A tall, imposing shot stopper whose candidacy for the position of third-choice goalkeeper in France's UEFA EURO 2012 squad was strengthened when he made his international debut against Poland in Warsaw in June 2011. Formerly with Olympique de Marseille, his stature has grown at FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

• A native of Provence, he joined Marseille's youth set-up before signing professional forms with the club.

• Had a brief, one-match spell in England with Crystal Palace FC in 2002, and after making his OM league debut on 2 November of that year against Montpellier Hérault SC, he suffered a serious injury that forced him to miss the entire 2003/04 campaign.

• Enjoyed an impressive season on loan in Ligue 2 at EA Guingamp and after returning to Marseille became first choice in 2006, replacing the legendary Fabien Barthez.

• A Ligue 1 ever-present in 2006/07 under coach Albert Emon, he lost out to Steve Mandanda following Eric Gerets' arrival as coach the following season and left in summer 2008 for Toulouse FC, where he excelled as the club finished fourth.

• Left Toulouse after just one season for Bordeaux, led by Laurent Blanc, where he usurped veteran Ulrich Ramé and made nine UEFA Champions League appearances in his first season as the Girondins reached the quarter-finals; included in France's 2010 FIFA World Cup squad − despite being uncapped − but forced to return home early through injury.

• Appeared in all but one of Bordeaux's 38 Ligue 1 fixtures in 2011/12, taking his total of top-flight outings for the club over 100 in the process.