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Marama Vahirua

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Marama Vahirua
Vahirua with Lorient in 2008
Personal information
Full name Marama Kevin Vahirua[1]
Date of birth (1980-05-12) 12 May 1980 (age 44)[2]
Place of birth Papeete, Tahiti
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward, Attacking midfielder
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) 26 (3)
2013–2016 Pirae
2016–2017 Temanava
2017–2018 A.S. Dragon
Total 359 (76)
International career
2001–2002 France U21 6 (2)
2013–2018 Tahiti 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marama Vahirua (born 12 May 1980) is a retired Tahitian footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his career in France before finishing his professional career in Greece with Panthrakikos F.C.. In July 2018, he became president of Tahitian club A.S. Dragon. Between 2013 and 2014, he was the 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. Vahirua became known for being a "super sub" in the 2000–01 championship season as he often scored goals coming on as a substitute. His goal celebration was to mimic rowing a kayak, a tribute to his Tahitian roots. He scored a goal in the 2001–02 Champions League when Nantes played against PSV Eindhoven.

Vahirua 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 side 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 A.S. Pirae.[7]

In 2016, he joined Temanava. In May 2017 he scored in the semi-final of the Tahiti Cup against A.S. Dragon but his team lost after penalties.[8]

In summer 2017, he transferred to A.S. Dragon where he would play in the OFC Champions League in March 2018.[8][9]

In September 2018, he retired as a player.[10]

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[11] and for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.[12] Vahirua was the only full-time footballer in the mostly semi-professional squad, as well as the only one to play outside Tahiti.[13]

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.[14] After the tournament, Vahirua announced his retirement from the professional game, considering that he was leaving at the pinnacle of his career.[13]

On 20 March 2018, Vahirua returned for Tahiti, playing in a 0–0 draw in a friendly against New Caledonia.[15]

Non-playing career

In July 2018, Vahirua became president of Tahitian club A.S. Dragon, whom he last played for.[10]

Personal life

His cousin, Pascal Vahirua, is a former French international.[10]

After his last professional contract, at Panthrakikos in 2013, Vahirua suffered from depression for two years.[10]

Honours

Club

Nantes

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. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Vahirua prêté à Monaco". L'Équipe (in French). 11 August 2011. Archived from the original on 19 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. ^ a b "Football – Focus sur Marama Vahirua : La star jouera à Dragon cette saison". Fédération Tahitienne de Football (in French). 14 September 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Vahirua aims to add bite to Dragon". Oceania Football Federation. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d Detout, Arnaud (16 November 2018). "Coupe de France : Tiens, revoilà Marama Vahirua !". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  11. ^ "Oceania Football Confederation". Oceaniafootball.com. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  12. ^ Tahiti Nui A (in French)
  13. ^ a b "Único profissional do Taiti anuncia aposentadoria após Copa das Confederações" (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  14. ^ https://www.skysports.com/football/tahiti-vs-nigeria/286983
  15. ^ "Tahiti vs. New Caledonia". National Football Teams. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
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