Former Newcastle United defender Mathieu Debuchy is in contention to earn a shock call-up to France’s World Cup squad following his incredible rise to form in France over the past month.
The ex-Lille right-back joined Newcastle for £5.5m in January 2013 and enjoyed an impressive year and a half on Tyneside before securing a £12m move to Arsenal.
His stint at the Emirates was one to forget, however, seeing him start just three league games in the last three seasons, culminating in him having his contract terminated in January.
He then found an escape route on deadline day, agreeing a deal to join Ligue 1 side St Etienne as a free agent and returning to the league he made a name for himself in prior to his move to Tyneside.
To say the 32-year-old made an impact since returning to his homeland is an understatement, with him contributing towards their six-game unbeaten run, scoring two goals in the meantime and winning the Ligue 1 player of the month as a result – beating PSG’s Neymar to the prize.
Within 5 weeks of leaving Arsenal
Mathieu Debuchy has..⚽️Scored twice
✅Remained unbeaten
?Become cult hero at St Etienne
?Has won Ligue 1 player of month award, beating Neymar.
??Back in World Cup contention for France pic.twitter.com/MB4I3O82KV
— Sportive23 (@Sportive_23) March 13, 2018
As a result, the former NUFC full-back in now being considered for a call-up to France’s World Cup squad – a move which would cap an incredible comeback from the 32-year-old defender.
Ironically, Debuchy’s first goal in the highlight clip below was assisted by none other than Remy Cabella!
