Midfielder
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde
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Jean-Ricner  Bellegarde
  • Nationality: French
  • DOB: 27/06/1998
  • Height: 5'7" (170cm)
  • Weight: 11st 0lbs (70kg)
midfielder

Biography

Wolves added former French youth international Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to their ranks on a five-year deal from Ligue 1 club Strasbourg during the summer of 2023.

The pacey midfielder arrived at Molineux off the back of his most impressive year to date, which saw Bellegarde begin the 2023/24 season with two goals and two assists from his opening three matches.

Despite his relatively young age, Bellegarde – who can play either as a central midfielder supporting the forwards or in one of the two wider positions – has a wealth of experience under his belt, having made almost 250 appearances during a career which has also seen him play for Le Racing Club de Lens.

Born in Parisian suburb Colombes, he began his career with Lens as a 15-year-old, joining the club’s youth side in 2013 before making his B team debut in the Championnat National two years later. After spells with the senior side, which included more than 50 outings in the second tier of French football, he made the move to Strasbourg, where he has spent the last four years.

During his time at the Alsace-based club, Bellegarde played almost 130 times in the French top flight, becoming a regular in the Strasbourg midfield, as well as featuring in the 2019/20 Europa League, where his team missed out on a spot in the group stages following defeat in the play-off round to Eintracht Frankfurt.

He has developed with each passing season, with the 2022/23 campaign being his strongest yet. The Frenchman posted impressive numbers in terms of his progressive passes, carries and key passes, while he was also one of the most fouled players in Europe’s top five leagues due to his quick and tricky feet.

The former French youth midfielder – who represented his country at under-19, under-20 and under-21 level, while also qualifying to represent Haiti on the international stage – has also improved his showing in front of goal in the 2023/24 season, having scored and assisted in both a 2-1 win over Lyon on the opening day of the Ligue 1 campaign and a 2-0 victory against Toulouse just five days before switching to Wolves.