Mathieu Bodmer (born 22 November 1982) is a French retired 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 ...
who played as a
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 ...
.
A former French youth international, he is known for his technique, playmaking skills and striking ability.
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
Stade Malherbe Caen
Stade Malherbe Caen (; commonly known as SM Caen, SMC, or simply Caen) is a French professional football team, based in the city of Caen in Normandy, that competes in the Ligue 2. The club was founded on 17 November 1913 by the merger of ''C ...
, a club in the
second division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
of
French football
Association football is the most popular sport in France. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the cou ...
, 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
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,[Lille OSC
Lille Olympique Sporting Club (), commonly referred to as LOSC, LOSC Lille or simply Lille, is a French professional football club based in Lille, Hauts-de-France that competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football. Lille has played its ...]
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
Michael Kojo Essien (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder and is currently a member of Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland, Nordsjælland's coaching staff. He was ...
. 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
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 competit ...
. They were considered
minnow
Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens.
Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are co ...
s in that competition, but Bodmer, as a
holding 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 ...
, helped Lille achieve a draw 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 ...
at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
.
His impressive performances earned the interest of
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...
, manager of
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, who had considered buying him in the spring of 2005, but he was rebuffed by Lille president
Michel Seydoux
Michel Seydoux (; born 11 September 1947) is a French businessman and film producer. He is also the former president and chairman of French professional football club Lille OSC.
In 1975-1976, Seydoux worked with director Alejandro Jodorowsky ...
. Periodically, he was linked with other big-name clubs, including Manchester United. He did sign a contract extension at Lille in December 2005, extending his stay at the club until 2011. Despite signing a new contract, Bodmar does admit that he had interests playing in The Premiership in the future. In the
2006–07 Champions League at the group stage, Bodmer provided two assists for
Peter Odemwingie
Peter Osaze Odemwingie (born 15 July 1981) is a retired Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward and winger.
Odemwingie grew up in Uzbekistan and Russia and began his career with Bendel Insurance in the Nigeria Premier League. ...
and
Kader Keïta Kader may refer to:
* ''Kader'' (film), a 2006 Turkish drama film
*Kader Group, a toy manufacturer of Hong Kong
People with the given name
* Kader Abdolah (born 1954), Iranian-Dutch writer, poet and columnist.
*Kader Asmal (1934–2011), South Af ...
to score in a 2–0 win over the seven times UEFA Champion League winner
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...
on 6 December 2006.
Lyon
![Mathieu bodmer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Mathieu_bodmer.jpg)
On 14 June 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
The Stade de Gerland (known for sponsorship reasons as Matmut Stadium de Gerland and otherwise known as Municipal de Gerland or Stade Gerland ) is a stadium in the city of Lyon, France, which serves as home to Top 14 rugby club Lyon OU. It has a ...
. On 16 June 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
Cláudio Roberto da Silva (born 29 May 1976), commonly known as Cláudio Caçapa or simply Caçapa (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Having made his senior debut in 1996 for Atlético Mineiro, Ca ...
. Bodmer made his Ligue 1 debut for Lyon in Lyon's second match day loss to
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 ...
. He played the full 90 minutes. Bodmer scored his first goal on 29 August 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
Sochaux
Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.
Geography
Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris.
Population
Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''.
Economy
S ...
, in a 4–2 victory. Exactly one month later, he shone against Lyon's direct competitor for the league title,
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 ...
, 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
Souleymane Diawara (born 24 December 1978) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a defender. He spent most of his career in France, playing for Le Havre, Sochaux, Bordeaux, Marseille and OGC Nice, apart from a brief stint ...
and again controlled it on his chest before firing acrobatically past goalkeeper
Ulrich Ramé
Ulrich Jean Eugène Ramé (born 19 September 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
In a professional career which spanned two decades, he played mainly for Bordeaux (14 seasons), appearing in more than 500 ...
. Former
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 ...
midfielder
Franck Sauzée
Franck Gaston Henri Sauzée (born 28 October 1965) is a French former professional footballer and manager. He played 39 times for the France national team between 1988 and 1993, scoring nine goals and captaining the team several times. He achiev ...
, commenting the game as a TV pundit for
Canal+
Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...
, 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
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 ...
-
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 ...
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
Claude Jacques Puel (; born 2 September 1961) is a French football manager and former player. He spent his entire playing career with Monaco, before becoming manager of the club, leading them to the league title in his first full season in char ...
, 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 2007–08. During those two seasons, Lyon failed to win any silverware. In the
2009–10 Champions League quarter final, Bodmer provided his first assist for Lyon in the Champions League to allow striker
Lisandro López to score the first goal in the game against French side Bordeaux in the 3–1 win and also played in the second leg which they lost 1–0. Lyon managed to win 3–2 on aggregate to go through to the semi-final the first time after three previous quarter-final appearances in the Champions League. Unfortunately, Lyon didn't reach to the final after losing to
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
.
PSG
On 30 June 2010,
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
signed the French midfielder to a three-year deal from Ligue 1 rival
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a men and women's French professional football club based in Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The men play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. Founded in 1950, th ...
for €2.5 million plus €1.5 million variables and becoming PSG first signing of the summer. 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
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 ...
fixture.
Bodmer made his debut in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt as PSG won 2–1 against
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the t ...
on 8 August 2010. Bodmer scored his first goal for PSG in a 3–1 victory over
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
on 5 December 2010. Bodmer enjoyed a solid first season in the French capital. He was often deployed by his new coach
Antoine Kombouaré
Antoine Krilone Kombouaré (; born 16 November 1963) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Nantes.
Playing career
Born in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, Kombouaré bega ...
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
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
at the
Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
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.
In his second season, Paris Saint-Germain change it ownership with the arrival of Qatar Investment Authority and
Leonardo Araújo
Leonardo Nascimento de Araújo (born 5 September 1969), known as Leonardo Araújo or simply Leonardo, is a Brazilian football executive and former player and manager. He last served as the sporting director of Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain ...
. Bodmer scored the only goal in the game with a 1–0 win over
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the t ...
on 21 December 2011, putting PSG in the top of the table. Bodmer still continued to player under coach Kombouaré despite new signing until on 30 December 2011 Kombouaré was sacked and was replaced by
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti , (born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Real Madrid. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Ancelotti is the most decorated manager ...
. Under Ancelotti, Bodmer was a regular starter and was appointed vice-captain (taking over from
Ceará
Ceará (, pronounced locally as or ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is the eighth-largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the ...
. Bodmer became captain in occasion while
Mamadou Sakho
Mamadou Sakho (born 13 February 1990) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Ligue 1 club Montpellier.
Sakho began his career at Paris FC before moving to Paris Saint-Germain's youth system in 2002. In October 200 ...
was absent. In the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
, Bodmer scored two goals against
Red Bull Salzburg and
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...
respectively but Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated from the group stage. In 2012, Bodmer revealed he wants Paris Saint-Germain to offer him a new long-term deal or he will leave in the summer as his contract set to end in June 2013 and worried about what his future could be if he lets his contract run down. Later in the season, PSG was second place in table behind
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
.
Saint-Étienne (loan)
The following season, Bodmer featured less often at PSG behind midfielders
Blaise Matuidi
Blaise Matuidi (born 9 April 1987) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He most notably played for Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and the France national team.
Matuidi began his football career playing for ...
and
Thiago Motta
Thiago Motta (; ; born 28 August 1982) is a professional football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of club Bologna.
A midfielder, Motta spent his early career at Barcelona, where he was injury-prone. He played two and ...
, and made fewer appearances for PSG. On the last day of the transfer window, Bodmer joined
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the t ...
on loan for the rest of the season. Bodmer scored his first goal, on 9 February 2013, in a 4–1 win over
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
, and it was his first goal in two years.
Nice
On 11 September 2013,
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
announced that Bodmer was allowed to leave the club, he subsequently joined fellow
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 ...
side
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. ...
, he was given the number 24 shirt. Bodmer debuted on 15 September 2013, against
Lille OSC
Lille Olympique Sporting Club (), commonly referred to as LOSC, LOSC Lille or simply Lille, is a French professional football club based in Lille, Hauts-de-France that competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football. Lille has played its ...
, winning 2–0.
After club captain
Didier Digard
Didier Frédéric Thierry Digard (born 12 July 1986) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Championnat National 3 side Nice B and who is the currently caretaker manager Ligue 1 club of Nice. As a ...
left for
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...
on a free transfer at the end of the 2014–15 season, Mendy was named captain.
Bodmer was released by Nice on 9 January 2017. The club were unable to guarantee Bodmer the game time he wanted in the second half of the 2016–17 Ligue 1 season and this led to the pair agreeing to a mutual termination.
International career
Bodmer was called up to the senior
France team in March 2008 but was ultimately never capped at that level.
Later career
Between 2009-2013, Bodmer served as president of amateur French club
Évreux FC 27
Évreux Football Club 27 is a French association football club founded in 2009. They are based in Évreux, Normandy and are currently playing in the Championnat National 3, the fifth tier of the French football league system. They play at the Sta ...
, located in his hometown. Due to his good commitment as a president of Évreux FC, Bodmer was awarded a Social engagement and citizen of the professional player.
After his retirement in 2020, Bodmer worked as a
pundit
A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport).
Origins
The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...
for
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
and
RMC. In June 2022, Bodmer was hired as sporting director for
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 ...
club
Le Havre AC
Le Havre Athletic Club (; commonly referred to as Le Havre) is a French association football club based in Le Havre, Normandy. The club was founded as an athletics and rugby club in 1872, making Le Havre AC the oldest professional French foo ...
.
Honours
Lille
*
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foot ...
:
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
Lyon
*
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 ...
:
2007–08
*
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 ...
:
2007–08
*
Trophée des Champions
The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries.
His ...
:
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
Saint-Étienne
*
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 ...
:
2012–13
Sources
External links
Profileon olweb.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodmer, Mathieu
1982 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Évreux
Footballers from Eure
French men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Stade Malherbe Caen players
Lille OSC players
Olympique Lyonnais players
Paris Saint-Germain F.C. players
AS Saint-Étienne players
OGC Nice players
En Avant Guingamp players
Amiens SC players
Ligue 1 players
Ligue 2 players
France men's B international footballers
Le Havre AC non-playing staff