Elliot Grandin (born 17 October 1987) is a French professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
Championnat National 3
The Championnat National 3, commonly referred to as simply National 3 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur 2, is a football league competition. The league serves as the fifth division of the French football league system behind ...
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...
. He notably played in the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
for
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
and previously in France for
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
,
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
and
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
. He also played for
CSKA Sofia
CSKA Sofia ( bg, ЦСКА София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sport ...
,
Astra Giurgiu
Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spent th ...
,
Ermis Aradippou
Ermis Aradippou () is a Cypriot professional football club based in Aradippou, a settlement on the outskirts of the city of Larnaca. The club was formed in 1958, and currently plays in the Cypriot Second Division. Ermis' greatest success came ...
JS Saint-Pierroise
Jeunesse Sportive Saint-Pierroise or JSSP is a French football club from Saint-Pierre, Réunion. Its most notable player is Roger Milla, from the Cameroon national football team.
Achievements
*Réunion Premier League: 21
::1956, 1957, 1959, 19 ...
, as well as stints back in England with
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building
* ...
,
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
and
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...
. Grandin has played for France at under-21 level.
Club career
Caen
Grandin began his career at his
hometown
Hometown, HomeTown, or Home Town may refer to:
*A hometown, the town where someone lives or the town that they come from, typically their place of birth.
*In developing nations particularly: native place, village of origin in newly urbanized soci ...
club,
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000, He made his debut for the first team in the 2004–05 season, making just one substitute appearance, on 28 May 2005 in a 3–2 defeat to
Istres
Istres (; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture.
Location
Istr ...
as Caen were relegated from
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
to
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...
. This turns out to be his only appearance of the season. In opening game of the 2005–06 season, Grandin started the season well when he scored his first goal for Caen, in a 3–2 loss against
Créteil
Créteil () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Cré ...
. Grandin scored his second goal of the season, in a 5–0 win against
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
in the first round of the Coupe de la Ligue on 22 September 2005. He once again scored against them for the second time this season, losing 2–1 on 15 September 2006. A month later on 10 February 2006, Grandin scored his third goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against
Sète
Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...
. The club finished fourth in Ligue 2, missing out on promotion to Ligue 1 on goal difference. With his playing time at SM Caen increased, he made a total of nineteen league appearances, scoring three goals (twenty–two appearances and scoring four times in all competitions).
In the 2006–07 season, Grandin scored his first goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against Créteil-Lusitanos on 7 November 2006. He then scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–2 win against
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
on 22 December 2006. Two weeks later on 7 January 2007, Grandin scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Valenciennes in the first round of the Coupe de France. As he became a first team regular at the club, Grandin was part of the Caen squad that finished as
runners-up
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
and won promotion to Ligue 1 after beating
Libourne
Libourne (; oc, label= Gascon, Liborna ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.
It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émil ...
2–1 in the last game of the season. At the start of the 2007–08 season, Grandin continued to be in the first team for the side despite finding his playing time, coming from the substitute bench. He then scored his first goal of the season, as well as, setting up one of the goals, in a 5–0 win against
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
on 24 November 2007. Grandin also scored two more goals, coming from
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Football in France, French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was est ...
matches against
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
and
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
. His performance attracted interest from
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
. By the time he departed from Caen, Grandin made a total of 55 league appearances for the club and scoring six goals.
Marseille
On 28 January 2008, midway through the 2007–08 season, Grandin joined
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
for
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
400,000. However upon leaving Caen, he was criticised by manager
Franck Dumas
Franck Dumas (born 9 January 1968) is a French football coach and former player who manages TP Mazembe. He played as a defender.
Playing career
Dumas was born in Bayeux, Calvados. He started his career at Stade Malherbe Caen and played there f ...
.
In his first match for the club against
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
in the last 16 of the Coupe de France, he made an assist for the second goal scored by
Mathieu Valbuena
Mathieu Valbuena (born 28 September 1984) is a French professional footballer who plays for Super League Greece club Olympiacos. He plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger and is known for his pace, technical ability, and tenacious style ...
, in a 3–1 win. Grandin's debut for Marseille came on 9 February 2008 against
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
and started the match, playing 89 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–0 win. On 17 May 2008, the last day of the season against
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
, he came on as a substitute after an injury to striker
Mamadou Niang
Mamadou Hamidou Niang (born 13 October 1979) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a striker. He has represented Senegal at international level, participating in the 2004, 2006, and 2008 African Cup of Nations. He is t ...
, and sent his pass set up to Nasri to score as Marseille won 4–3 and so qualified for the preliminary round of the Champions League. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Grandin made eight league appearances, most of them as a substitute.
In the 2008–09 season, Grandin was in the starting line-up in the first game of the season at
Rennes
Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...
, scoring Marseille's fourth goal in stoppage time, in a 4–4 draw. On 13 August 2008, he made his European debut in the
third qualifying round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
of the Champions League, in a single-goal victory at Norwegian side Brann. Four days later on 17 August 2008, Grandin scored his second goal for the club, in a 4–0 win against
Auxerre
Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
. In the return leg against Brann, he helped Marseille win 2–1 to advance to the next round of the UEFA Cup tournament. However, Grandin then fell out of favour into the plans of
Eric Gerets
Eric Maria Gerets (, born 18 May 1954) is a Belgian football manager and former player who played as a right back.
He started his playing career as an amateur for his local team AA Rekem, before achieving success with Standard Liège and PSV. ...
and lack of playing time in Marseille. As a result, he was linked a move away from the club in the January transfer window, with clubs, such as,
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
,
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
and Strasbourg were interested in signing him. By the time Grandin departed from Marseille, he made a further eight appearances, scoring twice.
Grandin joined fellow Ligue 1 side
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
on loan for five months on 30 January 2009. He made his debut on 7 February 2009, starting the whole game, in a goalless home draw with Valenciennes. Grandin became a first team regular for the club, rotating in playing either midfield and striker positions. He made a total of eight appearances before returning to Marseille at the end of the season. Having been told by new manager
Didier Deschamps
Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, E ...
of being in a new plan ahead of the new season, Grandin was linked a move away from Marseille, with
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (; nl, Standard Luik ; german: Standard Lüttich ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.
They are one of the most ...
,
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
and
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
interested in signing him in the summer transfer window. On 18 August 2009, it was reported by ''
L'Équipe
''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby football, rugby, motorsport, and cycle sport, ...
'' that he would go on trial in England with
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
five days later and that Stoke had first option on the player for around €1 million. After returning to France, Marseille released Grandin from his contract on 2 September. The club later called him as one of the worst signings.
CSKA Sofia
On 5 January 2010, Grandin was reportedly in negotiations with Romanian
Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
club
Rapid Bucharest
Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.
Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a '' cascade' ...
, and was believed to be about to sign for the club; however, on 20 January he signed an 18-month contract with Bulgarian
A PFG
The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
club
CSKA Sofia
CSKA Sofia ( bg, ЦСКА София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sport ...
, after they gave him an improved offer that gave him 30% of any future sale proceeds.
However, Grandin suffered a setback with an injury during the winter break and was sidelined for a month. He made his competitive debut for the club on 13 March 2010 against Sportist Svoge, scoring the opening goal and providing an assist in a 4–1 win. Grandin then scored his second goal for CSKA Sofia, in a 4–2 win against OFC Sliven on 10 April 2010. He scored two goals in two matches between 24 April 2010 and 2 May 2010 against
Slavia Sofia
PFC Slavia Sofia ( bg, ПФК Славия София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently competes in the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system, the First League. Slavia's home ground ...
and
Lokomotiv Sofia
Lokomotiv 1929 ( bg, Локомотив 1929) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently plays in the First League, the top tier of Bulgarian football.
Founded as Railway Sports Club in 1929, and refou ...
. Grandin became a first team regular for the club, and helped CSKA Sofia finish second. Despite missing a total of three matches later in the 2009–10 season, he made a total of ten league appearances and scoring four goals.
Ahead of the 2010–11 season, his performances attracted interests from clubs around Europe. But Grandin wanted to stay at CSKA Sofia, only to later to have a change of heart. He played in the opening match of the 2010–11 season, a 1–0 home defeat to local rivals
Levski Sofia
Levski Sofia ( bg, Левски София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 b ...
in the first Eternal derby of the season, on 1 August 2010. Four days later on 5 August 2010, Grandin played in a 2–1 win over
Northern Irish
Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...
IFA Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
side
Cliftonville
Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay.
The original Palm Bay estate was ...
at
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual rent ...
,
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, in the
Third qualifying round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
of the
2010–11 UEFA Europa League
The 2010–11 UEFA Europa League was the second season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 40th edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. It began on 1 July 2010, with ...
, in what turned out to be his last appearance for ''the Reds''.
Blackpool
On 11 August 2010, Grandin signed for newly promoted
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
on a two-year deal, with the option for a third year.
Three days after signing for the club, he made his debut as Blackpool made their bow in the Premier League and set up a goal for
Marlon Harewood
Marlon Anderson Harewood (born 25 August 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Harewood started his career at Nottingham Forest. During his career there, he had loan spells at Haka and Ipswich Town before j ...
, who scored twice in a 4–0 win over
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
at the
DW Stadium
The DW Stadium is a stadium in Robin Park, in Wigan, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The ground is owned and managed by Wigan Football Company Limited, which is 85% owned by Wigan Athletic and 15% owned ...
. Since joining the club, Grandin was involved in the first team, playing in the midfield position and spoke positively of manager
Ian Holloway
Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963) is an English professional football manager, former player, media personality and television pundit who was most recently the manager of Grimsby Town.
A midfielder, he notably played in the Premier League ...
's personality and tactics. He then played a role in two separate matches against
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
on 1 November 2010 and then against
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
on 27 November 2010 by assisting both matches that saw Blackpool earn a draw and win respectively. However, Grandin suffered a hamstring injury during a match against
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
on 28 December 2010 and was substituted in the 19th minute, as the club lost 2–0. But he made his return to the starting line–up against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
on 12 January 2011 and played 64 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–1 win. On 12 February 2011, Grandin scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 home draw with
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
. Shortly after, Grandin suffered a hamstring injury that saw him miss two matches. He then made his return to the starting line–up against
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
on 19 March 2011 and played 66 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–2 draw. However, Blackpool were relegated to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
after losing 4–2 against
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
in the last game of the season. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Grandin made twenty–four appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
In the 2011–12 season, Grandin made three starts for Blackpool, as the club earned six points in the first two league matches of the season. However, he suffered an injury on his toe that kept him out for four weeks. After missing 17 games through injury, Grandin made his return to the first team against
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
on 26 December 2011, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute, in a 3–1 win. Two weeks later on 14 January 2012, he scored his first goal of the season and later set up Blackpool's second goal of the game, in a 2–2 draw against
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
. In a follow–up match against Crystal Palace, Grandin scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 win. By the time he was loaned out to OGC Nice, Grandin went on to make seven appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
In the 2012–13 season, Grandin return to Blackpool after Nice failed to sign him on a permanent basis. Upon returning to the club, he switched number shirt to ten. Grandin made his first appearance of the season against
Morecambe
Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea.
Name
The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
in the first round of the League Cup on 12 August 2012, coming on as a second half substitute, in a 2–1 loss. A month later on 18 September 2012, he won a penalty and successfully converted the penalty himself, in a 4–1 win over
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
. Shortly after, Grandin was not included for the next five matches, after scoring his first goal, and trained with the club's development squad, as manager Holloway explained his reason for leaving out the player as being a bad attitude. In response, he said his intention was wanted to leave Blackpool and expressed his love of the city. Upon his returning to the squad, Grandin scored his first second goal of the season and set up the club's second goal of the game five minutes later, in a 2–2 draw against
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
on 22 October 2012. This was followed up by scoring his third goal of the game, in a 1–1 draw against
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
. However, the departure of Holloway led to the player's first team opportunities being reduced and appeared an unused substitute for the remainder of the matches played. At the end of the 2012–13 season, he went on to make thirteen appearances and scoring three times in all competitions. Following this, Grandin was released by the club.
Loan to Nice
Grandin returned to his native country by signing a season-long loan deal with
OGC Nice
Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur (), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. ...
on 28 January 2012. Upon joining the club, he said: "I have had great experiences abroad, in Bulgaria and in England, but I really wanted to come back to France. I felt like I didn't finish the job here. So when the Nice opportunity presented itself, I did everything to make it happen. It is a real challenge for me, I really want to help the club." It was later revealed that a family factor was the reason Grandin returned to his native country to resolve his problem there.
Grandin made his debut for OGC Nice, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 loss against his former club, Marseille on 1 February 2012. Three days later on 4 February 2012, he made his first league appearance in three years, starting a match and playing 63 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–1 draw against
Ajaccio
Ajaccio (, , ; French: ; it, Aiaccio or ; co, Aiacciu , locally: ; la, Adiacium) is a French commune, prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud, and head office of the ''Collectivité territoriale de Corse'' (capital city of Corsica). ...
. His involvement in the first team for the rest of the 2011–12 season saw him make thirteen appearances in all competitions. Following this, the club did not take up the option to make his move permanent and he returned to Blackpool.
Crystal Palace
In August 2013, Holloway's new club
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building
* ...
signed Grandin from Blackpool on a free transfer. He made his debut on 27 August, in a 2–1 defeat against
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
in the second round of the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. In January 2014, Grandin's contract was cancelled by mutual consent, under the management of
Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday.
Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him one ...
, without having made a
league
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
appearance.
Return to Blackpool
On 6 February 2014, Grandin returned to Blackpool on a deal until the end of the 2013–14 season after leaving Crystal Palace at the end of January. Following his return, he said moving back to the club felt like home and revealed that interim manager
Barry Ferguson
Barry Ferguson (born 2 February 1978) is a Scottish football coach, former player and pundit who was most recently the manager of Alloa Athletic.
Ferguson spent most of his playing career at Rangers, in two spells either side of a £7.5 mil ...
played a role of giving him a chance.
Grandin re-debuted for the club, where he came on for Ángel Martínez, in the 67th minute, as Blackpool and
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
drew 1–1 on 8 February 2014. Grandin then scored his first goal for the club, as Blackpool lost 2–1 to
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
on 5 April 2014. However, he found his first team opportunities limited and found his playing time, coming from the substitute bench. At the end of the 2013–14 season, Grandin went on to make seven appearances and scoring once in all competitions for his second spell at the club. Following this, Blackpool opted not to offer him a new contract. Following his departure from Blackpool, he was linked with a move to Championship clubs, including a return to Blackpool.
Later career
After leaving Blackpool, Grandin moved to Romania, where he joined
Astra Giurgiu
Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spent th ...
on 15 August 2014. Grandin made his debut for the club against Rapid Bucharest on 24 August 2014, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute and scored his first goal for Astra Giurgiu, in a 2–0 win. However, his first team opportunities at the club was limited and found his playing time, coming from the substitute bench. This was due to his struggles in settling in the country. As a result, Grandin found himself in a dispute with Astra Giurgi over an unpaid salary and left the club.
Grandin returned to England, signing for
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
in
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
on a short-term deal until the end of the season in February 2016. He was released without making a first team appearance.
After spending six months as a free agent and signing for Cypriots side
Ermis Aradippou
Ermis Aradippou () is a Cypriot professional football club based in Aradippou, a settlement on the outskirts of the city of Larnaca. The club was formed in 1958, and currently plays in the Cypriot Second Division. Ermis' greatest success came ...
, Grandin made his debut for the club, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute, in a 2–0 win against Karmiotissa on 15 January 2017. A month later on 18 February 2017, he scored his first goal for Ermis Aradippou, having come on as an 83rd-minute substitute, in a 4–0 win. In a follow–up match against
AEK Larnaca
AEK Larnaca FC ( el, AEK; for short Αθλητική Έvωση Κίτιον Λάρνακας , translit=''Athletiki Enosi Kition Larnakas'', "Athletic Union Kition of Larnaca") is a Cypriot professional football club based in Larnaca. The club ...
, Grandin set up two goals for the club, as they lost 3–2. He later scored two more goals for Ermis Aradippou, coming against Doxa Katokopias and
Ethnikos Achna
Ethnikos Achna Football Club ( el, Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Εθνικός Άχνας), commonly known as Ethnikos Achna, or simply Ethnikos, is a Cypriot football club based in the village of Achna. Founded in 1968, the club current ...
. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Grandin went on to make thirteen appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
After leaving Cyprus, Grandin returned to France with Fréjus Saint-Raphaël of the
Championnat National 2
The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue ...
(fourth tier) on 26 January 2018. He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win against Paulhan-Pézenas on 3 February 2018. At the end of the 2017–18 season, Grandin went on to make nine appearances in all competitions for Étoile Fréjus Saint-Raphaël. The following year, he moved to
JS Saint-Pierroise
Jeunesse Sportive Saint-Pierroise or JSSP is a French football club from Saint-Pierre, Réunion. Its most notable player is Roger Milla, from the Cameroon national football team.
Achievements
*Réunion Premier League: 21
::1956, 1957, 1959, 19 ...
of
Réunion
Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
, and was part of their team on 4 January 2020 that won 2–1 away to
Niort
Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the u ...
to become the second ''Outre-Mer'' club to reach the last 32 of the
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
, and first since
French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
n champions
ASC Le Geldar
Association Sportive et Culturelle Le Geldar is a football (soccer), football Club (organization), club of French Guiana, playing in the town of Kourou. They play in the French Guianese first division, the French Guiana Championnat National.
Achi ...
in 1989.
On 31 January 2020, the last day of the 2019–20 winter transfer period, Grandin returned to England joining
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
side
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...
until the end of the season to link up with former manager
Ian Holloway
Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963) is an English professional football manager, former player, media personality and television pundit who was most recently the manager of Grimsby Town.
A midfielder, he notably played in the Premier League ...
. He made his debut for the club, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
on 8 February 2020. Grandin made four more starts for Grimsby Town, playing in the centre–midfield position. However, the 2019–20 season came to a premature end, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
and the club finished fifteenth place. Having made five appearances for Grimsby Town, he was released by the club at the conclusion of the 2019–20 season.
International career
Grandin holds both French and Congolese nationalities.
In 2005, he was part of the French youth squad that won the Meridian Cup in Turkey. In May 2008, he was called to the France U21 squad for the first time. Grandin was called up to the France U20 squad for the
Toulon Tournament
The Toulon Tournament (officially the Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello) is a football (training match) tournament, which traditionally features invited national teams composed of youth players from U-17 to U-23 level. ...
but they were eliminated in the group stage. In August 2008, he was called up to the France U21 squad for the first time. Grandin scored on his U21 debut for the national side, in a 2–2 draw against Slovakia U21 on 19 August 2008. He went on to make three appearances, scoring one goal for France under-21s in 2008. However, Grandin failed to receive a call–up from the U21 national side for the rest of the year.
Career statistics
Honours
Caen
*
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...
UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup
The UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup was a football tournament that featured national teams from Europe and Africa among players under 18, and was part of the co-operation programme between UEFA and the Confederation of African Football, CAF.
Meridian Pro ...
:
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...