Gaëtan Bussmann (born 2 February 1991) is a French professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays for

Championnat National 2 The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligu ...

club

Épinal Épinal (; german: Spinal) is a commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges department. Geography The commune has a land area of . It is situated on the river Moselle, south of Nancy. Épinal station has rail connecti ...

. He plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

and is also capable of playing in the centre of defence. Bussmann is a French youth international and has represented his nation at U18 and U19 level. He was a part of the team that won the 2010 European U19 Championship on home soil.

Career

Early career and Metz

Born in

, Bussmann began his career at hometown club

and joined Metz in 2004 at the age of 13. While in the club's youth academy, he won the

2009–10 Coupe Gambardella The 2009–10 Coupe Gambardella was the 55th edition of the French cup competition reserved for male under-19 football players. The competition is organized by the French Football Federation. The final was contested on 1 May 2010 at the Stade de F ...

after the club's under-19 team defeated

Sochaux Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris. Population Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''. Economy S ...

5–4 on penalties in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. On 4 June 2010, Bussmann signed his first professional contract agreeing to a five-year deal with Metz until June 2015. He made his professional debut on 20 August 2010 in a league match against

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who liv ...

starting in the left back position.

Mainz 05

In August 2015, Bussmann left Metz to join German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footbal ...

side

Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05 () or simply Mainz (), is a German sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. 1. FSV Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top ...

for a transfer fee of believed to be €1 million. He signed a two-year contract including an extension option and replaced Park Joo-ho who had moved from Mainz to

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional foot ...

. In January 2018, Bussmann joined league rivals

SC Freiburg Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bunde ...

on loan until the end of the season. Freiburg were also given an option to sign him permanently. He did not make an appearance during his half season there. In summer 2018, Bussmann returned to Mainz 05. On 29 September, he earned his first Bundesliga match after 574 days, deputising for

Aarón Aarón is the Spanish form of the Biblical name Aharon. Notable people who are often referred to solely by this name include: * Puerto Rican Pentecostal sect leader Teófilo Vargas Seín, who uses Aarón as his religious title * Aarón Ñíguez ( ...

who had played the first five matches of the season.

Nancy

On 22 July 2022, Bussmann signed a two-year contract with

Nancy Nancy may refer to: Places France * Nancy, France, a city in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle and formerly the capital of the duchy of Lorraine ** Arrondissement of Nancy, surrounding and including the city of Nancy ...

Career statistics

Honours

Metz *

Coupe Gambardella The Coupe Gambardella is a French football cup competition held between the under-18s of the French football clubs, organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). The cup is regarded as an opportunity for young hopefuls to showcase their s ...

: 2009–10 France U19 *

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply UEFA Under-19 Championship or the UEFA Euro U-19, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the member associations of UEFA. Spain and Englan ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

References

External links

FC Metz club profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bussmann, Gaetan 1991 births Living people Sportspeople from Épinal French men's footballers Men's association football fullbacks France men's youth international footballers SAS Épinal players FC Metz players 1. FSV Mainz 05 players SC Freiburg players SC Freiburg II players 1. FSV Mainz 05 II players En Avant Guingamp players FC Erzgebirge Aue players AS Nancy Lorraine players Championnat National 2 players Ligue 2 players Championnat National players Ligue 1 players Bundesliga players Regionalliga players 2. Bundesliga players French expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Germany French expatriate sportspeople in Germany Footballers from Vosges (department) 21st-century French sportsmen