Laurent Ciman


Laurent Franco Ciman is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC and the Belgium national team.

Club career

Ciman began his career in the youth system of Charleroi and made his first team debut in 2004. His play with Charleroi attracted the interest of the top Belgian clubs. Ciman was transferred from Charleroi to Club Brugge in June 2008 and signed a three-year contract for the Belgian team, he was loaned to Kortrijk for the 2009–10 season. On 16 June 2010, he joined Standard Liège on a four-year contract. Upon joining Standard, Ciman established him as a starter and helped the club capture the 2010–11 Belgian Cup. He made 194 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals, before leaving the club in the winter of 2015.
Ciman signed a three-year deal with Major League Soccer club Montreal Impact on 22 January 2015. In his first season with the team, he was named MLS Defender of the Year. In July 2016, he was included in the roster for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game.
On 12 December 2017, Ciman was traded to MLS expansion side Los Angeles FC in exchange for Raheem Edwards and Jukka Raitala.
On 28 August 2018, Ciman joined Ligue 1 club Dijon FCO on a two-year contract. The transfer fee paid to LAFC was reported as $500,000. Just 4 months later, Ciman had his contract at Dijon terminated by mutual consent. On 27 December 2018, he returned to MLS, signing with Toronto FC.

International career

Ciman was a member of the Belgian squad which came fourth at the 2008 Olympics.
Ciman also played for the National U21 side and was called up by national coach Georges Leekens for the friendly match against Bulgaria on 19 May 2010, during which he made his debut.
On 13 May 2014, Ciman was named in Belgium's squad for the 2014 World Cup. He was unused in the tournament, in which Belgium reached the quarter-finals. In the next major tournament, UEFA Euro 2016 he was also part of the squad. This time, he played in the opening game of the competition, a 2–0 defeat to Italy.
In May 2018, he was named as an alternate for Belgium’s squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Career statistics

International

Goals

No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
15 June 2016King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium113–23–2Friendly

Honours

Club

Club Brugge
Standard Liège
Montreal Impact
Toronto FC