Marama Vahirua

Marama Vahirua

Vahirua with Lorient in 2008
Personal information
Full name Marama Vahirua[1]
Date of birth (1980-05-12) 12 May 1980[2]
Place of birth Papeete, Tahiti
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[3]
Playing position Forward, Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Pirae
Number 19
Youth career
1996–1997 Pirae
1997–1998 Nantes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2004 Nantes 111 (28)
2004–2007 Nice 99 (19)
2007–2010 Lorient 86 (19)
2010–2013 Nancy 25 (5)
2011–2012 → Monaco (loan) 12 (2)
2012–2013 → Panthrakikos (loan) 24 (5)
2013– Pirae
National team‡
2001–2002 France U21 6 (2)
2013 Tahiti 3 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:43, 20 June 2013 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:18, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Marama Vahirua (born 12 May 1980) is a Tahitian footballer who plays as a forward for AS Pirae in the Tahiti First Division. He is also technical director of the Tahitian Football Federation.[4]

Club career

Vahirua started his career at the famed youth academy of Nantes, winning several honors including a Ligue 1 championship. He scored a goal in the Champions League when Nantes played against PSV Eindhoven during the 2001–02 season.

He then went to Nice in August 2004, where he enjoyed two spectacular seasons, being reconverted to attacking midfielder in the process. After falling out with coach Frédéric Antonetti, he would leave the club in the Summer of 2007, joining fellow Ligue 1 Lorient. The striker of Lorient announced on 12 May 2010 that he would play the following season with Nancy, and signed a three-year-deal.[5] On 11 August 2011, he joined Ligue 2 side Monaco on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season.[6]

On 12 October 2013, he had signed with his hometown club AS Pirae.[7]

International career

Vahirua is a former France under-21 international, being given his chance by former senior team coach Raymond Domenech.

After winning 2012 OFC Nations Cup, Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta called Vahirua up for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Solomon Islands and New Caledonia on September 2012[8] and for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.[9] Vahirua was the only full-time footballer in the mostly semi-professional squad, as well as the only one to play outside Tahiti.[10]

He earned his first full cap for Tahiti on 17 June 2013 against Nigeria in a 6–1 losing effort at the Confederations Cup. He played the first 70 minutes of the game, setting up Tahiti's first goal of the tournament with a corner.[11] After the tournament, Vahirua announced his retirement from the professional game, considering that he was leaving at the pinnacle of his career.[10]

Personal life

His cousin, Pascal Vahirua, is a former French international.

Honours

Club

Nantes
A.S Pirae

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Squad lists for the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 7 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "Marama Vahirua". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  3. ↑ "M. Vahirua". Soccerway. Global Sports Media. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  4. ↑ "FIFA and OFC define development priorities". FIFA. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  5. ↑ "Vahirua agrees move to Nancy". Ligue1.com. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  6. ↑ "Vahirua prêté à Monaco". L'Équipe (in French). 11 August 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Marama Vahirua : 'pratiquement tous les Tiki Toa arrivent à l'AS Pirae'". Tahiti Infos (in French). 15 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  8. ↑ "Oceania Football Confederation". Oceaniafootball.com. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  9. ↑ Tahiti Nui A (French)
  10. 1 2 "Único profissional do Taiti anuncia aposentadoria após Copa das Confederações" (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "Nigeria 6 Tahiti 1: Super Eagles run riot but Tehau strikes one for the underdog". Daily Mail. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
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