Laurent Koscielny French footballer, defender Date of Birth: 10.09.1985 Country: France

Biography of Laurent Koscielny

Laurent Koscielny is a French footballer of Polish origin. He is a central defender for London-based team, Arsenal, as well as the French national team.

Early Career
At the age of 12, Koscielny joined his first club, French team ESA Brive. After five years, he moved to Limoges and played for one season. At the age of 18, Koscielny caught the attention of local club Guingamp, where his professional career began. During his time at Guingamp, Koscielny played as a full-back, but he preferred playing in the center of defense. As a result, in 2007, he made a move to Tours FC.

Tours FC
Koscielny joined Tours FC in 2007 and played in midfield. During the 2008-2009 season, he played 34 games and scored 5 goals. He was also selected for the symbolic second league team of the French championship.

Lorient
On June 16, 2009, Koscielny moved to Ligue 1 club Lorient for a transfer fee of 1.7 million euros, signing a four-year contract. In his first season with Lorient, he scored 3 goals in 35 matches. One of his goals came against Bordeaux, but he was subsequently sent off for a last-ditch foul on Marouane Chamakh. Lorient lost the match 1-4.

Arsenal Career
During the summer transfer window in June 2010, it was reported that English team Arsenal was interested in Koscielny and was willing to pay Lorient 8.45 million euros for his services. On July 5, French newspaper Ouest-France reported that Koscielny was training with Arsenal's reserve and youth team, waiting for the club to officially announce his transfer. Two days later, on July 7, Arsenal confirmed Koscielny's transfer. He was given the number six shirt, previously worn by fellow central defender Philippe Senderos. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger stated that he decided to sign Koscielny due to his height, as other central defenders were being outmatched physically. Koscielny made his debut for Arsenal in a pre-season friendly against Barnet. He made his official debut a month later in a Premier League match against Liverpool. However, he was sent off after receiving two yellow cards, both of which were awarded after the 90th minute. Despite this, Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole was also sent off in the first half for a rough challenge, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Koscielny scored his first goal for Arsenal on September 11, 2010, in a match against Bolton that ended in a 4-1 victory for Arsenal. He also made his debut in European competitions in a 6-0 victory against Portuguese team Braga. In a League Cup match against Newcastle United on October 27, Koscielny saved his team from a certain goal after a mistake by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, blocking a shot from Newcastle striker Nile Ranger and providing an assist for Theo Walcott.

International Career
Koscielny did not represent any national team until the age of 26. He is a French citizen but could have also played for the Polish national team due to his Polish roots. On February 3, 2011, Koscielny received a call-up to the French national team for a friendly match against Brazil but remained on the bench. He made his debut for the national team on November 11, 2011, starting in a match against the United States, which ended in a 1-0 victory for France.