Sébastien Squillaci

Early career

Squillaci began his football career playing for hometown club Seynois. While training at La Seyne, he was described by his coach Franck Seva as a "lovely, quiet boy". Squillaci spent a decade at the club before moving to professional club Toulon in 1996 at age 16. He was originally a defensive midfielder and spent only one season in the club's youth academy, where he was supervised by former club player Christian Dalger. Squillaci began the 1997–98 season playing on the club's reserve team. Following the firing of Albert Emon mid-season, he was replaced with Dalger. In March 1998, Dalger, subsequently, called up Squillaci to the first team and he made his professional debut on 7 March 1998 in a 1–0 league win over Nice appearing as a substitute for Victor Agali. With Toulon in a relegation battle, Squillaci made substitute appearances in wins over Lille, Le Mans, and Lorient and defeats to Martigues and Red Star Paris. Toulon ultimately finished the campaign in 20th place, which resulted in the club's relegation to the Championnat National, the third level of French football. Squillaci finished the season with five appearances in the league and one in the Coupe de France. Toulon, surprisingly, reached the Round of 16 in the latter competition.

Monaco

Due to not being under a professional contract while playing with Toulon, Squillaci was allowed to leave the club on a free transfer. He was recruited by Monaco and joined the club in 1998.…

Squillaci was a France international with his first cap coming in 2004, making his debut in a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He earned 21 caps for France. Squillaci also qualifies for the non-FIFA affiliated team of Corsica, having been called three times to the team for friendlies: in 2009 against Congo, in 2011 against Bulgaria, and in 2012 against an international squad of players coached by Gérard Houllier. He qualifies through both his father and mother's Corsican heritage.

Club

International

Squillaci was born in Toulon, Var. On 12 May 2007, for his positive representation of La Seyne, the commune honoured the player by naming a stadium after him. The Stade de Squillaci is currently being occupied by amateur club Avenir Sportif de Mar. Squillaci is of Corsican descent through both his mother and father. The couple moved to the mainland from the commune of Ghisonaccia in Haute-Corse. Squillaci is married and has a son, Aaron. He is a member of Champions for Peace, which is a group of 54 athletes that are committed to serving peace in the world through sport. The group was created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organisation.