Raymond Jules Joseph Wattine (23 August 1895 – 7 May 1937) was a French

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 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 ...

for

RC Roubaix Racing Club de Roubaix was a French association football team that played in Roubaix, Nord. History The team was founded in 1895 and was very successful before the establishment of professionalism in France. In 1933, after losing twice in a ...

and the French national team in the early 1920s.

Playing career

Born in Roncq on 23 August 1895, Wattine played at RC Roubaix between 1920 and 1923, and together with

Georges Verriest Georges Verriest (15 July 1909 – 11 July 1985) was a French footballer. He played for RC Roubaix, and earned 14 caps for the France national team, and scored a goal in the 1934 FIFA World Cup The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the 2nd edition of ...

Gérard Isbecque Gérard Isbecque (15 March 1897 – 3 August 1970) was a French footballer. He played in four matches for the France national football team The France national football team () represents France in men's international Association footb ...

, and Raymond Dubly, he helped Roubaix return to its pre-war glory by winning the ''Division d'Honneur'' of the 1922–23

Northern Football League The Northern League is a British men's association football, football league in North East England, north east England. Having been founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest football league in the world still in existence after the English Footb ...

, doing so with 38 points, two more than runner-up

Olympique Lillois Olympique Lillois was a French association football club from the city of Lille. Founded in 1902 they merged with SC Fives in 1944 to form Lille OSC. Honours Championnat de France *Champion: 1914, 1933 *Runner-up: 1936 Events Jan ...

. All of the aforementioned players, including Wattine, spent their entire careers at Roubaix. On 25 February 1923, the 27-year-old Wattine earned his first (and only) international

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

for France in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

, which ended in a 4–1 loss. He played the entire match, alongside fellow club teammates Isbecque and Dubly, the latter being the team's

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. In doing so, Wattine and Isbecque became only the fifth and sixth RC Roubaix players to represent the French national team, after

Émile Sartorius Émile Sartorius (11 September 1883 – 23 November 1933) was a French footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1908 Summer Olympics. He played as a right winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes a ...

, Maurice Vandendriessche, Dubly, and Emile Dusart.

Later life and death

One of his cousins, , an officer who died during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, now has a statue in his honor in

Roubaix Roubaix ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, depar ...

in the Barbieux park. The day before his death, Bossut spoke of a command pennant, blessed at the Sacré Cœur, which was later present on the tanks of his brother Pierre Bossut, and then of Lieutenant Moello, whose deputy chief was Wattine. He was also a renowned industrialist and the honorary president of RC Roubaix. Wattine died in

Arbonne Arbonne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in French Basque Country, a region of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. Geography Arbonne is located some 6 km ...

on 7 May 1937, at the age of 41.

Legacy

Wattine served as the model for the "Monument to the death of the Racing Club of Roubaix", near the Dubrulle-Verriest stadium.

Honours

;

*DH

: **Champions (1): 1922–23

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wattine, Raymond 1895 births 1937 deaths Footballers from Lille French men's footballers France men's international footballers RC Roubaix players Men's association football midfielders 20th-century French sportsmen