Julien Ricaud (born 28 January 1985) 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 lea ...

who plays for

Avranches Avranches (; ) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''. History Middle Ages By the end of the Roman period, th ...

as a defensive midfielder. After progressing through the youth ranks at Laval, he began his senior career with

Championnat de France amateur 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 French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue 2 ...

(CFA) side Genêts Anglet in 2005. Two years later, Ricaud signed for CFA rivals

Compiègne Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' (). Administration Compiègne is t ...

, spending one season there before joining Pau. In the summer of 2010, he was signed by newly promoted

Championnat National The Championnat National (), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, is the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, the Championnat National operates on a system of ...

club

Chamois Niortais Chamois Niortais Football Club (; often referred to as ''Les Chamois'', Chamois Niortais, or simply Niort) are a French association football club based in the commune of Niort, in the Deux-Sèvres department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwest ...

on a free transfer. Ricaud became an important figure in the Niort team over the following three seasons, often partnering Johan Gastien in the centre of midfield. He made 36 league appearances in the 2011–12 season as the side finished as runners-up in the National, thereby winning promotion to

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...

, the second tier of French football. At the end of the 2012–13 season it was announced that Ricaud, along with four other players, would not be re-signing with Niort for the following campaign.

References

;Specific ;General
Julien Ricaud profile
at foot-national.com Sportspeople from Villeneuve-sur-Lot 1985 births Living people French men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Stade Lavallois players AFC Compiègne players Pau FC players Chamois Niortais FC players Vendée Poiré-sur-Vie Football players US Avranches players Ligue 2 players Championnat National players Les Genêts d'Anglet players Footballers from Lot-et-Garonne 21st-century French sportsmen {{France-footy-midfielder-1980s-stub