Benjamin Boulenger

Benjamin Boulenger

Boulenger with Lens in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth	(1990-03-01) 1 March 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Maubeuge, France [1]
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) [1]
Position(s)	Left-back
Youth career
	Aulnoye
	Boulogne
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2013	Boulogne	34	(3)
2013–2015	Lens	15	(1)
2015–2019	Sporting Charleroi	7	(0)
2017–2018	→ OH Leuven (loan)	10	(0)
2019–2022	Seraing	63	(5)
2022–2024	Francs Borains	30	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:29, 19 January 2025 (UTC)

Benjamin Boulenger (born 1 March 1990) is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back. He is currently a free agent, having last played for Challenger Pro League club Francs Borains.

Career

Boulogne

Boulenger started his career with Division d'Honneur club Aulnoye before joining Boulogne. He was initially a part of the reserve team, before being promoted to the first team competing in Ligue 2 ahead of the 2011–12 season. After a season where he mainly appeared as a substitute, he became a starter the following season in National after Boulogne's relegation. ^[2]

Lens

After being contacted by Jocelyn Blanchard, Boulenger joined Ligue 2 club Lens in August 2013 on an amateur contract. ^[3] He became a part of the club's reserve team playing in National 2. Boulenger made his professional debut for the first team on 11 November 2013 in a 2–2 away draw against Chamois Niortais, replacing Pablo Chavarría, and scoring his first goal a few seconds after coming on. ^[4]

Lens received a recruitment ban in 2014 due to irregularities in the club's proposed budget, which meant that Boulenger could not sign a professional contract. ^[5] Alongside Samuel Atrous, he spent six months without a team and waited until December 2014 for a six-month contract to be offered and approved. ^{[6] [7]}

Sporting Charleroi

On 26 May 2015, he left Lens, who had just been relegated to Ligue 2, and signed with Belgian Pro League club Sporting Charleroi on a two-year deal with an option for an additional year. ^[8] He made his debut for the club, as well as his European debut, on 23 July 2015, replacing Neeskens Kebano in the 68th minute of a 4–1 win in the UEFA Europa League over Beitar Jerusalem. ^{[9] [10]} A long-time reserve, he only made his league debut on 23 April 2016, during his club's 4–0 victory against Mechelen. ^[10]

On 1 September 2017, Boulenger was sent on a one-season loan with an option to buy to OH Leuven competing in the second-tier Proximus League. ^[11]

After returning to Sporting Charleroi, his situation did not improve and despite his contract running for one more season, until June 2019, he was placed in the reserve team and was asked to look for a new club. ^[12] He failed to find a new club, and stayed with Charleroi until the expiry of his contract.

Seraing

Boulenger joined Seraing on 19 September 2019, signing a one-year contract with an option for another year with the club competing in the third-tier Belgian First Amateur Division. ^[1] He was part of the team winning two promotions in a row, reaching the top level Belgian Pro League in 2021. ^[13]

Francs Borains

In the summer of 2022, Boulenger signed with Francs Borains in the third-tier Belgian National Division 1. ^[14] He made his competitive debut on 17 August, coming on as a substitute in the 66th minute of a 2–0 home win against Young Reds Antwerp. ^[15] He played 32 matches in his first season, helping the club secure promotion to the Challenger Pro League. ^[2]

In mid-2023, a routine fitness test revealed cardiac arrhythmia, requiring surgery in September. He suffered a relapse in November, sidelining him for several months. ^[16] Although he returned to training in March 2024, he did not play during the 2023–24 season and subsequently left the club. ^{[17] [18]}

Career statistics

As of match played 20 May 2023 ^[2]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		League cup [b]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Boulogne	2011–12	Ligue 2	1	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		2	0
	2012–13	Championnat National	33	3	2	0	1	0	—		—		36	3
	Total		34	3	2	0	2	0	—		—		38	3
Boulogne B	2012–13	National 2	2	0	—		—		—		—		2	0
Lens B	2013–14	CFA	13	0	—		—		—		—		13	0
	2014–15	CFA	1	0	—		—		—		—		1	0
	Total		14	0	—		—		—		—		14	0
Lens	2013–14	Ligue 2	2	1	4	0	—		—		—		6	1
	2014–15	Ligue 1	13	0	1	0	—		—		—		14	0
	Total		15	1	5	0	—		—		—		20	1
Sporting Charleroi	2015–16	Belgian Pro League	1	0	1	0	—		2 [c]	0	—		4	0
	2016–17	Belgian Pro League	6	0	1	0	—		—		—		7	0
	Total		7	0	2	0	—		2	0	—		11	0
OH Leuven (loan)	2017–18	First Division B	10	0	1	0	—		—		—		11	0
Seraing	2019–20	First Amateur Division	18	3	1	0	—		—		—		19	3
	2020–21	First Division B	21	2	1	0	—		—		1 [d]	0	23	2
	2021–22	First Division A	24	0	1	0	—		—		2 [e]	0	27	0
	Total		63	5	3	0	—		—		3	0	69	5
Francs Borains	2022–23	National Division 1	30	4	2	0	—		—		—		32	4
	2023–24	Challenger Pro League	0	0	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	Total		30	4	2	0	—		—		—		32	4
Career total			175	13	15	0	2	0	2	0	3	0	197	13

1. Includes Coupe de France, Belgian Cup
2. Includes Coupe de la Ligue
3. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearance in 2020–21 Belgian First Division promotion-relegation play-off
5. Appearance in 2021–22 Belgian First Division promotion-relegation play-off

References

1. "Bienvenue à Benjamin Boulenger !". RFC Seraing (in French). 19 September 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
2. Benjamin Boulenger at Soccerway
3. "Benjamin Boulenger : " C'était une super sensation ! "". RC Lens (in French). 12 November 2013. Archived from the original on 17 November 2013.
4. "Faire un coup d'éclat". La Nouvelle Republique (in French). 11 November 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
5. "Ligue 1: Lens interdit de recrutement". 20 Minutes (in French). 5 August 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
6. "Le bonheur de Samuel Atrous et Benjamin Boulenger". RC Lens (in French). 20 December 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
7. "Samuel Atrous et Benjamin Boulenger homologués, Landry N'Guémo ne signera pas". MadeInLens (in French). 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
8. "Boulenger (Lens) signe à Charleroi". RTBF (in French). 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
9. "Beitar Jerusalem vs. Sporting Charleroi – 23 July 2015". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
10. Bughin, Nicolas (26 April 2016). "Et dire que Benjamin Boulenger était titulaire en L1". DHnet (in French). Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
11. Schaad, Christophe (1 September 2017). "Ancien défenseur du RC Lens, Benjamin Boulenger prêté à l'OH Louvain". Lensois (in French). Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
12. Jacques, Maxime (6 July 2018). "Ces quatre Zèbres ne partiront pas en stage". DHnet (in French). Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
13. "Seraing promoveert naar 1A, Waasland-Beveren zakt tot onvrede van de fans die poort blokkeren en ongenoegen uiten bij CEO". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Flemish). 8 May 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
14. "LE RFB LANCE 2022-2023 ET DIT AU REVOIR À LAI" (in French). Francs Borains. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
15. "Francs Borains vs. Royal Antwerp II 2–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
16. Wilgaut, Maximilian (9 November 2023). "D1B| Énorme coup dur pour les Francs Borains: le défenseur Benjamin Boulenger pourrait ne plus jamais rejouer au foot". Sudinfo (in French). Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
17. Dumont, Nathalie (19 January 2025). "Benjamin Boulenger a fait son retour aux Francs Borains après ses problèmes cardiaques". DHnet (in French). Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
18. Crabbe, Scott (29 April 2024). "Une page se tourne : les Francs Borains annoncent le départ de quatre joueurs emblématiques". Walfoot.be (in French). Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.

External links

• Benjamin Boulenger – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)
• Benjamin Boulenger at Soccerway