Jean-François Grimaldi (born 14 July 1988) 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 lea ...

who plays for Gallia Lucciana in the

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 ...

Club career

Born in

Bastia Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest popu ...

, Grimaldi started his career with his hometown club

SC Bastia Sporting Club Bastia (, commonly referred to as SC Bastia or simply Bastia) is a French professional association football, football club based in Bastia on the island of Corsica. The club plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of Football in France, ...

, at the time a

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...

club. In 2009, he was called up by

Bernard Casoni Bernard René Michel Casoni (born 4 September 1961) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a defender. In his playing career he played for Olympique Marseille and France at Euro 1992. Career Managerial career ...

and made his debut in a 2–0 loss to

Dijon FCO Dijon Football Côte d'Or (; ), commonly referred to as Dijon FCO or simply as Dijon, is a French Football in France, football club based in Dijon. The club was founded in 1998 as a result of a merger between two local clubs in the city, and co ...

. He left the club at the end of the season, joining fourth-division club

Sporting Toulon Var Sporting Club Toulon is a association football, football club from Toulon, France, that plays in the Championnat National 2, the fourth tier of the French football league system. The club was founded in 1944 and played under that name until ...

. Only a year after, he returned to Bastia, this time with

CA Bastia Cercle Athlétique Bastiais or CA Bastia was a French football club from Bastia, Corsica. The team's highest point was playing in Ligue 2, the second tier of the French football league system, in 2013–14. Their historic home stadium was the ...

. In three years, Grimaldi helped his new club gain promotion from the fourth tier to the second level of French football. When

merged with Borgo FC in 2017, Grimaldi remained at the newly formed club,

FC Bastia-Borgo Football Club Borgo is a French football club based in Borgo, Haute-Corse on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in July 2017 by the merger of CA Bastia and Borgo FC. As of the 2024–25 season, Borgo competes in the Championnat Nati ...

International career

In January 2008 he was called up for a training camp with the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

under-21

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

team for a 4-day camp. Grimaldi, born in

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

, is eligible to the unofficial Corsica national team and played his first game in 2009, against Congo in a 1-1 draw in

Ajaccio Ajaccio (, , ; French language, French: ; or ; , locally: ; ) is the capital and largest city of Corsica, France. It forms a communes of France, French commune, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Corse-du-Sud, and head o ...

References

External links

* * 1988 births Living people Corsica men's international footballers Footballers from Bastia French men's footballers French men's futsal players Men's association football midfielders Ligue 2 players Championnat National players Championnat National 2 players Championnat National 3 players SC Bastia players SC Toulon players CA Bastia players FC Borgo players 21st-century French sportsmen {{france-footy-midfielder-1980s-stub