Josée Bélanger

Josée Bélanger... speaks French and English... her father was born in Vermont (but grew up in Coaticook) while her mother was born in St-Isidore-de-Clifton, QC... she was five years old when she started playing for Coaticook... enjoys crossfit and anything artistic... favourites have included Lionel Messi... earned a degree in kinesiology from Université de Sherbrooke...

in December 2016, the Pavillon Josée Bélanger at parc Laurence was named in her honour by her hometown Coaticook...

Concacaf champion with Canada (2010)… won a bronze medal with Canada at the Olympic Games (Rio 2016)... represented Canada at the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015… in all, won two Concacaf medals with Canada (2010 gold and 2016 silver)... career 57 international “A” appearances across 14 years from 2004 to 2017 with Canada Soccer's Women's National Team… after her playing career, she was celebrated by Canada Soccer on 11 June 2017 in the half-time presentation to former Olympic bronze medal winners at BMO Field in Toronto (on that day, Josée Bélanger, Jonelle Filigno, Robyn Gayle, Kaylyn Kyle, and Lauren Sesselmann were honoured at the Canada match)... from Canada 2015, was noted by the FIFA Women’s World Cup Technical Study Group (”pacey forward or right-back, good off-the-ball movement, played with confidence, supported the attack well”)...

represented Canada at one FIFA youth tournament (U-19 at Thailand 2004)... won a Concacaf youth medal with Canada (2004 gold U-19)... won a silver medal with Canada at the Pan American Games Santo Domingo 2003...

club career in Canada, Sweden and USA, including appearances in UEFA Champions League... with FC Rosengård, a Damallsvenskan winner in 2015...

part of the Canada Soccer team that met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Parliament Hill on 6 June 2016 ahead of their international match one day later in Ottawa...

one of several players that participated in FIFA Live Your Goals festivals ahead of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014... attended the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League Grand Final at Stade Olympique in Montréal (with an memorable 61,004 fans in attendance for the 29 April second leg)... one of several athletes that featured in the Google app commercial “More than a Match” in 2015 (soccer is a universal language)... on 30 October 2016, rang the 1642 North Star Bell (L'Étoile Du Nord) for Impact Montréal FC’s playoff match...

said Bélanger in 2017, “what I have retained from my soccer career is everything I learned through teamwork, guidance from my coaches over the years, the injuries, the wins as well as the losses; soccer has enabled me to grow as a person first and foremost”... said Bélanger in 2017 of her career, she will best remember “the emotion of my goal in the FIFA Women’s World Cup”... said John Herdman in 2017, “she’s the epitome of a high performer – her lifestyle, her attitude to life; I think a lot of our players look up to her and learn from her every single day”... also said Herdman in 2017, “on the field, you’ve seen her – she’s just a competitor – an absolute machine; one of her strongest attributes is her mindset – you just cannot break this woman”...