Jonathan Blondel (born 3 April 1984) is a Belgian former

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 lea ...

who last played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Career

Excelsior Mouscron

Blondel started his career at Excelsior Mouscron, making his league debut as a substitute on a 1–0 loss against RSC Charleroi on 7 September 2001, making a total of 18 league appearances in the season. Blondel also helped Mouscron to finish as runners-up at the

2001–02 Belgian Cup The 2001–02 Belgian Cup was the 47th season of the main knockout competition in Belgian association football, the Belgian Cup. Final rounds The final phase started in the round of 32 when all clubs from the first division entered the competiti ...

, scoring the equaliser in their subsequent defeat by

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,042. They pl ...

and helping his team to qualify for the

2002–03 UEFA Cup The 2002–03 UEFA Cup was the 32nd edition of the UEFA Cup, the second-tier European club football tournament organised by UEFA. The final was played between Portuguese side Porto and Scottish side Celtic at the Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla, Sev ...

Tottenham Hotspur

Blondel was signed by

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

on 7 August 2002, having rejected a move to

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

earlier in the year. He made his Premier League debut on 31 August 2002 as a substitute in a 2–1 win against

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

at the age of 18 years and 150 days. Lacking first-team football and being relegated to the reserve team, Blondel considered to ask a loan move to Belgium. Royal Excelsior Mouscron enquired about a loan return deal, which was not agreed. Blondel made his second and last Premier League appearance in a 1–0 home loss against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

on 1 November 2003, again as a substitute and almost netting a late equaliser.

Club Brugge

On 28 January 2004, Blondel returned to Belgium after agreeing to join

. He played a total of 266 games for The Blues, before announcing his retirement from professional football on 13 January 2015 after years of injury trouble. His last official match was on 8 August 2013, in the

2013–14 UEFA Europa League The 2013–14 UEFA Europa League was the 43rd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the fifth season under its current title. The final was played between Sevilla and Benfica at the Juventus Stadium in Tu ...

. During his career at Club Brugge, Blondel won the

2004–05 Belgian First Division The 2004–05 season of the Belgian First Division began on August 6, 2004 and ended on May 23, 2005. Club Brugge became champions on May 15, 2005 after a decisive game against long-time rivals Anderlecht. The season was full of suspense as the ...

, the 2003–04 and 2006–07 Belgian Cups and was part of the squad that won the

2014–15 Belgian Cup The 2014–15 Belgian Cup is the 60th season of Belgian's annual football cup competition. The competition began on 26 July 2014 and ended with the final on 22 March 2015. The winners of the competition will qualify for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa ...

, although not playing in the latter and retiring before Club Brugge won the title.

International career

Blondel has played for Belgium under-19 and under-21 teams before being capped for the

Belgium national football team The Belgium national football team has represented Belgium in men's international Association football, football since Évence Coppée Trophy, their maiden match in 1904. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in E ...

. His debut was on 21 August 2002, coming off the bench in a friendly match against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. He returned to the national side in 2004 for the friendly matches against

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

After almost six years from his 3rd international appearance, Blondel received his 4th and last cap in 2010, in a friendly match against

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Honours

Club

;Club Brugge *

Belgian First Division A The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023– ...

: 2004–05 *

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (; ; ) is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Royal Belgian FA. The competition started in 1908 with provincial selections as the "Belgian Provinces Cup". Starting from 1912 only actual clubs were allowed ...

: 2003–04, 2006–07 *

Belgian Super Cup The Belgian Super Cup ( ; ; ), ''Pro League Supercup'', is a Belgian club competition played as a single match between the Belgian Pro League champions (also received the Super Cup host) and the Belgian Cup winners. If both teams are the same, ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

References

External links

Soccerbase website
– Blondel's entry
Guardian Football
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blondel, Jonathan 1984 births Living people Men's association football midfielders Belgian men's footballers Belgium men's youth international footballers Belgium men's under-21 international footballers Belgium men's international footballers Belgian Pro League players Royal Excel Mouscron players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Club Brugge KV players Premier League players Expatriate men's footballers in England Belgian expatriate men's footballers Sportspeople from Ypres Footballers from West Flanders 21st-century Belgian sportsmen