Stéphane Ruffier
Encyclopedia
Stéphane Ruffier is a French football player who currently plays as a goalkeeper for French club Saint-Étienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...

 in Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

. He previously played for Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...

 from 2005–2011 serving as the first-choice goalkeeper and captain of the club. Ruffier is also a French international
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

 and made his senior debut on 11 August 2010 in a friendly match against Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

.

Early life and career

Ruffier was born on 27 September 1986 in Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...

 to Jean-François Ruffier, a world champion in the sport of Basque pelota, and Patricia Ruffier. He has two sisters, one of which is a figure skater. Ruffier is of Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...

 descent having been born and raised in the heart of Northern Basque Country
Northern Basque Country
The French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country situated within the western part of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques constitutes the north-eastern part of the Basque Country....

. Despite emulating his father's skills in Basque pelota as a child, Ruffier grew an attraction to the sport of football and joined the football section
Aviron Bayonnais FC
Aviron Bayonnais Football Club is a French association football club based in Bayonne. The club is a part of a sports club that was formed in 1904 that is also known for its rugby union club. The football club was founded in 1935 and currently play in the Championnat National, the third level of...

 of the Aviron Bayonnais
Aviron Bayonnais
Aviron Bayonnais is a French rugby union club from Bayonne in Pyrénées-Atlantiques that currently competes in the top level of the French league system, in the Top 14 competition...

 sporting club at the age of six. He entered the academy initially as an outfield player and was training to become a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

. However, at the age of eight, due to a goalkeeper shortage at the academy, Ruffier was asked by a youth coach to try out for the position. The transition was a success and, by the age of 13, Ruffier had acquired the physical skills and traits needed to excel at the position.

While in the youth system of Bayonne, Ruffier helped the club's under-13 team win the Coupe de Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...

. The following season, he attended a trial session
Trial (sport)
Trial may refer to the following types of competitions.*Time trials*Car or motor trial, motoring competitions of skill and/or reliability*Motorcycle trials, an obstacle motorcycle competition...

 with professional club Montpellier
Montpellier HSC
Montpellier Hérault Sport Club is a French association football club based in the city of Montpellier. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Montpellier plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city...

, but ultimately failed to impress. In 2002, Ruffier was spotted by Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...

 scout Arnold Catalano. Catalano is known for recruiting Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...

 to the club and recommended Ruffier join Monaco on a trial. On 2 August 2002, after a successful trial with the club, Ruffier signed an aspirant (youth trainee) contract with the club.

Monaco

Upon his arrival to the club, Ruffier was inserted into the team's youth academy and honed his skills as a goalkeeper under the watch of goalkeeper coaches Jean-Luc Ettori
Jean-Luc Ettori
Jean-Luc Ettori is a retired French footballer who played goalkeeper from France, who spent his entire career with AS Monaco. He earned nine caps for the France national football team in the early 1980s including starting six out of seven games in the 1982 World Cup. He has played the most games...

, André Amitrano, and André Biancarelli. After spending only one season in the club's academy, he was promoted to the club's Championnat de France amateur team in the fourth division. Ruffier made ten appearances with the team during the 2003–04 season, and for the 2004–05 season, was named as first-choice goalkeeper of the amateur team and made 17 appearances. Following the season, Monaco loaned Ruffier back to his former club Bayonne with hopes that the youngster would get some consistent first-team playing time. At the club, Ruffier was installed as the team's first-choice goalkeeper by manager Christian Sarramagna
Christian Sarramagna
Christian Sarramagna is a former French football player, currently without a club.-Titles:*As a player**French championship in 1974, 1975, 1976 with AS Saint-Étienne**Coupe de France 1974, 1975, and 1977 with AS Saint-Étienne...

. He responded by playing in all 38 league matches, but could not prevent the team from suffering relegation to the CFA as the club finished in 17th position. Following the campaign, Ruffier returned to Monaco.

On 10 May 2006, Ruffier signed his first professional contract with Monaco agreeing to a three-year deal until June 2009. He was moved into the backup goalkeeper position behind the Italian Flavio Roma
Flavio Roma
Flavio Roma is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Milan.-Club career:Roma started his career in the youth teams of S.S. Lazio. He was the 3rd goalkeeper behind Luca Marchegiani and Fernando Orsi before leaving the club to play for clubs in Serie B and Serie C1...

. Due to Roma's consistency in goal, Ruffier made no appearances in the 2006–07 season. The following season, Roma suffered an injury in the team's third league match of the season against Metz
FC Metz
Football Club de Metz, commonly referred to as simply Metz , is a French association football club based in Metz. The club was formed in 1932 and has spent most of its history in the Ligue 1, though they currently play in Ligue 2, the second level in French football league system. Metz plays its...

. Ruffier made his professional debut in the match appearing as a substitute in the 58th minute for Roma and maintained the team's 1–0 lead. Monaco later scored another goal to record a 2–0 victory. In the team's next three matches, Ruffier played the full 90 minutes in victories over Sochaux
FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard is a French association football club based in the city of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. Sochaux plays its home matches at the Stade Auguste Bonal located within the city...

, Le Mans, and Lille
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...

. He finished the campaign with 12 total appearances, ten in the league and two in the Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...

. In the 2008–09 Ligue 1 season, manager Ricardo Gomes decided to retain Ruffier as the team's number one goalkeeper. Ruffier appeared in 36 total matches recording eleven clean sheets, which included blanking Paris Saint-Germain on two occasions and holding off Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...

 at the Stade Vélodrome
Stade Vélodrome
The Stade Vélodrome is a football stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1, and was a venue in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. It is the largest club-football ground in France, with a capacity of 60,031 spectators,...

 with the hosts out-shooting Monaco 22–4. He also helped the team reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...

. During the season, on 15 September 2008, Ruffier signed a contract extension with Monaco until 2010. At the end of the season, he signed another extension with the club, this time until June 2013.

In the 2009–10 campaign
2009–10 Ligue 1
The 2009–10 Ligue 1 season was the 72nd since its establishment. Bordeaux were the defending champions. The fixtures were announced on 5 June 2009, and play commenced on 8 August and ended on 15 May 2010. There were three promoted teams from Ligue 2, replacing the three teams that were relegated...

, Ruffier recorded 15 clean sheets in 32 matches in league play. In the Coupe de France, he earned three clean sheets as Monaco reached the 2010 edition
2009–10 Coupe de France
The 2009–10 Coupe de France was the 93rd season of the most prestigious French cup competition, organized by the French Football Federation, and was open to all clubs in French football, as well as clubs from the overseas departments and territories...

 of the cup's final match
2010 Coupe de France Final
The 2010 Coupe de France Final was the 92nd final of France's most prestigious cup competition. The final took place on 1 May 2010 at the Stade de France in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis. The match was contested between Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain...

. In the final, Ruffier maintained a clean sheet for over an hour and a half before conceding a Guillaume Hoarau
Guillaume Hoarau
Guillaume Hoarau is a French football player who plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. He is noted for his imposing height standing at 6 ft 3.5 in and his prolific goal-scoring....

 header in extra time. On 27 July 2010, Ruffier was named captain of Monaco by manager Guy Lacombe
Guy Lacombe
Guy Lacombe is a French former professional football player and manager.- International :Lacombe was a member of the French squad that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California...

 for the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Ligue 1
The 2010–11 Ligue 1 season was the 73rd since its establishment. Entering the season, Marseille were the defending champions. The fixtures were announced on 21 May 2010 and the season began on 7 August and ended on 29 May 2011. The winter break was in effect between 23 December and 15 January 2011...

. In the opening match of the season, Ruffier dueled with French international and first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris is a French international footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for French club Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1. He is also a French international and is currently the first-choice goalkeeper and vice-captain for both club and country...

. Both keepers performed well producing equally good saves in a 0–0 draw.

International career

During Ruffier's development at Monaco, he was absent from the France youth national teams
France national youth football team
The France national youth football team are the national under-20, under-19, under-18, under-17 and under-16 football teams of France and are controlled by the Fédération Française de Football. The youth teams of France participate in tournaments sanctioned by both FIFA and UEFA and also...

. After receiving consistent playing time at Monaco, Ruffier was called up to the under-21 team
France national under-21 football team
The France national under-21 football team , known in France as Les Espoirs , is the national under-21 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...

 in November 2007. On 15 November 2007, he made his under-21 debut playing the entire match in the team's 1–1 draw with Armenia
Armenia national under-21 football team
The Armenia national under-21 football team is the youth football team of Armenia. The team is based mostly on the young players from the league and competes every two years in order to qualify for the European Under-21 Football Championship...

 in Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....

. He appear in several matches for the team in qualification for the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship began on 15 June 2009, and was the 17th UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. This was the first tournament after the competition reverted to a two-year format, following the single-year 2006-07 competition, which allowed the change to...

, but ultimately failed to make the squad that lost 2–1 on aggregate to Germany
Germany national under-21 football team
The Germany national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Germany in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and is controlled by the German Football Association , the governing body of football in Germany....

 in the team's two-legged playoff match. The elimination from the competition ended Ruffier's under-21 career.

During the 2009–10 season, Ruffier earned praise from the media for his performances. The praise led to calls for the player to be called up to the senior team
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

. However, coach Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech is a retired French footballer and the former manager of the France national team.-2006 World Cup:On 12 July 2004, Domenech was a surprise choice to succeed Jacques Santini after the country's disappointing exit from UEFA Euro 2004 by losing in the quarter-final match to the...

 preferred Cédric Carrasso
Cédric Carrasso
Cédric Carrasso is a French footballer, who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Bordeaux, and the French national team.-Marseille:Carrasso joined the Marseille youth system at the age of thirteen and, despite leaving for Avignon for one year in 1998, it was there that he signed his first...

 as the team's third-choice keeper and took him, along with Lloris and Steve Mandanda
Steve Mandanda
Steve Mandanda is a French international footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for French club Olympique de Marseille in Ligue 1. He currently serves as first-choice captain of Marseille...

 to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

. On 16 June 2010, goalkeeper Carrasso dropped out of the team due to injury and the national team's goalkeeper coach Bruno Martini
Bruno Martini
Bruno Martini is a retired French footballer who played as a goalkeeper.His professional career was closely associated with Auxerre, for which he played 13 years...

 contacted Ruffier to travel to South Africa and replace him. Despite FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 denying the team's request of a replacement player, Ruffier still trained with the team and was on the team bus during the player boycott to protest the dismissal of striker Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...

. On 23 July 2010, following a meeting by the Federal Council of the French Football Federation, all 23 players in the World Cup squad were suspended for the team's upcoming 11 August friendly match against Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

 on request of new coach Laurent Blanc
Laurent Blanc
Laurent Robert Blanc is a French association football manager and former player. He is the head coach of the French national team, having replaced Raymond Domenech in the wake of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was previously the manager of Bordeaux...

. The move placed Ruffier in limbo as he wasn't formally a part of the team, but was on the bus during the player boycott. On 5 August 2010, Ruffier was called up to the senior team officially for the first time by Blanc for the team's friendly against Norway. Ruffier expressed gratitude towards Laurent Blanc
Laurent Blanc
Laurent Robert Blanc is a French association football manager and former player. He is the head coach of the French national team, having replaced Raymond Domenech in the wake of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was previously the manager of Bordeaux...

 thanking him for the opportunity. He also stated that, before the announcement of the squad, Blanc had contacted him to explain why he wasn't a part of the strike.

Club

Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bayonne
Aviron Bayonnais FC
Aviron Bayonnais Football Club is a French association football club based in Bayonne. The club is a part of a sports club that was formed in 1904 that is also known for its rugby union club. The football club was founded in 1935 and currently play in the Championnat National, the third level of...

2005–06 38 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 40 0
Total 38020000000400
Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...

2006–07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2007–08 10 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0
2008–09 32 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 0
2009–10
2009–10 Ligue 1
The 2009–10 Ligue 1 season was the 72nd since its establishment. Bordeaux were the defending champions. The fixtures were announced on 5 June 2009, and play commenced on 8 August and ended on 15 May 2010. There were three promoted teams from Ligue 2, replacing the three teams that were relegated...

37 0 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 44 0
2010–11
2010–11 Ligue 1
The 2010–11 Ligue 1 season was the 73rd since its establishment. Entering the season, Marseille were the defending champions. The fixtures were announced on 21 May 2010 and the season began on 7 August and ended on 29 May 2011. The winter break was in effect between 23 December and 15 January 2011...

34 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 38 0
Total 11301304000001300
Career total 15101504000001700


Statistics accurate as of match played 11 July 2011.

International

(Correct as of 11 August 2010)
National teamSeasonAppsGoals Assists
France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

2010–11 1 0 0
Total10 0

External links

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