Jérémy Toulalan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jérémy Toulalan

Toulalan playing for Málaga in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1983-09-10) 10 September 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Nantes, France
Height	1.83 m
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1998–2001	Nantes
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2006	Nantes	94	(1)
2006–2011	Lyon	154	(0)
2011–2013	Málaga	44	(3)
2013–2016	Monaco	82	(1)
2016–2018	Bordeaux	51	(0)
Total		425	(5)
National team
2000-2001	France U17	9	(4)
2002-2003	France U19	7	(1)
2003–2006	France U21	19	(5)
2006–2010	France	36	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Jérémy Toulalan (born 10 September 1983) is a French former professional footballer. He mostly played as a defensive midfielder. Sometimes, he also played as a central defender. People knew him for being humble and having good skills. He was great at passing the ball simply and tackling effectively.

Toulalan started his career at his hometown club, Nantes. He played his first game in March 2002. His strong performances in the 2004–05 season earned him a special award. He was named the UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. He was also chosen for the Team of the Year. In May 2006, Toulalan joined Lyon. He signed a four-year contract there. He helped Lyon win two league titles in a row, in 2007 and 2008. In June 2011, he moved to Málaga in Spain.

Toulalan also played for the French national team. He played for both the senior team and several youth teams. He made his first senior international appearance in October 2006. He represented France in two big tournaments. These were UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Playing for Clubs

Starting at Nantes

Jérémy Toulalan was born in Nantes, France. He grew up playing football at the local Nantes youth academy. He made his first team debut in the 2001–02 season. This was against Rennes in the Derby Breton. He came on as a substitute in a 3–1 win. He also played one game in the UEFA Cup. After that, he went back to playing with the reserve team.

For the next two seasons, Toulalan did not play much with the first team. But in the 2004–05 season, he became a very important midfielder. During this season, he scored his only goal for Nantes. It was in a 2–0 win against Strasbourg. Because of his great play, he was named the UNFP Young Player of the Year. He was also picked for the league's Team of the Year. Even with his strong performances, Nantes finished just above the relegation zone. They were 17th in the league. He had another good season in 2005–06. After that, he decided to move to another club.

Time at Lyon

After the 2004–05 season, Lyon wanted Toulalan. Lyon had won the Ligue 1 title three times in a row. They offered €10 million for him, but Nantes said no. After the 2005–06 season, two Lyon players left. Mahamadou Diarra went to Real Madrid and Jérémy Clément joined Rangers. Lyon then tried even harder to sign Toulalan. They saw him as the perfect player to replace Diarra.

After one week of talks, Nantes agreed to sell him for €7 million on 17 May 2006. Toulalan signed a four-year deal. He was Lyon's first new player that summer. At Nantes, he wore the number 17 shirt. But Lyon had retired that number to honor Marc-Vivien Foé. So, Toulalan was given the number 28 shirt.

Toulalan played his first game for Lyon against his old club, Nantes. He played the whole game, and Lyon won 3–1. He was a key player that season. He helped Lyon win their sixth league title in a row. Toulalan played well in midfield with Brazilian Juninho, Swedish Kim Källström, and Portuguese Tiago. This strong midfield helped Lyon win the league by a huge 17-point lead.

Toulalan during a February 2010 interview.

For his play in the 2007–08 season, Toulalan was nominated for a big award. He was one of four players up for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award. This was impressive because he played in a defensive role. His teammate Karim Benzema won the award.

Other clubs noticed his great performances. After the season, English clubs Arsenal and Chelsea were very interested in Toulalan. They thought he could replace Patrick Vieira and Claude Makélélé. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger sent a scout to watch him many times. But Toulalan said he was happy at Lyon. On 7 March 2008, he proved this by signing a new contract. This deal kept him at Lyon until 2013. On 13 January 2010, Toulalan scored his first goal for Lyon. It was his second career goal overall. This happened in a Coupe de la Ligue match against Metz.

Moving to Málaga

On 11 June 2011, La Liga club Málaga and Lyon confirmed a transfer. Toulalan moved to Málaga for €10 million. He signed a four-year contract. On 28 November 2011, he scored the first goal with a header in a 2−1 home win against Villarreal. He was later sent off in that game. However, his suspension was later removed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

On 12 February 2012, he scored with a volley in a 3−1 home victory over Mallorca. He then scored his third league goal of the season on 3 March. This was in a 3−1 away win against Getafe. But on 21 March 2012, Toulalan got injured during training. He needed an operation and missed the rest of the season.

Playing for AS Monaco

On 6 July 2013, AS Monaco announced they had signed Toulalan from Málaga. He signed a two-year contract with them.

Playing for France

Toulalan started playing for France in 2000. He was first called up to the France under-17 squad. He also played for the under-18 team. Toulalan was part of the French team that played in the 2006 UEFA U-21 Championship. He helped France reach the semi-finals, where they lost to the Netherlands. He was even named in the Team of the Tournament.

Toulalan was first called up to the senior national team in 2006. This was for a Euro 2008 qualification match against the Faroe Islands. He started the game and played all 90 minutes. France won 5–0. Because of his good play for Lyon and the national team, he was chosen for the 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2008. France did not do as well as expected in the tournament. But Toulalan was one of the few French players who started all three group stage matches.

Toulalan became a regular player for the national team. He took over from other midfielders like Rio Mavuba and Alou Diarra. The manager at the time, Raymond Domenech, often said that Toulalan was the perfect player to replace Patrick Vieira when he retired from the national team. Toulalan was chosen by Domenech for the 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. However, France again did not meet expectations. They were knocked out in the group stage. They scored only one goal and earned just one point.

On 6 August 2010, Toulalan was one of five players called to a hearing. This was held by the French Football Federation Disciplinary Committee. It was about a strike the team held at the World Cup. On 17 August, he received a one-match ban from international games. This was because he admitted that his press officer helped the players write a letter explaining their strike.

Career Statistics

Club

Sources:

International

Source:

Awards and Trophies

Lyon

• Ligue 1: 2006–07, 2007–08
• Coupe de France: 2007–08
• Trophée des Champions: 2006, 2007

Individual

• UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2004–05
• UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2007–08

See also

In Spanish: Jérémy Toulalan para niños