Mathieu Bodmer

Mathieu Bodmer

Personal information
Full name	Mathieu Bodmer
Date of birth	November 22, 1982 (1982-11-22) (age 28)
Place of birth	Évreux, France
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Paris Saint-Germain
Number	12
Youth career
1997–1998	Évreux FC
1998–2000	Caen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2003	Caen	80	(4)
2003–2007	Lille	135	(18)
2007–2010	Lyon	68	(7)
2010–	Paris Saint-Germain	42	(10)
National team‡
2008–	France	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 May 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11:59, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Mathieu Bodmer (born 22 November 1982 in Évreux, Eure) is a French footballer who currently plays for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C.. He usually plays as a central midfielder. He serves as president of amateur French club Évreux FC, located in his hometown.

Club career

Early career

Bodmer began his professional career at Évreux AC (now Évreux FC) at the age of 14. In 1998, he moved to SM Caen, a club in the second division of French football, where he made his debut in 2000. He played in 24 matches that season and by the end of the 2002–03 season, he had played in 79 matches for the club, scoring a total of four goals. His hard-working performances helped Caen keep a mid-table position in the league. Following the season, he joined first division club Lille OSC for €1 million.

Lille

The 2003–04 season served as an auspicious introduction to top league football, where Bodmer played against the likes of Michael Essien. He earned 33 appearances for the first-team in his debut season, scoring two goals; however, in the 2004–05 season, Lille enjoyed an impressive second-place finish giving them a place in the UEFA Champions League. They were considered minnows in that competition^{[citation needed]}, but Bodmer, as a holding midfielder, helped Lille achieve a draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

His impressive performances earned the interest of Arsène Wenger, manager of Arsenal, who had considered buying him in the spring of 2005,^[1] but he was rebuffed by Lille president Michel Seydoux. Periodically, he was linked with other big-name clubs, including Manchester United.^[2] He did sign a contract extension at Lille in December 2005, extending his stay at the club until 2011.

Lyon

On June 14, 2007, Lyon officially announced that they would be unveiling Kader Keïta and Bodmer to the media, the pair having already passed their medicals at the Stade Gerland.^[3] On June 16, 2007, Lyon confirmed the signing of Bodmer from Lille for a €6.5 million fee. Bodmer was given the number 5 shirt, previously worn by Caçapa.^[4][5] Bodmer made his Ligue 1 debut for Lyon in Lyon's second match day loss to Toulouse. He played the full 90 minutes. Bodmer scored his first goal on August 29, 2007 against Sochaux in Lyon's 2–1 win. It was the game winning goal.

In February 2008, he scored two goals in one league game for the first time of his career against F.C. Sochaux, in a 4-2 victory. Exactly one month later, he shone against Lyon's direct competitor for the league title, Bordeaux, again netting two goals in another 4-2 win. The second of those goals was particularly spectacular. Chesting down an aerial pass, Bodmer chipped the ball over his opponent Souleymane Diawara and again controlled it on his chest before firing acrobatically past goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé. Former Marseille midfielder Franck Sauzée, commenting the game as a TV pundit for Canal+, praised Bodmer for his technique and elegance.

In his successful first season in Lyon, the former Lille midfielder was part of a team that conquered a Ligue 1-Coupe de France double for the first time in the club's history. Unfortunately, it would turn out to be Bodmer's best season with the club. In the summer of 2008, Claude Puel, his former coach in Lille, was appointed as the new club manager. Puel did not fancy deploying his former protégé in midfield and preferred playing him in defence, where he was less efficient. After leaving the club, Bodmer admitted that the relationship between Puel and him was a tense one, and had been so ever since their days in Lille.

To make matters worse, between 2008 and 2010, Bodmer was plagued by injuries, another factor that made him unable to reproduce the fine form he had displayed in his first season with Les Gônes. Thus, he made just 31 league appearances during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, less than the 37 he had managed in 2007-2008. During those two seasons, Lyon failed to win any silverware.

PSG

On 30 June 2010 Paris Saint-Germain signed the French midfielder to a three-year deal from Ligue 1 rival Olympique Lyonnais for €3 million. Bodmer thus joined the club he had supported as a boy. Ironically, he would go on to score his first goal for his new colours against his former club, in a Coupe de la Ligue fixture.

Bodmer enjoyed a solid first season in the French capital. He was often deployed by his new coach Antoine Kombouaré in his favourite position: attacking midfielder behind the striker(s). In this position, he managed to showcase his skills and scored 10 goals in 42 appearances, all competitions included. This tally included a beautiful individual effort against former club and champions elect Lille at the Parc des Princes in May 2011. For the first time since 2007-08, Bodmer managed to make more than 20 league appearances in one season, being called to action during 28 league games in all.

Honours

Olympique Lyonnais

• Ligue 1 : 2007/08

• Coupe de France : 2008

Sources

1. ^ UEFA official website
2. ^ Sky Sports – "Bodmer still unsure of future"
3. ^ Présentation de Bodmer et Keïta samedi matin
4. ^ Bodmer et Keïta signent pour 4 ans
5. ^ Foot – L1 – Lyon – Keïta et Bodmer ont signé

External links

• Profile on olweb.fr

Persondata
Name	Bodmer, Mathieu
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1982-11-22
Place of birth	Évreux, France
Date of death
Place of death