Lists of ‘worst signings’ in the history of clubs are frequent on social networks, and when Real Madrid comes to play, the name of today’s protagonist is usually not missing: Julien Faubert.
Who was it?: A French midfielder from the 2000s and 2010s.
Why is he remembered?: Well, in Spain, due to his brief time at Real Madrid in 2009, where he barely played and left some memorable scenes like when he fell asleep on the bench during a game.
What happened to him?: He retired in 2020 in the ranks of Fréjus Saint-Raphaël in his country. After hanging up his boots, he qualified as a coach and is now a coach in the French Football Federation, specifically in one of its divisions, the Mediterranean, which covers the regions of the Côte d’Azur, Provence and the Alps, in the south of France.
Did you know that…?: He is of Martinican origin.
– Like Zidane, he went through Cannes and Girondins. He then made the jump to the Premier League to play for West Ham.
– He was loaned to Madrid in the winter market of the 2008/2009 season in exchange for 1.5 million euros.
– He played two games, both as a substitute: on February 7 in a Real Madrid vs Racing (1-0) and on March 14 in an Athletic vs Real Madrid (2-5), adding 54 minutes between both games.
– In addition to his limited participation in the game, Faubert is remembered for having been caught by the cameras asleep on the white bench during a match against Villarreal at the Madrigal. The player later said he was not asleep.
– On another occasion he did not show up to a Real Madrid training session because he thought he had the day off.
– He played only one match for the French national team: a friendly in August 2006 against Bosnia in Sarajevo. Curiously, he came out as a substitute (replacing Franck Ribéry) and scored a goal, the final 1-2.
– That day he played with number 10 on his back, thus becoming the first French player to wear it with the national team after Zidane’s retirement, just a few weeks before.
– He is married to an Algerian woman and converted to Islam.
– He has the name of Allah tattooed on his arm.
– He is 1.80 meters tall.
Biography, honors, statistics: Julien Alex Thomas Faubert was born on August 1, 1983 in Le Havre, France. He made his professional debut in 2002 at Cannes. In 2004 he signed for Girondins de Bordeaux and three years later he crossed the English Channel to play for West Ham United. In 2009 he was on loan at Real Madrid and returned to London shortly after. In 2012 he signed for Turkish side Elazigspor, and a year later he returned to Girondins. In 2016 he signed for Scottish club Kilmarnock and in 2017 for Inter Turku in Finland. In 2018 he had an experience at Borneo FC in Indonesia and in 2019 he signed for Fréjus Saint-Raphaël, where he retired in 2000. He has a League Cup and a French Cup with Girondins. He played a game with France and scored a goal.
See you tomorrow.
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