What\u2019s better than celebrating your birthday by making your debut for your new football club? Doing so at the Santiago Bernabeu.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Valentin Rosier marked his 29th birthday by completing his first competitive appearance for Osasuna, playing the full 90 in a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid. Having played in all six of Osasuna\u2019s preseason friendlies (starting four), Rosier stepped up and delivered at the right wingback position with four clearances, three interceptions, and two tackles, holding his own against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.<\/p>\n
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In contrast to Osasuna, Real Madrid entered the season opener on the back of a shortened preseason. They returned to action on August 12 in a 4-0 friendly win against Tirol, their first match since losing 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup<\/a> semifinal. Their second match since returning would see them face off against Osasuna, where they struggled to break down the Basque side despite having the bulk of possession. In fact, Osasuna might just have come away with a point in the capital had it not been for Juan Cruz bringing Mbappe to the floor and allowing the French striker to open the scoring from the penalty spot. Against all odds, they remained in the game until the final whistle, and they did so thanks to a superb display from Rosier.<\/p>\n Having launched his career in the French fourth tier with Rodez, Rosier took his talents to Ligue 1 side Dijon before heading abroad and spending the 2019\/20 season with Sporting, where he was unable to break into the side. He then made the move to Istanbul and joined Besiktas, where he helped them win a domestic treble in 2021 and was named in the Team of the Season before eventually departing the club midway through the 2023\/24 season. After making just three appearances on loan at Nice, Rosier decided to start a new adventure in Spain with newly promoted Leganes, joining the Pepineros on a free transfer. And whilst he was unable to keep them afloat in the top-flight, he nevertheless made the most of his opportunity by becoming a vital cog in defense and making 32 league appearances.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been said that availability is the most important ability, and perhaps nobody is better evidence of this than Rosier. He missed 40 matches in 2016\/17 with an ankle injury and 30 in 2018\/19 with foot issues, but since then, he has missed just 15 matches in total, with his most recent injury taking place in December 2023 during his final month with Besiktas.<\/p>\n