Julien Le Cardinal

Julien Le Cardinal is a French defender, born in Saint-Brieuc on 3 August 1997. He developed in Brittany with EA Guingamp before returning to Stade Briochin, where he played in the lower French divisions from 2015 to 2019. In 2019, Le Cardinal joined Bastia and helped the Corsican club win promotion from the Championnat National to Ligue 2 across successive seasons, including the 2020–21 National title. He left Bastia in 2022 after 79 appearances and moved to Paris FC, making 13 appearances during the 2022–23 campaign. Later that year, Lens signed him, giving him a route into Ligue 1 and European football. Le Cardinal subsequently played for Stade Brestois 29 and was part of the squad that reached the UEFA Champions League in 2024–25. In February 2026, he moved to Saint-Étienne, adding experience across France’s professional divisions to the Ligue 2 side’s defence.