his Mapuche heritage, which he strongly connects with.

Jean is married to Karina Ugarte. They have two children, Joaquín and Luciano. Joaquín has played football in the youth teams of Universidad Católica. This is the same club where his father trained as a young player.

On a radio show, Jean joked that a Canadian boxer, Keven Beausejour, was his cousin. However, Keven later said he did not know Jean.

Jean's Football Journey

Starting Out in Chile

When Jean was 10, he tried out for Universidad de Chile. He was one of four boys chosen for their youth system. At 14, he left that club. He then joined their rivals, Universidad Católica, where he continued to develop his skills.

He started his professional career at Universidad Católica. In 2002, he played his first games while on loan to Universidad de Concepción. He had a great season there.

Playing in Europe and Brazil

In June 2004, Jean moved to Switzerland to play for Servette. He played in the UEFA Cup with his friend Jorge Valdivia. He scored one goal in 11 games. The club later went bankrupt in February 2005. One of his goals led to an unusual injury for a teammate. Paulo Diogo celebrated by jumping on a fence and lost part of his finger.

In July 2005, Jean signed a short deal with Brazilian club Grêmio. He helped them win the Série B title.

He then joined KAA Gent in Belgium in January 2006. He did not play any games there. After a year, he returned to Chile and signed with Cobreloa.

In January 2008, Jean joined O'Higgins. His coach, Jorge Sampaoli, used him as a left winger. Jean played very well and regained his form. His strong performances led him back to the Chile national team. The national team coach, Marcelo Bielsa, also used him in the same position.

Moving to Mexico and England

On 1 December 2008, Jean signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Mexican club América. He played his first game on 4 January 2009 against Guadalajara. He scored the first goal in a 1–1 draw.

After playing in Mexico for a year and a half, and after playing in the FIFA World Cup, he moved to England. In August 2010, he signed a three-year contract with Premier League club Birmingham City.

Time at Birmingham City

Beausejour with President of Chile Sebastián Piñera, holding a Birmingham City shirt, at London's Olympic Park

Jean's debut for Birmingham City was delayed while he waited for a work visa. He first played on 18 September 2010 as a substitute. He helped set up goals in a League Cup win against MK Dons. In an FA Cup game against Millwall, he helped create the first goal. He scored his first goal for the club in an FA Cup match against Sheffield Wednesday.

He came on as a substitute in the 2011 League Cup Final. Birmingham beat Arsenal 2–1 at Wembley Stadium, winning the trophy. This also meant they qualified for the Europa League. On 5 March 2011, Jean scored his first Premier League goal. His second came four days later. However, Birmingham City faced many injuries and were relegated from the Premier League.

Jean was named man of the match in Birmingham's first European game in almost 50 years. This was a Europa League play-off match against Nacional. He also had a great game when Birmingham beat Leicester City 2–0. In a Europa League group stage game, Jean made a mistake that led to a goal for Club Brugge. But he also scored a goal and won a penalty for his team. His first league goal of the season came against Burnley in November.

Playing for Wigan Athletic

On 25 January 2012, Jean joined Premier League club Wigan Athletic. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. He played his first game on 31 January against Tottenham Hotspur. In his first home game against Everton, he was named man of the match. He played well as a left wing-back.

He helped Wigan reach the 2013 FA Cup Final. However, a hamstring injury meant he could not play in the final. Wigan went on to beat Manchester City 1–0 at Wembley Stadium, winning their first major trophy. Just days later, Wigan was relegated from the Premier League after losing to Arsenal. This was Jean's second relegation in a row from the Premier League.

He left Wigan Athletic in June 2014 when his contract ended.

Returning to Chile

Playing for Colo-Colo

Beausejour with Colo-Colo

After playing in the World Cup, Jean returned to Chile. He joined Colo-Colo, who were the league champions. He signed a two-year contract. He made his first game for Colo-Colo on 27 June against Deportes Iquique. Colo-Colo won 2–0.

On 31 August, Jean scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win. He scored his second goal on 14 September. He was then sent off for hitting another player and was suspended for two games. His first game back was the superclásico against Universidad de Chile. He scored his team's second goal in a 2–0 victory.

Colo-Colo had a tough start to the next season. But they ended a four-game losing streak with a 2–0 win against O'Higgins. Jean scored his first goal of that season in this game. He played most of the tournament as a full-back. Colo-Colo finished second in the league.

For the 2015–16 season, Jean returned to playing as a left winger. On 15 September, he scored his fifth goal for the club. This was his first goal of the 2015 Apertura season. Colo-Colo won 3–1 and had a perfect start to the league. Jean scored his second goal in a Chilean derby on 31 October. He opened the scoring with a header in Colo-Colo's 2–0 win over Universidad de Chile. On 6 December, he finally won a domestic league title with Colo-Colo. They won their 31st title.

Retirement from Football

On January 28, 2022, Jean announced he was retiring as a professional footballer. He had offers from other clubs, but he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Jean's International Career

Jean Beausejour played for Chile's under-23 and senior teams. He played for Chile in the 2004 South American Pre-Olympic Tournament. The team did not qualify for the Athens Olympics.

He made his senior debut in a friendly game against Mexico on 18 February 2004. He helped set up a goal in that 1–1 draw. He played two more games that year, but then did not play again until 2008. His first international goal was on 10 June 2009. It was in a 4–0 win against Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier.

Marcelo Bielsa chose Jean for Chile's squad for the 2010 World Cup. He scored the only goal in their first group match against Honduras on 16 June. This was Chile's first World Cup win since 1962. He played in all of Chile's games until they were knocked out by Brazil.

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification games, Jean and four teammates were temporarily removed from the national team. This happened in 2011 because they returned to training late. The football association suspended them for ten matches. However, Jean was called back to the squad after his suspension. He played most of the remaining World Cup qualification games.

Despite some doubts, Jean was included in the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In the first group match, he scored a goal from outside the box. This completed Chile's 3–1 victory over Australia. He became the first Chilean to score in two different World Cup tournaments.

Jean was part of Chile's 2015 Copa América team that won the tournament for the first time. He played the entire 120 minutes of the final. Chile beat Argentina 4–1 on penalties. He and his country won again the next year in the centenary edition. He played the full 120 minutes of the final against Argentina again. It ended in a draw, and Chile won the shootout 4–2. Jean was included in the Tournament Best XI.

The 2015 win qualified Chile for the 2017 Confederations Cup. Jean played in the first two group games. He also played in the semifinal, where Chile beat Portugal on penalties. He started in the final, which Chile lost 1–0 to Germany.

In a friendly game against Denmark on 27 March 2018, Jean and Arturo Vidal played their 100th games for Chile. They were the sixth and seventh players to reach this milestone for their country.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

International Goals Scores and results list Chile's tally first, score column indicates score after each Beausejour goal.

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1.	10 June 2009	Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago, Chile	Bolivia	1–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	16 June 2010	Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa	Honduras	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup
3.	29 March 2011	Kyocera Stadion, The Hague, Netherlands	Colombia	2–0	2–0	Friendly
4.	14 August 2013	Brøndby Stadium, Brøndbyvester, Denmark	Iraq	4–0	6–0
5.				5–0
6.	13 June 2014	Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil	Australia	3–1	3–1	2014 FIFA World Cup

Life After Football

In February 2022, Jean joined ESPN Chile. He became a football commentator and analyst. He also joined ADN Radio as a panelist for the show Los Tenores de ADN.

In December 2024, Jean Beausejour graduated as a football manager. He studied at the National Institute of Football, Sports and Physical Activity of Chile.

Awards and Trophies

Jean Beausejour won many titles during his career:

With Clubs

• Universidad Católica
  • Primera División de Chile: 2002 Apertura
• Grêmio
  • Série B: 2005
• Birmingham City
  • Football League Cup: 2010–11
• Wigan Athletic
  • FA Cup: 2012–13
• Colo-Colo
  • Primera División de Chile: 2015 Apertura
• Universidad de Chile
  • Primera División de Chile: 2017 Clausura
• Coquimbo Unido
  • Primera B de Chile: 2021

With Chile National Team

• Copa América: 2015, 2016
• FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2017

Individual Awards

• Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2016

Images for kids

• 

  Beausejour in a friendly match against England at Wembley Stadium in November 2013

See also

In Spanish: Jean Beausejour para niños