Yann M'Vila

He made his professional debut in that match appearing as a substitute in the 80th minute.

Due to the suspension of Japanese midfielder Junichi Inamoto, M'Vila earned his first start the following week against Marseille.

He played the entire match, which ended 1–1.

The following week against Lens, M'Vila earned his first professional red card.

After returning from suspension, M'Vila never lost his place within the team breaking the starting eleven in all the remaining league matches, save for one.

Yann Gérard M'Vila (born 29 June 1990) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.

He is described by his former club as a player who possesses "excellent defensive abilities" and "impressive physical strength", but can also play as a box-to-box midfielder, due to his impressive work rates and stamina.

He is the younger brother of Yohan M'Vila.

M'Vila is a French international, having played at all levels for which he was eligible.

The combination of M'Vila, Brahimi, Camara, and Le Tallec, all four being members of the class of 1990, were particularly instrumental in their youth team's successes.

With the under-16 team, the foursome won the Tournoi Carisport, a national tournament that regularly pits the top academies in France against each other.

He spent three years at the club and, in July 1999, joined the biggest club in the region, Amiens SC.

M'Vila joined the club as a youth player and practised in the club's soccer school, which was established by his father, who had previously played on the club's reserve team.

After spending five seasons at the club, M'Vila left the club after developing friction and ventured to Paris to join Mantes.

During his short stint at Mantes, M'Vila lived with his grandparents.

M'Vila admitted that, during his time at Mantes, he had "forgot his dream" of becoming a professional footballer.

The title was Rennes' third Gambardella Cup and its first since 2003 when the likes of Yoann Gourcuff and Sylvain Marveaux were playing in the competition.

In the final, Rennes faced Bordeaux and M'Vila was tasked with the objective of containing fellow French starlet Grégory Sertic.

He accomplished the task and also scored a goal on a left-footed strike from 25 m out leading the team to a 3–0 victory.

The desire was brought back after he was discovered by a Rennes scout in October 2004.

The following month, M'Vila departed Mantes to join the prestigious youth academy of Rennes after signing an aspirant (youth) contract with the club.

Among M'Vila's teammates in the youth system included fellow prospects Damien Le Tallec, the younger brother of Anthony Le Tallec, Yohann Lasimant, Abdoul Camara and Yacine Brahimi.

Two seasons later with the under-18 team, M'Vila won the under-18 league championship for the 2006–07 season.

M'Vila also played on France teams that participated in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

He is currently playing for the senior team.

Following the 2006–07 season, on 11 August 2007 M'Vila, alongside teammates Le Tallec and Camara, signed his first professional contract after agreeing to a three-year deal with Rennes.

In 2008, the youth academy achieved its biggest honour after winning the Coupe Gambardella.

He spent the entire season playing on the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France Amateur in the fourth division before being officially promoted to the senior squad and assigned the number 15 shirt for the 2008–09 season.

Due to having minor surgery on his toenail and his attitude being questioned by manager Guy Lacombe, M'Vila missed significant practice time with the senior team and began the season with the club's Championnat de France Amateur team for the second consecutive year.

Despite Lacombe questioning the player's attitude, M'Vila has declared that he bears no ill feelings towards Lacombe.

He subsequently appeared in 20 matches with the reserve team and scored no goals as the team finished first among professional clubs in its group, thus qualifying for the play-offs, where the club lost to Lyon in the semi-finals.

He has captained several of his age groups including the under-19 team that reached the semi-finals of the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

Following a successful international campaign with the France under-19 team, on 13 August 2009, new manager Frédéric Antonetti announced that M'Vila would be earning some significant playing time with the club for the 2009–10 season.

Two days later, after appearing with the CFA team in the first week of the season, he was named to the 19-man squad to face Nice.

On 15 September 2009, M'Vila signed a contract extension with Rennes until June 2013.

M'Vila made his senior debut on 11 August 2010 in a friendly against Norway, and was part of the French squad which reached the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2012.

M'Vila began his football career at age six for ES Sains-Saint-Fussien.

On 27 August 2010, he agreed to another extension with the club.

The new deal extends until 2014.

On 18 December, in a 1–0 win over Valenciennes, M'Vila played the entire match completing 100 of his 112 attempted passes, the former statistical output being a league-high for the season.