Stéphane Zubar

Stéphane Zubar

Zubar as a Caen player in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Stéphane Zubar[1]
Date of birth	9 October 1986[2]
Place of birth	Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1 ^1⁄2 in)[2]
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current team	Bournemouth
Youth career
2003–2005	Caen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2005–2009	Caen B[lower-alpha 1]	18	(1)
2006–2009	Caen	0	(0)
2007	→ Pau (loan)	10	(0)
2008	→ Brussels (loan)	11	(0)
2009–2010	Vaslui	35	(1)
2010–2011	Plymouth Argyle	33	(2)
2011–	Bournemouth	24	(0)
2013	→ Bury (loan)	6	(0)
2014	→ Port Vale (loan)	2	(0)
2014–2015	→ York City (loan)	23	(2)
2015	→ York City (loan)	4	(0)
National team^‡
2011	Guadeloupe	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:44, 27 August 2015 (UTC). † Appearances (goals) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:44, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

Stéphane Zubar (born 9 October 1986) is a Guadeloupean professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Bournemouth. He is the younger brother of fellow professional footballer Ronald Zubar.

Zubar began his career at Caen, but never made a first team appearance and was released from the club after spells on loan at Championnat National club Pau and Belgian First Division side Brussels. He spent the 2009–10 season with Romanian Liga I club Vaslui, where he experienced European football after helping the club to the 2010 Cupa României Final. Zubar signed with English side Plymouth Argyle in November 2010, and moved on to Bournemouth in September 2011. He was loaned out to Bury in January 2013 and to Port Vale in September 2014. He joined League Two club York City in November 2014, where he played for the rest of the 2014–15 season. Zubar returned to York on loan in August 2015, but returned to Bournemouth after he suffered a cruciate ligament injury.

Club career

Caen

Born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe,^[2] Zubar began his career with Caen at the start of the 2003–04 season, following in the footsteps of his older brother Ronald.^[3] He signed a three-year professional contract with Caen in the summer of 2006.^[3] He spent time on loan with Championnat National side Pau in 2007 and Belgian First Division side Brussels in 2008,^[4][5] but did not make a first team appearance for Caen.^[6]

Vaslui

Zubar was transferred to Romanian Liga I club Vaslui in 2009, where he made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Steaua București on 27 February. He scored his first goal for the "Yellow-Greens" in a 2–2 draw with Brașov at the Municipal. He helped the club to finish third in Liga I and reach the final of the Cupa României during the 2009–10 season, where Zubar was not used in the substitute bench, only to lose to Cluj 5–4 on penalties in the final.^[7]

Plymouth Argyle

He joined English League One side Plymouth Argyle on a trial during the summer of 2010.^[8] His trial at Plymouth was successful and he signed for club after international clearance was granted on 16 November.^[9] He made his debut four days later as the "Pilgrims" lost 2–1 to Brentford at Home Park.^[10] On 28 December, Zubar scored his first goal in England as Plymouth drew 1–1 with Notts County.^[11] Seven days later he scored his second goal for Plymouth in a 3–2 win over Bristol Rovers.^[12] On 11 January 2012, Zubar received a red card after a second bookable offence in a 3–2 defeat to Huddersfield Town.^[13] At the end of the 2010–11 season Argyle were relegated into League Two and Zubar was the only player to be offered a new (two-year) contract by a club, which he signed in July.^[14][15] However he had his contract with the club terminated at the end of August, citing "personal reasons"; club chairman Peter Ridsdale said that "Stephane will remain a friend of the club and leaves with our best wishes".^[16]

"Because of the situation at Plymouth when I was manager, with regards being paid, the lad had forgone a lot of money in Romania and felt he just couldn’t do it any more. We agreed by mutual consent to let him go, but it was a blow for me because he is a good character and he is a good player."

— Manager Peter Reid explained the circumstances of Zubar's departure.^[17]

Bournemouth

In September 2011, Zubar joined Bournemouth on a free transfer, signing a one-year contract with the option for a second, having spent time with the club on trial.^[18] He made his League One debut for the club on 24 September in a 2–1 defeat to Hartlepool United at Dean Court.^[19] He scored an own goal on 25 October which cost the "Cherries" two points in a 1–1 draw at Colchester United.^[20] On 12 November, Zubar scored his first goal for Bournemouth in a 3–3 with Gillingham in the FA Cup.^[21] Some impressive performance for the club kept him in the first team at the expense of Adam Barrett and led manager Lee Bradbury to offer him a new three-and-a-half-year contract, which was signed in February 2012.^[22]

He fell out of favour under new manager Eddie Howe, and signed for Kevin Blackwell's Bury on loan until the end of the 2012–13 season on 24 January 2013.^[23] Howe agreed to loan Zubar out to league rivals as he felt he needed to get game time in order to "get his career back on track".^[24] Despite only playing six games for the "Shakers" Blackwell said that the Gigg Lane faithful had appreciated Zubar's contribution and "have become massive Zubar fans".^[25] However he picked up an anterior cruciate knee injury in March and was ruled out of action for nine months.^[26] Bournemouth were promoted into the Championship at the end of the 2012–13 campaign, and the higher standard of football and his injury effectively ruled him out of first team action throughout the 2013–14 campaign. He was expected to join Bury on a free transfer in July 2013,^[27] but a deal was never completed.

Zubar playing for York City in 2015

Zubar had a trial with Crewe Alexandra in September 2014.^[28] He joined League One side Port Vale on a one-month loan on 29 September.^[29] He made three appearances for the "Valiants", and was sent off in the last of these games for striking out at Preston North End's Joe Garner in a 2–0 defeat at Deepdale.^[30] He did not return to the starting line-up and manager Rob Page elected not to extend his loan spell at Vale Park.^[31] Zubar instead joined Russ Wilcox's York City on a two-month loan.^[32] The loan was extended to the end of the 2014–15 season^[33] and he impressed in his performances at Bootham Crescent enough to warrant speculation in the local press that he would be offered a contract by York in the summer.^[34]

Despite having not played for Bournemouth for more than two-and-a-half years, the club's promotion into the Premier League in May 2015 triggered a one-year extension to his contract.^[35] Zubar rejoined York on a one-month loan on 7 August 2015,^[36] and made his debut a day later in a 3–0 away defeat to Wycombe Wanderers, the opening match of the 2015–16 season.^[37] He suffered cruciate ligament damage during York's 0–0 away draw with Exeter City on 22 August 2015, which was expected to rule him out for the season.^[37][38] He returned to Bournemouth for treatment,^[38] ending his loan at York on five appearances.^[37]

International career

Zubar made his international debut for Guadeloupe at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.^[39][40] He played in the 1–0 defeats to Canada and eventual runners-up the United States.^[41]

Style of play

Zubar is a pacey and strong defender, able to play at centre-back and right-back.^[42] Speaking in February 2012, Bournemouth manager Lee Bradbury stated that Zubar is "works very hard, is really passionate about the game and is a deep thinker".^[22]

Career statistics

Club

Zubar playing for York City in 2015

As of match played 22 August 2015.

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Season	Club	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Caen B	2005–06[41]	Championnat de France Amateur 2			—		—		—
	2006–07[41]	Championnat de France Amateur 2			—		—		—
	2007–08[41]	Championnat de France Amateur	9	1	—		—		—		9	1
	2008–09[41]	Championnat de France Amateur	9	0	—		—		—		9	0
	Total[lower-alpha 1]		18	1	—		—		—		18	1
Pau (loan)	2006–07[41]	Championnat National	10	0					—		10	0
Caen	2007–08[43]	Ligue 1	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
Brussels (loan)	2007–08[41]	Belgian First Division	11	0	—		—		—		11	0
Vaslui	2008–09[2]	Liga I	9	0	0	0	—		—		9	0
	2009–10[2]	Liga I	26	1	1	0	—		4[lower-alpha 2]	0	31	1
	Total		35	1	1	0	—		4	0	40	1
Plymouth Argyle	2010–11[44]	League One	29	2	—		—		—		29	2
	2011–12[45]	League Two	4	0	—		1	0	—		5	0
	Total		33	2	—		1	0	—		34	2
Bournemouth	2011–12[45]	League One	22	0	1	1	—		2[lower-alpha 3]	0	25	1
	2012–13[46]	League One	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
	Total		24	0	1	1	1	0	2	0	28	1
Bury (loan)	2012–13[46]	League One	6	0	—		—		—		6	0
Port Vale (loan)	2014–15[47]	League One	2	0	—		—		1[lower-alpha 3]	0	3	0
York City (loan)	2014–15[47]	League Two	23	2	2	0	—		—		25	2
	2015–16[37]	League Two	4	0	—		1	0	—		5	0
	Total		27	2	2	0	1	0	—		30	2
Career total			166	6	4	1	4	0	7	0	181	7

1. The Caen B appearances and goals only cover the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons.
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy

International

As of match played 14 June 2011.^[41]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Guadeloupe	2011	2	0
Total		2	0

References

1. "The Football League Limited: Club list of registered players as at 16th May 2015" (PDF). The Football League. 16 May 2015. p. 2. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
2. "S. Zubar". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
3. "Stéphane Zubar rejoint le FC Brussels" [Stephane Zubar joined FC Brussels] (in French). 7SUR7. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
4. "Les derniers mouvements". L'Équipe (in French). 31 January 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
5. "S.Zubar au FC Brussels". L'Équipe (in French). 31 January 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
6. "S. Zubar signe en Roumanie". L'Équipe (in French). 15 February 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
7. "Stephane set to sign". Plymouth Argyle F.C. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
8. "Plymouth Argyle sign defender Stephane Zubar". BBC Sport. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
9. "Pilgrims complete Zubar deal". Sky Sports. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
10. "Plymouth vs Brentford". Plymouth Argyle F.C. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
11. "Plymouth vs Notts County". Plymouth Argyle F.C. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
12. "Bristol Rovers vs Plymouth". Plymouth Argyle F.C. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
13. "Bristol Rovers vs Plymouth". Plymouth Argyle F.C. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
14. "Plymouth Argyle release nine first-team players". BBC Sport. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
15. "Defender Stephane Zubar rejoins Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
16. "Stephane Zubar leaves Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
17. Wadley, Ian (23 September 2011). "Reid's rave review for new boy Zubar". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
18. "Bournemouth sign defender Stephane Zubar". BBC Sport. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
19. "Bournemouth 1 - 2 Hartlepool". BBC Sport. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
20. "Stephane Zubar's late own goal earnt Colchester a point and kept Bournemouth in the bottom four". BBC Sport. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
21. "Bournemouth 3-3 Gillingham". BBC Sport. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
22. "Bournemouth's Stephane Zubar and Wes Fogden sign new deals". BBC Sport. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
23. "Stephane Zubar joins Bury from Bournemouth on loan". BBC Sport. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
24. "AFC Bournemouth defender Stephane Zubar joins Bury on loan to 'get career back on track'". Blackmore Vale Magazine. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
25. Nelson, Craig (7 March 2013). "Bury loan defender Zubar out for up to eight months". The Bolton News. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
26. "AFC Bournemouth: Stephane Zubar out for up to nine months". BBC Sport. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
27. Perrett, Neil (15 July 2013). "Zubar set for Dean Court exit". Daily Echo (Bournemouth). Retrieved 2 October 2014.
28. Sharpe, Rich (5 September 2014). "Stephane Zubar arrives on trial from Bournemouth". The Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent). Retrieved 2 October 2014.
29. "Stephane Zubar and Reiss Greenidge arrive on loan". BBC Sport. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
30. Baggaley, Mike (18 October 2014). "Preston 2-0 Port Vale". The Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent). Retrieved 20 October 2014.
31. Baggaley, Mike (7 November 2014). "Stephane Zubar joins York City". The Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent). Retrieved 7 November 2014.
32. "York City sign Bournemouth defender Stephane Zubar". BBC Sport. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
33. "Stephane Zubar: York keep Bournemouth defender on loan". BBC Sport. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
34. Flett, Dave (10 April 2015). "York City defender Stephane Zubar: "I'll make a decision on where I go at the end of May"". The Press (York). Retrieved 9 May 2015.
35. "AFC Bournemouth: Promotion triggers contract extension for Zubar, two-and-a-half years after his last game". Daily Echo (Bournemouth). 8 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
36. Flett, Dave (7 August 2015). "Stephane Zubar returns on loan to York City". The Press (York). Retrieved 7 August 2015.
37. "Games played by Stephane Zubar in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
38. Flett, Dave (27 August 2015). "Stephane Zubar set to miss rest of the season with cruciate damage". The Press (York). Retrieved 27 August 2015.
39. "Defender Stephane Zubar rejoins Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
40. "Plymouth Argyle's Stephane Zubar suffers penalty woe". Western Morning News (Plymouth). 13 June 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
41. "Zubar, Stéphane". National Football Teams. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
42. Wadley, Ian (16 September 2011). "Bradbury keen on defender Zubar". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
43. "Stephane Zubar" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
44. "Games played by Stephane Zubar in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
45. "Games played by Stephane Zubar in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
46. "Games played by Stephane Zubar in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
47. "Games played by Stephane Zubar in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 May 2015.

External links

• Stéphane Zubar career statistics at Soccerbase