Clubs: FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, Toulouse FC, Valencia CF

• A speedy left-back, Mathieu made early progress at Sochaux, making his Ligue 1 debut at 18 and going on to make 86 top-flight appearances for the club plus another 14 in the UEFA Cup, scoring two goals, the first in a 4-0 win against Borussia Dortmund.

• A French League Cup winner in 2004, he left Sochaux, as a French Under-21 international, the following year for Toulouse, where he made his debut in a 1-0 victory over his former club.

• Spent four seasons at Toulouse, helping them to a third-place finish in 2006/07 but missing much of the following campaign with a foot injury; made 112 Ligue 1 appearances in total for Toulouse, scoring five goals.

• Joined Valencia on three-year contract in summer 2009, making his Liga debut against Sevilla FC (2-0) on 30 August and scoring his first goal in 2-1 win away to Athletic Club on 6 December.

• Installed as first-choice left-back at Mestalla in 2010/11, starting five of six UEFA Champions League group matches.