After missing out on European football by a razor-thin margin, Osasuna are raring to go under new manager Alessio Lisci as they get set for yet another season in Spain’s top division. One player who looks set to have a pivotal role in defense is Valentin Rosier.

Rosier got his start in the French fourth division with Rodez before making the move to Ligue 1 side Dijon, where he emerged as a regular on the right side of defense and earned the attention of Portuguese giants Sporting. However, he struggled to make an impact during his lone season in Lisbon before deciding to head east for Istanbul, joining Besiktas.

Rosier excelled in Türkiye and won a domestic treble in 2021, prompting him to be named in the 2020/21 Süper Lig Team of the Season, but his adventure was cut short in December 2023, with Rosier being excluded from the squad along with Vincent Aboubakar, Eric Bailly, Rachid Ghezzal and Jean Onana due to poor performance and incompatibility within the team. One month later, he returned to his motherland and joined OGC Nice on loan, making just three appearances before embarking on a new chapter in Spain with Leganes.

Whilst he was unable to keep the Cucumbers afloat in the top-flight, he nevertheless became a vital cog in defense for the newly promoted side and made 32 appearances in LaLiga, leading the team in both tackles and interceptions. It’s why Osasuna decided to sign him on a free transfer, beating out competition from Fulham and Eintracht Frankfurt and tying him down to a three-year contract. His fourth different club since the start of the 2023/24 season, Rosier will be hoping to nail down a place in the team and finally find some stability at El Sadar.

“I'm a football player, they pay me for that, so I can’t say that it's difficult because I change clubs a lot,” stated Rosier in an exclusive Joy Sports interview. “Of course, maybe the first month is not the best, because I have to adapt to my new team, but it's my job, so for me, it doesn't matter, I just want to enjoy the pitch with my teammates and win games, that’s it.”

Rosier played in each of Osasuna’s six preseason friendlies, starting in four of them, before getting the start on Osasuna’s season opener against Real Madrid. He marked his 29th birthday in style at the Santiago Bernabeu and delivered a cogent performance against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, racking up four clearances and three interceptions, as well as two interceptions.

In Real’s first official match since their 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal on July 9, Los Blancos eked out a 1-0 victory thanks to a penalty goal from Mbappe. But despite the defeat, there were still plenty of positives to take away for Los Rojillos as they seek to commence a new era under their Italian manager. They’ll be counting on Rosier as they look to get back to winning ways in Sunday’s home opener against Valencia.