Gabriel Obertan

Gabriel Obertan

Obertan playing for Newcastle United in 2012
Personal information
Full name Gabriel Antoine Obertan[1]
Date of birth (1989-02-26) 26 February 1989[2]
Place of birth Pantin, France
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Playing position Winger
Youth career
1997–2002 Paris-Pantin
2002–2003 Paris
2003–2004 Paris-Saint Germain
2004–2005 INF Clairefontaine
2005–2006 Bordeaux
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2006–2009 Bordeaux 54 (3)
2009 → Lorient (loan) 15 (1)
2009–2011 Manchester United 14 (0)
2011–2016 Newcastle United 53 (2)
National team‡
2004–2005 France U16 10 (1)
2005–2006 France U17 15 (3)
2006–2007 France U18 9 (1)
2007–2008 France U19 4 (3)
2009–2010 France U21 11 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 November 2015.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2010

Gabriel Antoine Obertan (born 26 February 1989) is a French professional footballer who last played for English club Newcastle United. He plays primarily as a winger, but can also play attacking midfield and as a striker.

A former attendee of the famous Clairefontaine academy, Obertan began his professional career playing for Bordeaux in France. He then joined Manchester United in July 2009 for an undisclosed fee, before signing for Newcastle United for another undisclosed fee in August 2011. Obertan was released by Newcastle late April 2016

Obertan has represented his country at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 level but is yet to earn his senior debut.

Club career

Early career

Obertan was born in Pantin, France[2] and began his career playing for his local club Paris-Pantin before moving to a higher level joining Paris FC in 2002. After spending a year there, he did what most youths at Paris FC often do and joined Paris-Saint Germain. Following another year of training, he moved to the famed Clairefontaine academy in order to further his development.[3] It was here where he was first spotted by Bordeaux scouts and after one year at Clairefontaine, he moved to Bordeaux to begin training with them.[4]

Bordeaux

After spending only a year in the reserves, in the 2006–07 season Obertan signed his first professional contract where he was given the number 26 shirt for the senior squad, signing a three-year contract.[5] On 30 September 2006, at the age of 17 he made his professional debut, playing the last 15 minutes of a 2–0 defeat to Valenciennes.[6] He scored his first goal on 22 April 2007 against Saint-Étienne in a 2–0 away league victory, netting during injury time to seal the win.[7] He made 17 league appearances and a total of 23 matches scoring one goal during his debut season.[8]

The following season, he signed a contract extension[9] and his playing time increased to 37 matches and three goals, though he was still limited to mostly substitute appearances.[10] For the first half of the 2008–09 season, his play was limited again, though he impressed as he scored a brace in Bordeaux's 4–2 win over Guingamp in the Coupe de la Ligue on 11 November 2008.[11] With Bordeaux contending for a title and Obertan not likely to receive playing time, Blanc decided to loan him out to fellow Ligue 1 side Lorient for the rest of the season, where Blanc believed the player would receive more playing time.[12]

Obertan scored his first goal for Lorient on 24 January 2009, netting the first in a 2–1 home win over Tours in the Coupe de France campaign.[13] Obertan netted his only league goal for Lorient in a 3–1 away win over Grenoble on 4 April.[14] During his loan spell at Lorient, Obertan made a total of 17 appearances scoring two goals.[15]

Manchester United

Obertan playing for Manchester United in 2009

On 6 July 2009, French newspaper L'Equipe announced that Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud had reached an agreement with English club Manchester United for the transfer of Obertan with Triaud stating that an agreement had been reached several weeks ago and that the player had agreed contract terms.[16] The following day, Obertan successfully passed his medical in Manchester[17] and, on 8 July, signed his contract officially making him a Manchester United player.[18] The transfer fee was undisclosed, but is believed to be in the region of £3 million,[19] with Obertan joining the club on a four-year deal.[20]

Following three games for the Manchester United reserve team, including a 3–0 win over Oldham Athletic on his debut,[21][22] Obertan made his senior debut in the club's 2–0 away win over Barnsley in the League Cup fourth round on 27 October.[23] He made his Premier League debut for Manchester United on 31 October, coming on as a substitute in the 2–0 win over Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford.[24] His Champions League debut came that same week, replacing Federico Macheda in the 82nd minute in the 3–3 home draw against CSKA Moscow on 3 November 2009.[25] On 8 December, Obertan set up the second of Michael Owen's hat-trick in a 3–1 away victory at Wolfsburg in the Champions League, taking on 3 players before teeing Owen up for a simple tap-in.[26] On 15 December, Obertan made his first league start for United, being replaced in the 71st minute by Danny Welbeck in a 3–0 home win over Wolves.[27]

Obertan scored his first goal for United in a 1–0 win over Philadelphia Union on 21 July 2010 on the club's pre-season tour of North America.[28] Just one week later Obertan was forced to miss the start of the new season as he was injured midway through the first half during United's 5–2 victory in the 2010 MLS All-Star Game.[29] On 22 September, Obertan made his return from injury, replacing Javier Hernández in the 68th minute of United's 5–2 away League Cup win over Scunthorpe United.[30] Obertan's first official goal for United came on 2 November, netting the second of a 3–0 away win over Bursaspor in the Champions League, this also being Obertan's first European goal.[31]

Newcastle United

Obertan signed for Premier League club Newcastle United on a five-year contract on 9 August 2011, for an undisclosed fee believed to be approximately £3 million.[32][33] He made his debut on 13 August as a half-time substitute at home to Arsenal.[34] On 26 November 2011, Obertan returned to Old Trafford with Newcastle in a fixture against Manchester United in a 1–1 draw.[35] After failing to make a significant impression in the first half of the season, Obertan lost his place in the starting 11 to fellow Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa. He scored his first goal for Newcastle on 1 February 2012, slotting in a Peter Løvenkrands through ball in the 2–0 victory against Blackburn Rovers after coming on as a sub just four minutes before.[36] Obertan scored his first goal of the 2012–13 season with a low drive against Belgian side Club Brugge in the Europa League on 25 October. Obertan scored his first goal at St James' Park for Newcastle on October 18, 2014 with the winner against Leicester City F.C.

On 5 May 2016, Newcastle United announced that Obertan and team-mate Sylvain Marveaux had been released.[37]

International career

Obertan has been active with France on the youth level. He has received caps with the under-16s, under-17s, under-18s, and the under-19s. With the under-16s, Obertan made 10 appearances scoring only one goal. The following season, he played with the under-17s making 12 appearances and scoring three goals. Despite appearing alongside players like David N'Gog, Moussa Sissoko, Adel Taarabt, and Grégory Sertic, Obertan and the team failed to qualify for the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, due to their second-place finish in the Elite Round. With the under-18s, Obertan made 9 total appearances, but failed to get on the scoresheet. He rarely played with the under-19 team making just 2 appearances and scoring his lone goal against Sweden in a 2–1 victory during the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship elite qualification round.[38]

Obertan earned his first cap with the under-21 team on 11 February 2009 against Tunisia. On 31 March 2009, he scored his first under-21 goal against the England under-21s in a friendly at the City Ground in Nottingham.[39]

Career statistics

Obertan playing for Bordeaux in 2007
As of match played 24 May 2015[40][41][42]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other[nb 1] Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bordeaux 2006–07 17110104000231
2007–08 26230117000373
2008–09 11010125010192
Total 543503316010796
Lorient (loan) 2008–09 1512100––172
Total 15121000000172
Manchester United 2009–10 7010203000130
2010–11 7020303100151
Total 14030506100281
Newcastle United 2011–12 2310020––251
2012–13 140101081–241
2013–14 30101000–50
2014–15 131003000–161
Total 53220708100693
Career total 13761211533021019312

Honours

Club

Bordeaux

Notes

  1. ↑ Includes other competitive competitions, including the Trophée des champions, FA Community Shield

References

  1. ↑ "Barclays Premier League: Notification of Shirt Numbers" (PDF). Premier League. p. 14. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 313. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. ↑ "INF, formateur de talents" (in French). FFF. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  4. ↑ "Gabriel Obertan - ManUtd.com Profile". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). 26 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  5. ↑ Lofdahl, Jake (7 July 2009). "Gabriel Obertan profile: 10 things you need to know about the Manchester United target". MirrorFootball.co.uk (Mirror Football). Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  6. ↑ "Match Stats Valenciennes FC - Girondins de Bordeaux". ligue1.com (Ligue 1). 30 September 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2006.
  7. ↑ "Match Stats AS Saint-Etienne - Girondins de Bordeaux". ligue1.com (Ligue 1). 22 April 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
  8. ↑ "Bordeaux 2006/2007 Season". footballdatabaseu.eu (Football Database EU). 26 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  9. ↑ "Obertan prolonge pour deux ans". girondins.com (Girondins).
  10. ↑ "Bordeaux 2007/2008 Season". footballdatabaseu.eu (Football Database EU). 26 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  11. ↑ "France Coupe de la Ligue 2008/09". rsssf.com (Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation). 8 May 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  12. ↑ "Obertan off to Lorient". SkySports.com (Sky Sports). 6 January 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  13. ↑ "Lorient vs. Tours 2-1". Soccerway.com (Soccerway). 24 January 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  14. ↑ "Grenoble vs. Lorient 1-3". Soccerway.com (Soccerway). 4 April 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  15. ↑ "Lorient 2008/2009 Season". footballdatabaseu.eu (Football Database EU). 26 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  16. ↑ "Obertan vers MU!". lequipe.fr (L'Équipe). 6 July 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  17. ↑ Bailey, Richard (7 July 2009). "Obertan has United medical". SkySports.com (Sky Sports). Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  18. ↑ Ducker, James (8 July 2009). "Gabriel Obertan poised to join Manchester United". TimesOnline.co.uk (The Sunday Times). Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  19. ↑ Ducker, James (8 July 2009). "Manchester United sign Gabriel Obertan from Bordeaux on four-year contract". Telegraph.co.uk (The Daily Telegraph). Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  20. ↑ Hibbs, Ben (8 July 2009). "Reds sign French starlet". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  21. ↑ Bostock, Adam (26 October 2009). "Obertan to face Barnsley". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  22. ↑ Bartram, Steve (12 October 2009). "Res: Oldham 0 United 3". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  23. ↑ Stevenson, Jonathan (27 October 2009). "Barnsley 0–2 Man Utd". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 27 October 2009.
  24. ↑ Ashenden, Mark (31 October 2009). "Man Utd 2–0 Blackburn". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  25. ↑ McNulty, Phil (3 November 2009). "Man Utd 3–3 CSKA Moscow". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  26. ↑ Ashenden, Mark (8 December 2009). "Wolfsburg 1–3 Man Utd". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  27. ↑ Ashenden, Mark (15 December 2009). "Man Utd 3–0 Wolves". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  28. ↑ Thompson, Gemma (21 July 2010). "Philadelphia Union 0 United 1". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  29. ↑ Thompson, Gemma (28 July 2010). "MLS All-Stars 2 United 5". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  30. ↑ Ashenden, Mark (22 September 2010). "Scunthorpe 2-5 Man Utd". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  31. ↑ Whyatt, Chris (2 November 2010). "Bursaspor 0-3 Man Utd". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  32. ↑ "Obertan completes Newcastle move". ESPN UK. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  33. ↑ "Newcastle sign Gabriel Obertan from Man Utd on five-year deal". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  34. ↑ Bevan, Chris (13 August 2011). "Newcastle 0-0 Arsenal". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  35. ↑ "Man Utd 1-1 Newcastle". BBC Sport. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  36. ↑ "Blackburn 0 2 Newcastle". BBC Sport. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  37. ↑ "Obertan And Marveaux Leave Newcastle". Newcastle United F.C. 5 May 2016.
  38. ↑ Sweden 1 – 2 France Match Report
  39. ↑ Fraser, Peter (31 March 2009). "England handed wake-up call". Team Talk Media. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  40. ↑ Endlar, Andrew. "Gabriel Obertan". StretfordEnd.co.uk. StretfordEnd. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  41. ↑ "Gabriel Obertan's Time Played". ligue1.com. Ligue 1. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  42. ↑ "Gabriel Obertan Football Profile". uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/. UK Eurosport Football. Retrieved 20 December 2009.

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