1. He was born in South America
Jean-Clair Dimitri Roger Todibo was born in Cayenne, the capital of the French overseas region of French Guiana – the largest French-speaking city on the South American continent. One of six children, Todibo moved to Paris at the age of three, and lived in the suburb of Bagnolet. His father was a coach at nearby Red Star FC, the club set up by Jules Rimet, the founder of the FIFA World Cup, and he played his first football there. However, Todibo credits his mother for his upbringing.
2. He played in ‘big derbies’ as a schoolboy
As a boy, Todibo - nicknamed 'JC' - played at FC Les Lilas, where he faced former Aston Villa forward Moussa Diaby and AS Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana as a schoolboy when his current France international colleagues were playing for fellow Paris-based junior club Espérance Paris 19ème. In an interview with French magazine Onze Mondial, he recalled: “They were big derbies. We faced each other when we were little and now, we find ourselves among the pros, it's beautiful.”
3. A car accident threatened his career
The young Todibo was a keen athlete, wrestler, judoka and footballer as a boy. However, after suffering a serious leg injury in a car accident at the age of nine, he had to stop his activities for a period. He then returned to football at an Academy run by former Liverpool and France midfielder Bernard Diomède. At 16, fully recovered, he departed FC Les Lilas and moved south to join Toulouse FC's Academy.
4. He joined FC Barcelona as a teenager
After debuting for Toulouse in France’s Ligue 1 at the age of 18 in August 2018, Todibo attracted attention from some of Europe’s top clubs and was signed by Spanish giants FC Barcelona in January 2019, a month after turning 19. He played five times for Barcelona over the next 12 months, but competition for places from the likes of Gerard Piqué, Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet saw him depart on loan, first to German club Schalke 04 in January 2020, then Portuguese side Benfica in October of the same year.
5. A move to the French Riviera kickstarted his career
Having made 27 club appearances for four clubs in four different countries, Todibo returned to France to join OGC Nice on an initial loan deal on 1 February 2021, a month past his 21st birthday, before signing permanent terms that summer. He has been a regular starter ever since, playing 138 matches across three-and-a-half seasons, scoring two goals, reaching the Coupe de France final in 2022 and helping Nice achieve two fifth-place finishes in Ligue 1.
6. He’s played alongside LOTS of familiar names
Todibo played alongside a number of past and future Premier League and EFL players during his three-and-a-half seasons with OGC Nice.
In his first full campaign with the club, 2021/22, he played with former AFC Bournemouth and current Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Mario Lemina, one-time Aston Villa left-back Jordan Amavi, former Manchester United and Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and current Bournemouth winger Justin Kluivert.
In 2022/23, the squad also included Leicester City’s Premier League winning goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, Arsenal loanee Nicolas Pépé, former Everton, Chelsea, Luton and England and future Aston Villa midfielder Ross Barkley, Wales captain Aaron Ramsey, along with former Bristol Rovers and current Millwall full-back Joe Bryan and one-time Wigan Athletic midfielder Andy Delort. Last season, he lined up alongside on-loan Southampton midfielder Romain Perraud and former Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson.
7. He is a full France international
After being capped nine times at U20 level, Todibo made his senior France debut in a 2-1 friendly loss to Germany on 12 September 2023, following the likes of Loïc Remy and Hatem Ben Arfa in becoming Nice players capped by Les Bleus. His second cap and competitive debut for his country came two months later in France's record 14-0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying win over Gibraltar on 18 November last year.
