Mathieu Valbuena joins Athens Kallithea FC

Athens Kallithea FC announce the acquisition of French attacker Mathieu Valbuena on a free transfer.

Valbuena, 39, has won three league championships plus one domestic cup with Olympiacos, one league championship plus three domestic cups with Marseille, made 122 total appearances between the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, and earned 52 caps with the French national team.

Born in Bruges, just north of Bordeaux, Valbuena began his career with local side Libourne Saint-Seurin, quickly leading them to promotion to Ligue 2 and earning a transfer to Olympique de Marseille at the age of 21.

Valbuena spent eight seasons at Marseille from 2006/07 to 2013/14, winning Ligue 1 in the 2009/10 season, which marked the club’s first league championship in 18 years (and their last league championship to date), winning the Coupe de la Ligue three consecutive times in the 2009/10, 2010/11, and 2011/12 seasons, and making 330 total appearances across all competitions with 38 goals and 58 assists.

In European competition, Valbuena helped Marseille reach as far as the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and made 48 total appearances with four goals and six assists between the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, with highlights including a match-winning goal against Liverpool at Anfield (2007/08 Champions League), a match-winning goal against Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion (2011/12 Champions League), and a match-winning assist against Inter Milan at San Siro (2011/12 Champions League).

Upon his departure from the club to join Dinamo Moscow in August 2014, Marseille retired Valbuena’s number 28 shirt.

After a highly productive spell in Moscow, registering six goals and 17 assists in 40 matches between the Russian Premier League and the Europa League, Valbuena returned to France with Lyon in August 2015.

Across two seasons, Valbuena would help Lyon finish runners-up in Ligue 1 in 2015/16 and reach the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2016/17, making 76 total appearances in all competitions with 12 goals and 14 assists.

Valbuena’s next stop would be Turkish giants Fenerbahçe, where he would continue his attacking exploits with 12 goals and 24 assists in 71 total matches over two seasons, before finally arriving in Greece with Olympiacos.

Valbuena would become a fan favorite in a highly successful four-year period in Piraeus, winning three consecutive Super League titles in 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 plus the Greek Cup in 2019/20, making 82 total appearances in domestic competitions with 14 goals and 27 assists.

In Europe, Valbuena made 39 total appearances with three goals and 13 assists between the Champions League and the Europa League, helping Olympiacos reach as far as the Round of 16 of the Europa League in consecutive seasons in 2019/20 and 2020/21, with personal highlights including an assist in the Reds’ famous victory over Arsenal at the Emirates in February 2020.

After leaving Olympiacos, Valbuena spent last season in Cyprus with Apollon Limassol, making 36 total appearances with eight goals and five assists.

In international play, Valbuena has earned 52 caps with the French national team, scoring eight goals with 20 assists, including two goals and two assists at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where France reached the quarter-finals.

Valbuena: “I’m very happy to arrive at Athens Kallithea. I’m so excited to meet everyone in the team and I can’t wait for the first match of the season. The most important thing for me is the commitment to fight for Athens Kallithea in every single match and I hope we have a great season. I can also say that I am very happy to be returning to Greece, this country is amazing.”

Welcome, Mathieu.