# Julien Denis

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**Julien Florentin Denis** (20 March 1886 – 15 August 1914) was a French [footballer](/source/Association_football) who played as a [midfielder](/source/Midfielder) for [RC Calais](/source/RC_Calais) and the [French national team](/source/France_national_football_team) in the early 20th century.

## Early life and education

Born in the [Nord](/source/Nord_(French_department)) town of [La Gorgue](/source/La_Gorgue) on 20 March 1886, Denis and his brother [Victor](/source/Victor_Denis_(footballer)) began playing football at the Gombert college in [Fournes-en-Weppes](/source/Fournes-en-Weppes), just like his fellow future internationals [Maurice Gravelines](/source/Maurice_Gravelines), [Gabriel Hanot](/source/Gabriel_Hanot), and [Charles Montagne](/source/Charles_Montagne).[1]

## Career

Unlike his brother, Denis spent his entire career at RC Calais, a club that only competed in the Maritime Championship, one of the two regional championships in Northern France, the other being the land Championship, with both winners facing each other in a final. Calais therefore usually played against Dunkerque FC and its main rivals [Boulogne](/source/US_Boulogne).[1] Basically, these three teams played in a closed environment, so international football was far from their concerns, but his performance for the Northerners in the [Paris](/source/Paris_football_team)-[Nord](/source/Northern_France_football_team) meeting of 1908, which served as annual test matches for the French national team, convinced [France's head coach](/source/France_national_football_team_manager), the Northerner [André Billy](/source/Andr%C3%A9_Billy_(footballer)),[1] to give him a chance in a [friendly](/source/Exhibition_game) against [England amateurs](/source/England_national_amateur_football_team) in [London](/source/London) on 23 March 1908, which ended in a resounding 0–12 loss.[1][2][3]

Two months later, on 10 May 1908, Denis earned his second and final [caps](/source/Cap_(sport)#Association_football) in a friendly against the [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands_national_football_team) at [Rotterdam](/source/Rotterdam), seemingly sustaining an injury in the first half; even though [substitutions](/source/Substitute_(association_football)) were allowed at the time, the Dutch [captain](/source/Captain_(association_football)) allowed it, being thus replaced in the 55th minute by his brother Victor, a feat that remained unmatched for over a century, being only repeated in 2022, when [Théo Hernandez](/source/Th%C3%A9o_Hernandez) was replaced by his brother [Lucas](/source/Lucas_Hernandez) in a World Cup match against [Australia](/source/Australia_men's_national_soccer_team).[1][4][5] This unauthorized change caused controversy at the time, with authorities suspecting that Julien had faked it to allow his brother to make his international debut, and likewise, in 1949, over 40 years later, Victor, who had become a renowned sports journalist, admitted that there had indeed been a simulation, doing so on the occasion of another France-Netherlands match, also played in Rotterdam.[1][6]

In October 1908, the [USFSA](/source/Union_des_Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9s_Fran%C3%A7aises_de_Sports_Athl%C3%A9tiques) selected him as a reserve of the [France B squad](/source/Football_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_team_squads#France_B) that competed in the [football tournament](/source/Football_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics) of the [1908 Olympic Games](/source/1908_Olympic_Games), but he ended up not traveling to [London](/source/London).[1][7][8] Three months later, in January 1909, he played in another Nord-Paris match, in which he "was far superior to the others";[according to whom?] the match ended in a draw.[1][9]

On one occasion, the press described him as being "strong as a Turk, better in defense than in attack", and highlighted his leadership and his ability to galvanize his team.[1] According to his teammate Gabriel HanotDespite his height of 1.62 meters, he had a "sensational" heading game, a, a and great ardor; according to his other teammate at CASG Edgar Lenglet, he "possessed the precious gift of attracting his opponents to him, only making his pass when his forwards had a clear path."[1]

## Death and legacy

A sergeant-major in the 8th Infantry Regiment during the [First World War](/source/First_World_War), Denis died on 15 August 1914, on the first day of the [Battle of Dinant](/source/Battle_of_Dinant) in Belgium.[1][10][11][12] In doing so, he became the very first French international to be killed in the War.[1] The home stadium of RC Calais, currently located on the Avenue Saint-Exupéry, was renamed in his honor.[1][13]

## Bibliography

- Perry, Raphaël (2021). *Bleus éphémères* [Ephemeral blues] (in French). Paris: Hugo Sport. p. 356. ISBN 978-2-7556-9244-0.

## References

1. ["Les premiers Bleus: Julien et Victor Denis, frères interchangeables"](https://www.chroniquesbleues.fr/Julien-et-Victor-Denis-portrait) [The first Blues: Julien and Victor Denis, interchangeable brothers] (in French). *www.chroniquesbleues.fr*. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["Julien Denis, international footballer"](https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=4583). *eu-football.info*. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["Il y a 116 ans, le joueur du Racing Club de Calais Julien Denis était appelé en équipe de France..."](https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1520461/article/2024-11-07/il-y-116-ans-le-joueur-du-racing-club-de-calais-julien-denis-etait-appele-en) [116 years ago, Racing Club de Calais player Julien Denis was called up to the French national team...] (in French). *www.lavoixdunord.fr*. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["Les Bleus, c’est de famille (2): allons enfants de la fratrie"](https://www.chroniquesbleues.fr/Les-Bleus-c-est-de-famille-2) [The Blues, it's in the family (2): come on, children of the siblings] (in French). *www.chroniquesbleues.fr*. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["La Hollande bat la France"](https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k4623493r/f7.r=denis.zoom) [Holland beats France]. *gallica.bnf.fr*. [L'Auto](/source/L'%C3%89quipe). 11 May 1908. p. 7. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. Perry 2021, p. 23

1. ["Football Tournament 1908 Olympiad - Squad Lists"](https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/ol1908f-det.html#sqfrb). [RSSSF](/source/RSSSF). 8 September 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["Les matches des Jeux Olympiques"](https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k785023j/f4.item.r=denis.zoom) [The matches of the Olympic Games] (in French). *gallica.bnf.fr*. [L'Intransigeant](/source/L'Intransigeant). 8 October 1908. p. 4. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["Paris et le Nord font match nul - Un des buts du Nord contesté"](https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k46240305/f5.image.r=denis.zoom) [Paris and the North draw - One of the contested North goals]. *gallica.bnf.fr*. [L'Auto](/source/L'%C3%89quipe). 25 January 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["Julien Denis"](https://www.fff.fr/equipe-nationale/joueur/7251-denis-julien/fiche.html) (in French). *www.fff.fr*. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["Les internationaux français morts au combat à la Première Guerre mondiale"](https://www.chroniquesbleues.fr/morts-au-combat-1914-1918) [French internationals killed in combat during the First World War] (in French). *www.chroniquesbleues.fr*. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["DENIS Julien Florentin, 20-03-1886"](https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/fr/arkotheque/visionneuse/visionneuse.php?arko=YToxMDp7czoxMDoidHlwZV9mb25kcyI7czoxMzoic3BlY2lmX2NsaWVudCI7czoxMDoic3BlY2lmX2ZjdCI7czoyMzoiQXJrTURIVmlzaW9ubmV1c2VJbWFnZXMiO3M6MTg6InNwZWNpZl9uYXZfcGFyX2xvdCI7czoyMjoiQXJrTURITmF2aWdhdGlvblBhckxvdCI7czoxMzoibWRoX2ZvbmRzX2NsZSI7aToxO3M6NDoicmVmMiI7czo2OiIzOTAxOTkiO3M6MTI6ImlkX2Fya19maWNoZSI7czo2OiIzOTAxOTkiO3M6OToicHlyYW1pZGFsIjtiOjA7czoxMjoiaW1hZ2VfZGVwYXJ0IjtpOjA7czoxNjoidmlzaW9ubmV1c2VfaHRtbCI7YjoxO3M6MjE6InZpc2lvbm5ldXNlX2h0bWxfbW9kZSI7czo0OiJwcm9kIjt9#uielem_move=0%2C0&uielem_rotate=F&uielem_islocked=0&uielem_zoom=100) (in French). *www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr*. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

1. ["Stade Julien Denis, Avenue Antoine Of Saint-exupéry, Calais"](https://www.mapquest.com/fr/stade-julien-denis-523008317). *www.mapquest.com*. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Julien Denis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julien_Denis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julien_Denis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.