Valentin Roberge

Valentin Roberge
Personal information
Full name	Valentin Sébastien Roger Roberge
Date of birth	9 June 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth	Montreuil, France
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	AEK Larnaca
Number	27
Youth career
	ESD Montreuil
	Les Lilas
	Paris FC
Senior career*
Years	Team
2006–2007	Guingamp B
2007–2008	Paris SG B
2008–2010	Aris
2010–2013	Marítimo
2013–2016	Sunderland
2014–2015	→ Reims (loan)
2016–2023	Apollon Limassol
2023–	AEK Larnaca
International career‡
2022–	Cyprus
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 June 2024; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:54, 12 December 2023 (UTC)

Valentin Sébastien Roger Roberge (born 9 June 1987) is a professional footballer who plays for Cypriot club AEK Larnaca as a centre-back.

Born in France, he represents Cyprus at international level.

Club career

Early years

Born in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, Roberge had spells with hometown's ESD Montreuil, Les Lilas and Paris FC before joining Guingamp for his senior debut, but he went on to appear only for the reserve side.

For the 2007–08 season he signed with Paris Saint Germain, but met the exact same fate.^[3]

Aris and Marítimo

In the summer of 2008, Roberge signed for Aris, penning a three-year contract. He made his debut against Panathinaikos but, midway through his second year in the Super League Greece, an economic crisis took hold of the club, and he went five months without being paid before his link was terminated.^[4]

Following his release, Roberge moved to Portugal's Marítimo after a successful trial.^[5] He started in all of his 25 Primeira Liga appearances in the 2011–12 campaign, helping the Madeirans to finish fifth and qualify for the UEFA Europa League.^[6]

Sunderland

On 10 June 2013, Premier League side Sunderland announced the signing of Roberge on a free transfer.^[7] He made his debut on 17 August in a 0–1 home defeat against Fulham,^[8] and scored his first goal on 24 September in the 2–0 home win over Peterborough in the League Cup, heading in an Adam Johnson cross.^[9]

Roberge left the Stadium of Light in June 2016, with only 13 competitive matches to his credit.^[10]

Apollon Limassol

Roberge joined Apollon Limassol in the 2016 off-season. He won several accolades during his spell, including the Cypriot First Division in 2021–22.^[11]

International career

In September 2022, Roberge became a Cypriot citizen.^[12] He won his first cap for the national team on the 24th at the age of 35, in a 1–0 victory against Greece in the UEFA Nations League.^[13] He scored his first goal three days later, but in a 5–1 loss in Kosovo in the same competition.^[14]

Career statistics

As of 5 June 2023^[15]

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aris	2008–09	Super League Greece	20	0	1	0	—		0	0	—		21	0
	2009–10	Super League Greece	5	0	1	0	—		—		—		6	0
	Total		25	0	2	0	—		0	0	—		27	0
Marítimo	2010–11	Primeira Liga	25	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	—		28	1
	2011–12		25	0	3	0	5	0	—		—		33	0
	2012–13		27	1	1	0	0	0	9	1	—		37	2
	Total		77	2	6	0	6	0	9	1	—		98	3
Sunderland	2013–14	Premier League	9	0	1	0	2	1	—		—		12	1
	2014–15		1	0	—		0	0	—		—		1	0
	2015–16		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	Total		10	0	1	0	2	1	—		—		13	1
Reims (loan)	2014–15	Ligue 1	11	0	1	0	1	0	—		—		13	0
Apollon Limassol	2016–17	Cypriot First Division	25	0	7	0	—		0	0	1^[a]	0	33	0
	2017–18		34	1	4	0	—		10	0	1^[a]	0	49	1
	2018–19		25	2	3	0	—		13	0	—		41	2
	2019–20		2	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		2	0
	2020–21		27	0	1	0	—		3	0	—		31	0
	2021–22		29	0	2	0	—		—		—		31	0
	2022–23		25	1	1	0	—		8	1	1^[a]	0	35	3
	Total		167	4	18	0	—		34	1	3	0	222	6
Career total			290	6	28	0	9	1	43	2	3	0	373	10