Jérémy Toulalan

Jérémy Toulalan (born 10 September 1983 in Nantes) is a France football (soccer) who plays central midfielder for Olympique Lyonnais and the France national football team. He was named in the UEFA U-21 Championship 2006 Team of the Tournament as a left winger (to accommodate central midfielders Ismaïl Aissati and Rio Antonio Mavuba, also in that selection). He is a product of the FC Nantes Atlantique youth academy, making his first-team debut during the 2001-2002 season. He would stay at his hometown club until the end of the 2005-2006 season, when he agreed a transfer to the Olympique Lyonnais, who had just won their fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title.

He earned his first cap for France national football team in the 5-0 win against Faroe Islands on 11 October 2006.

Since joining Lyon, Toulalan has been one of the their most consistent performers, and whilst perhaps naturally a more attacking player, he has taken over the holding role vacated by Mahamadou Diarra's transfer to Real Madrid with great success.