Julien Alex Thomas Faubert (born 1 August 1983) is a professional footballer who represented both

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

internationally. He plays as a

right winger A midfielder is an 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 central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

midfielder A midfielder is an 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 central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. Faubert started his footballing career in France with

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

before moving to

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 prefect ...

. In 2007, he moved to England to play for West Ham. In 2009, he spent a short period on loan with Real Madrid before returning to West Ham for the beginning of the 2009–10 season. He has represented both France U21 and

, the latter on only one occasion, scoring one goal. In 2014, he made his international debut for

. He is nicknamed " '' Le TGV'' " or "''The Express Train''" from his time in French football.

Club career

Cannes and Bordeaux

Born in

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 ...

, Faubert enrolled in the

academy in 1998 and began his career as a

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

, but with his crossing ability quickly became a

as well as playing in a midfield role. He made his Cannes first team debut in the 2002–03 season. He steadily earned notoriety as an important member of the squad and eventually caught the eye of several Ligue 1 sides.

signed him in 2004, with whom he played in 96 league matches, as well as in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

West Ham United

On 23 June 2007, it was reported in French sports newspaper ''

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, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor w ...

'' that Faubert was on the verge of a €6.5 million (£4.3 million) transfer to Rangers. On 1 July, however, he was signed by

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

for £6.1 million on a five-year contract. He suffered a ruptured

achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...

during a pre-season friendly on 17 July against Czech side Sigma Olomouc, which was expected to take six months to heal. As part of his comeback, Faubert turned out for the reserves against Aston Villa's reserve team in January 2008. He finally made his first team debut for the Hammers as a late substitute against Fulham at

Boleyn Ground The Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium located in Upton Park, east London. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s during their years ...

on 12 January 2008. His first season in English football was marked by continuing injury and he made only eight appearances in the league and

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

On loan to Real Madrid

Faubert was given permission to speak to Real Madrid on 30 January 2009, with the move being completed on 31 January when he signed on

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

until the end of the 2008–09 season for a reported fee of £1.5 million with an option for Real to purchase him on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Faubert made his Real Madrid debut on 7 February 2009 in a 1–0 win against

Racing de Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league syst ...

. During his loan with Real Madrid, he missed training when he mistakenly thought he had the day off. His loan spell finished with only two appearances.

Return to West Ham

Faubert enjoyed a fine start to the 2009–10 season, helping the Hammers to victories over

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

and

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...

and an impressive goalless draw at

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. Th ...

. The 2009–10 season saw a change in fortunes for the Frenchman. He turned in several impressive performances, particularly in the second half of the season. He set up Carlton Cole with a measured cross for the second goal in a 2–0 win against

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, 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. Sin ...

. Faubert scored his first goal for the club on his 50th league game for the claret and blue against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...

on 20 February 2010. He also added an assist in that game, producing a through ball, which Carlton Cole latched on to and dispatched accordingly. His sublime cross set up

Ilan Ilan may refer to: Organization * ILAN, Israeli umbrella organization for the treatment of disabled children Given name * Ilan (name), a Hebrew/Israeli name * Ilan Bakhar, a retired Israeli footballer * Ilan Araújo Dall'Igna, a Brazilian footbal ...

for an equalising goal against Everton on 4 April 2010. ''The Hammers'' were experiencing a poor run of form at the time. Faubert capped an accomplished season by winning the best 'Performance Of The Season' for his match-winning display against Hull. He was also awarded the SBOBET Player of the Month for August. The 2010–11 season proved less successful for Faubert. He started the season playing on the right wing, reverting to right-back. On the last day of the summer 2011 transfer window, the Hammers recruited Blackburn Rovers full-back Lars Jacobsen who was preferred throughout the majority of the season. After the turn of the year, Faubert was in and out of the side. He did not help his chances of being selected when he left the stadium after learning he was not in the squad to face Birmingham City. At the start of the 2011–12 season, Faubert was expected to leave the club after their relegation 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 ...

. A tight hamstring ruled him out of the opening two games of the season but he made his first appearance on 16 August in an away match against

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

. Faubert came on as a 72-minute substitute, providing the assist for Scott Parker's goal to make it 4–0. During the rest of the season, he was West Ham's first choice right back and played a full part in West Ham's subsequent promotion. In May 2012, Faubert was released by West Ham due to the expiry of his contract. He played 121 games in all competitions for West Ham, scoring twice.

Elazığspor

On 27 June 2012, Faubert was officially signed by

Elazığspor Elazığspor is a Turkish professional football club located in Elazığ and currently competes in the TFF Third League. They previously played their home games at Elazığ Atatürk Stadium in Elazığ, which had a maximum capacity of 13,923. T ...

of the Turkish

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

on a three-year contract.

Return to Bordeaux

After being released by Elazığspor, Faubert signed for his old club Bordeaux as a free agent on the transfer deadline day in January 2013, signing a contract that would keep him there until the end of the 2012–13 season. He was given squad number 22 due to his old number 18 was occupied by Jaroslav Plašil. Prior the move, Faubert asked his old club to train to maintain his fitness. Faubert made his first appearance at Bordeaux, coming on as a late substitute, as Bordeaux won 2–0 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 ...

. On 4 December 2013, Faubert scored in a 1–0 win over

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Gui ...

Kilmarnock

After a trial period with St Johnstone during February 2016, Faubert signed for Kilmarnock until the end of the 2015–16 season. On 23 May 2016, he was one of six players released at the end of their contract.

Inter Turku

Faubert signed for Finnish Veikkausliiga side

FC Inter Turku Football Club International Turku, commonly referred to as Inter Turku and colloquially known as Inter, is a professional football club based in Turku, Finland, that competes in the Veikkausliiga, the top flight of Finnish Football. Founded in 1 ...

on a one-year contract on 17 January 2017.

Borneo

In January 2018, Faubert signed for

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n club

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

in time for the 2018 Liga 1 season. In July 2018, Faubert was released by Borneo.

Étoile Fréjus Saint-Raphaël

In June 2019, Faubert accepted the role of player-assistant manager of

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, Ligu ...

club Étoile Fréjus Saint-Raphaël. He departed the role in January 2020.

International career

Faubert made his debut for

on 16 August 2006 against

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. He wore the number 10 shirt, the first player to do so for France since the retirement of Zinedine Zidane. He marked his first match by scoring in the final minute of the game to ensure France won 2–1. Despite never receiving another call-up since then, Faubert has frequently stated his desire to return to the international scene with France. In an interview with ''L'Équipe'' published on 24 December 2009, Faubert said that he was approached by the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) about representing the country due to his wife being

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n. He said he would consider the option if he fails to get recalled by ''Les Bleus''. Two days later, however, Algerian head coach Rabah Saadane denied that the FAF had made any contact with Faubert. In October 2014, Faubert made his international debut for

. Playing a

2014 Caribbean Cup qualification The 2014 Caribbean Cup qualification began in May 2014 and ended in October 2014. The qualification competition determined which national teams could play in the 2014 Caribbean Cup which in turn determined which teams participated in the 2015 CONC ...

game against Curaçao, Faubert scored in a 1–1 draw, netting two braces in the following matches against Guadeloupe and

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea w ...

Personal life

Faubert is of Martiniquais descent and is married to a woman of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n descent. He is a devout Muslim, having converted to his wife's faith. He has the word " Allah" tattooed on his forearm.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals for France

:''Scores and results list France's goal tally first.''

International goals for Martinique

:''Scores and results list Martinique's goal tally first.''

Honours

Bordeaux * Coupe de la Ligue: 2006–07 *

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 ...

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

West Ham United * Football League Championship play-offs:

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

References

External links

*
Julien Faubert – French league stats
at lfp.fr
What happened to Julien Faubert?
a
Realmadridnews.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faubert, Julien 1983 births Living people Footballers from Le Havre French footballers French expatriate footballers French expatriate sportspeople in Spain France under-21 international footballers France international footballers Martiniquais footballers Martinique international footballers AS Cannes players FC Girondins de Bordeaux players West Ham United F.C. players Real Madrid CF players Elazığspor footballers Kilmarnock F.C. players FC Inter Turku players Borneo F.C. players ÉFC Fréjus Saint-Raphaël players Ligue 1 players Premier League players English Football League players La Liga players Süper Lig players Scottish Professional Football League players Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in England French people of Martiniquais descent Expatriate footballers in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Scotland Expatriate footballers in Finland Expatriate footballers in Indonesia Converts to Islam French Muslims Dual internationalists (football) 2014 Caribbean Cup players Association football wingers Association football fullbacks Veikkausliiga players Championnat National players Championnat National 2 players Liga 1 (Indonesia) players