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Mathieu Valbuena

Mathieu Valbuena (born 28 September 1984) is a French international footballer who plays for Marseille in Ligue 1. He plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger and is known for his pace, technical ability, and tenacious style of play. He is described by his former coach at Libourne Saint-Seurin Didier Tholot as "an explosive player who is capable of quickly taking two opponents out of the game to create space, above all due to his dribbling skills."

Due to his small stature, Valbuena is nicknamed le petit vélo, which translates to "the small bike". This is a play on Valbuena's size and the fact that Marseille's home ground is called the Stade Vélodrome.

On 13 May 2014, Valbuena was named in France's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was named in the starting line-up for the team's opening match against Honduras, making his tournament debut. In the second group fixture, he scored in a 5–2 defeat of Switzerland to help Les Bleus qualify for the knockout stage.

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France National Football Team 2014

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