Valentin Rosier On How Boxing Helps Football Training And Preparation | OneFootball

What’s better than celebrating your birthday by making your debut for your new football club? Doing so at the Santiago Bernabeu.

On Tuesday, Valentin Rosier marked his 29th birthday by completing his first competitive appearance for Osasuna, playing the full 90 in a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid. Having played in all six of Osasuna’s preseason friendlies (starting four), Rosier stepped up and delivered at the right wingback position with four clearances, three interceptions, and two tackles, holding his own against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.

In contrast to Osasuna, Real Madrid entered the season opener on the back of a shortened preseason. They returned to action on August 12 in a 4-0 friendly win against Tirol, their first match since losing 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal. Their second match since returning would see them face off against Osasuna, where they struggled to break down the Basque side despite having the bulk of possession. In fact, Osasuna might just have come away with a point in the capital had it not been for Juan Cruz bringing Mbappe to the floor and allowing the French striker to open the scoring from the penalty spot. Against all odds, they remained in the game until the final whistle, and they did so thanks to a superb display from Rosier.

Having launched his career in the French fourth tier with Rodez, Rosier took his talents to Ligue 1 side Dijon before heading abroad and spending the 2019/20 season with Sporting, where he was unable to break into the side. He then made the move to Istanbul and joined Besiktas, where he helped them win a domestic treble in 2021 and was named in the Team of the Season before eventually departing the club midway through the 2023/24 season. After making just three appearances on loan at Nice, Rosier decided to start a new adventure in Spain with newly promoted Leganes, joining the Pepineros on a free transfer. And whilst he was unable to keep them afloat in the top-flight, he nevertheless made the most of his opportunity by becoming a vital cog in defense and making 32 league appearances.

It’s been said that availability is the most important ability, and perhaps nobody is better evidence of this than Rosier. He missed 40 matches in 2016/17 with an ankle injury and 30 in 2018/19 with foot issues, but since then, he has missed just 15 matches in total, with his most recent injury taking place in December 2023 during his final month with Besiktas.

“I think it’s down to God, but I do what I have to do,” Rosier tells WFi. “I had injuries, so I couldn’t play, but afterwards, I have felt good with my body and have been training well both at my football club and outside.”

Whilst some of this is purely down to luck, some of it is down to Rosier taking matters into his own hands and enjoying healthy eating habits, getting enough sleep every night, and taking the time to rest and recover. What’s more, Rosier hasn’t just been training with his club team, but he’s even been mixing it up and dabbling in kickboxing.

“One of my best friends’ brothers was a champion in kickboxing, so we have worked together and trained,” Rosier says.

“It’s good for the body, and I also like to do boxing. When I have time off, I’m free to do whatever I want, and I like doing boxing because it’s a new thing for me. When I was young, I also got karate badges, so I like sports like this, and I like doing this with my friend.

“It’s mainly about the mentality and having more control over myself, and after boxing, it’s good because I work my body, so it’s good for me and my football attributes.”

🔗 Instagram

Apart from kickboxing, Rosier has plenty of other outside interests like watching manga, playing Grand Theft Auto or NBA 2K with his friends, and getting tattoos. “I like tattoos a lot,” he adds. “I have tattoos of my mother, my family, my friend, my favorite video games, and afterwards, the rest is me, what I like, who I am. I have tattoos everywhere except for my legs.”

At 29 years of age, Valentin Rosier has bounced around from various clubs and countries in pursuit of a long-term adventure – can he finally find the stability that he’s been looking for with Osasuna?