Gabin Blancquart

Gabin Blancquart (born 28 February 2004) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captains club VVV-Venlo.

Early life and youth career Gabin Blancquart was born on 28 February 2004 in Leers, Nord. He has cited his older brother as a key influence on his early interest in football, having begun playing after repeatedly accompanying him to matches as a child. His evident talent led to his admission to the youth academy of Lille at the age of eight, where he spent several years developing within a structured and tactically focused environment.

At the age of 15, Blancquart moved abroad for the first time to join Club Brugge's youth setup. While the club provided institutional support to facilitate his adaptation, including schooling and daily transport, Blancquart later described the experience as challenging due to differences in footballing philosophy. He highlighted the contrast between the more tactical and technical approach in France and the greater emphasis on physicality in Belgian football.

Club career Valenciennes In 2021, Blancquart joined Valenciennes. He initially featured for the club's reserve team, competing in National 3. He made his debut on 15 January 2022 in a 2–1 home defeat against US Maubeuge. On 20 October 2022, Blancquart scored his first official goal for the reserves in a 2–0 away victory over Iris Club de Croix.

During the 2023–24 Ligue 2 season, Blancquart made his competitive debut for Valenciennes' first team. On 16 December 2023, he started in a home match against Paris FC, which ended in a 1–0 defeat. He made five appearances for the first team in Ligue 2 under head coach Ahmed Kantari, with injuries in defence leading to his deployment at right-back.

VVV-Venlo After leaving Valenciennes in June 2024, Blancquart joined Dutch second-tier Eerste Divisie club VVV-Venlo following a successful trial period in August 2024.

He made his competitive debut for the club on 20 September 2024, coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute for Diego van Zutphen in a 2–0 home defeat against Jong PSV. Blancquart subsequently established himself as a regular starter. During the 2024–25 season, he finished as the club's top scorer with five goals despite playing as a defender, and was voted VVV's Player of the Season by regional newspaper De Limburger.

Ahead of the 2025–26 season, Blancquart was appointed team captain by head coach John Lammers, succeeding Rick Ketting.

Career statistics