Jérémy Toulalan

Football player infobox
playername = Jeremy Toulalan


fullname = Jérémy Toulalan
height = height|m=1.83
nickname = La Toule
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1983|9|10
cityofbirth = Nantes
countryofbirth = France
currentclub = Lyon
clubnumber = 28
position = Defensive Midfielder
youthyears = 1998-2001
youthclubs = Nantes
years = 2001-2006
2006-
clubs = Nantes
Lyon
caps(goals) = 94 (1)
63 (0)
nationalyears = 2006-
nationalteam = France
nationalcaps(goals) = 19 (0)
pcupdate = August 10 2008
ntupdate = September 10 2008

Jérémy Toulalan (born 10 September 1983 in Nantes) is a French footballer who plays central midfielder for Olympique Lyonnais and the France national football team. He usually is a defensive midfielder.

Career

Toulalan is a sole product of the FC Nantes youth academy, making his first-team debut during the 2001-2002 season against Rennes. He would stay at his hometown club until the end of the 2005-2006 season, when he agreed a transfer to the Olympique Lyonnais, who had just won their seventh consecutive Ligue 1 title, for £4.75 million.

Since joining Lyon, Toulalan has been one of the their most consistent performers, and whilst perhaps naturally a more attacking player, he has taken over the holding role vacated by Mahamadou Diarra's transfer to Real Madrid with great success.

Toulalan was 3rd in the Ligue 1 2007-08 player of the year awards along with a place in the team of the season.

International career

Toulalan was a member of the French squad that participated in the 2006 UEFA U-21 Championship helping France reach the semi-finals before losing to the Netherlands. He was named in the Team of the Tournament as a left winger (to accommodate central midfielders Ismaïl Aissati and Rio Antonio Mavuba, also in that selection).

Toulalan has since become a regular selection of Raymond Domenech for the national team, surplanting Rio Mavuba, Alou Diarra, and Lassana Diarra as the eventual successor to Claude Makélélé.

Honours

*French Ligue 1 championship in 2007 and 2008 with Olympique Lyonnais.
*Coupe de France winner in 2008 with Olympique Lyonnais
*Trophée Des Champions in 2006 and 2007 with Olympique Lyonnais.

External links

* [http://www.fff.fr/servfff/historique/selec_joueurs.php?id=TOULALAN%20Jérémy FFF Appearance record]
* [http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=19909&cc=5901 ESPNsoccernet Profile]
* [http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=6552&pn=J%C3%A9r%C3%A9my_Toulalan Football Database Profile]
* [http://www.olweb.fr/index.php?lng=fr&j=1463&pid=201002 Olympique Lyonnais Official Website Profile]