A right-back by trade but also more than capable of filling a wide midfield role, Mathieu Debuchy impressed for LOSC Lille Métropole in their Ligue 1/Coupe de France double-winning campaign in 2010/11 and was rewarded with elevation to the French national side.

• Joined Lille as a schoolboy, spending a decade in the club's youth section before making his Ligue 1 debut on 31 January 2004 against FC Metz.

• Made the grade over the following two seasons, scoring seven goals as Lille finished second and third respectively in Ligue 1 to qualify for back-to-back UEFA Champions League campaigns.

• Starred in Lille's 1-0 win over Manchester United FC at the Stade de France in the 2005/06 group stage and helped the club reach the first knockout round in 2006/07 after recovering from a six-month lay-off with ligament damage to his right knee.

• His Lille career reached a pinnacle in 2010/11 when he played a leading role in the club's double triumph under coach Rudi Garcia, starting 35 of the 38 league games and scoring two goals.

• First called up to the national team by Laurent Blanc in August 2010, he had to wait until October 2011, and a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier against Albania, to make his debut for France; collected a second cap the following month in a 1-0 friendly victory over the United States and enjoyed a superb full debut in February 2012, setting up both goals in a 2-1 defeat of Germany.