Mathieu Acapandié signed for Hajduk until 2030: the young right-back from Nantes strengthens competition ahead of the European qualifiers
Mathieu Acapandié is Hajduk’s new player, the Split club confirmed on June 26, 2026, through its official channels. The twenty-one-year-old right-back signed a contract until the summer of 2030, and he arrives in Split after a period at French side Nantes, the club where he went through a key part of his football development and reached senior appearances. According to Hajduk’s announcement, he is a player who primarily covers the right side of defence, but his development so far shows that he can also meet the demands of higher positions along the touchline. The club presents him as a reinforcement for a squad preparing for the new season and European commitments, with emphasis placed on his physical profile, speed and potential for further progress. Acapandié will wear the shirt with number 22, and his arrival fits into the broader reshaping of the defensive line during the summer transfer window.
Hajduk announced the transfer at a time when the first team is in the final phase of preparations for the start of the competitive part of the season. According to the schedule published on the club’s official website, the Split team will face Slovak side Žilina in July, first on July 9 in Split and then on July 16 away from home. The arrival of Acapandié is therefore not only a squad-related piece of news for the future, but also a move that can have an immediate effect on competition on the right side of the pitch. A day earlier, the club also presented Belgian centre-back Alec Van Hoorenbeeck, which shows that the summer emphasis is being placed on stabilising the back line. In the context of a congested start to the season, squad depth in defence can be just as important as the individual quality of the new players.
An arrival without a transfer fee and a contract that shows long-term intent
According to information published by Hajduk and reported by sports media, Acapandié arrives at the club as a free agent after the expiry of his contract with Nantes. Such a transfer model represents a lower initial financial risk for the club than buying a player under contract, but at the same time it requires a clear assessment of his development potential. The contract until the summer of 2030 shows that Hajduk does not view the arrival of the young Madagascar international as a short-term solution, but as an investment in a player who could develop within the first-team system. In modern football, such transfers often have a dual logic: strengthening competition immediately and creating value through continuity of work, matches and international visibility.
Hajduk sporting director Robert Graf stated after the signing that the club sees in Acapandié a player with pronounced athletic abilities and defensive qualities. According to Graf’s statement, reported by club and sports sources, the new full-back has a profile suited to the demands of the modern game, while experience from Ligue 1 and appearances for the Madagascar national team give him a valuable foundation despite his youth. Graf also emphasised that Hajduk believes in his further development, which is an important formulation because Acapandié does not arrive as a fully formed game carrier, but as a player whose full senior potential still needs to be confirmed. Precisely for that reason, his transfer should be viewed through a combination of talent, physical predispositions and room for tactical refinement. For a club entering a season with domestic and European commitments, such a profile can be particularly useful if he adapts quickly to his new environment.
From Réunion to Nantes: development through the French football school
Acapandié was born on December 14, 2004, in Saint-Pierre on Réunion, a French overseas island in the Indian Ocean. According to data from the French Football Federation and Transfermarkt, he took his first football steps in local environments, at École de Foot de Saint-Pierre and CO Saint-Pierre, before moving to Nantes in 2019. That move marked his entry into one of the recognisable French development systems, where he went through the youth categories and developed into a player for senior football. Nantes’ academy is known in French football for its work with young players, and Acapandié there went from a promising academy member to a member of the professional squad. His development was especially interesting because he did not immediately profile himself exclusively as a right-back, but played in several positions in the younger categories.
Data from the French Football Federation show that Acapandié played for France U18 and U19 in the younger categories. He made two appearances for the France U18 national team, while he played one match for the U19 selection in the qualifiers for the European Championship in that age group. In his development file, the FFF also states that he won the French junior championship with Nantes in 2022 and 2023, which gives additional context to his role in a strong generation of the club’s academy. Such a youth background does not automatically guarantee success in senior football, but it shows that he passed through a competitive environment in which discipline, technical neatness and tactical adaptability are required from young players. For Hajduk, it is especially important that a player arrives who is already accustomed to professional working standards in a major club system.
Senior experience at Nantes and the profile of a player who can grow
According to FC Nantes’ official profile for the 2025/26 season, Acapandié was registered in the French club’s first team as a defender with number 22, and in that season he made appearances in Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France. Nantes’ data state that he played six matches in Ligue 1 during the season, including two starts, and that he recorded one appearance in the French cup. These numbers show that he had already been introduced into the senior rhythm, but also that continuity at the highest level still needs to become a permanent feature of his career. Precisely for that reason, his arrival at Hajduk should not be described as the arrival of an established first-division full-back from France, but as the arrival of a young player with initial experience in one of Europe’s strongest leagues. The difference is important because it sets expectations realistically and leaves room for the gradual building of his role.
Transfermarkt states that Acapandié is 1.82 metres tall, right-footed, primarily a right-back and a Madagascar international. The same source estimates his market value at 700 thousand euros according to the update of June 1, 2026, which places him among players interesting to development-oriented and medium-term sporting projects. In practical terms, Hajduk is getting a player who can compete for a place in the back line, but also provide an option in phases when the team wants more energy and width on the right flank. His greatest value could be in his ability to repeat runs, his aggression in duels and his ability to take part in high pressing, which are elements modern wide players increasingly have to bring. On the other hand, adaptation to a new club, a new league and the different pressure of the environment will remain the key challenge in the first months.
National-team choice: France in youth football, Madagascar in senior football
Acapandié’s national-team story shows the complexity of modern football identity. He was born on Réunion, a territory that is administratively part of France, and in the younger age groups he played for French selections. In the senior phase, he decided to play for Madagascar, which confirmed his international status outside the European national-team framework. According to Transfermarkt, by the end of June 2026 he has three appearances for Madagascar’s senior national team and is still waiting for his first goal. Sports media state that he made his debut for Madagascar in March 2025 in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which means that he arrives at Hajduk with experience of competitive international matches.
For Hajduk, that national-team status is a double-edged but mostly positive fact. On the one hand, a player who plays for a national team gains additional matches, experience and international visibility, which can accelerate development. On the other hand, national-team obligations can mean absences during the season, especially if Madagascar has important qualifying or continental matches during FIFA windows. In club planning, such circumstances must be taken into account, especially for positions where injuries and rotations quickly change the hierarchy. Still, the fact that Acapandié has already entered senior international football shows that selectors see him as a player with the potential for a more serious international role.
What Hajduk gets on the right side of defence
The arrival of Acapandié most directly affects competition on the right side of defence, but his positional history gives the coach additional options. According to information reported by sports sources, during his development at Nantes he also played more attacking roles, including positions closer to midfield and the wing, before profiling himself as a right-back. Such a past can be useful for a team that requires wide players to participate in build-up play, move into half-spaces and make timely runs behind the opposition defence. Wide players in modern football are no longer only defenders who guard the touchline, but often serve as one of the main tools for creating overloads in the attacking phase. If Acapandié manages to transfer his physical characteristics and developmental versatility into Hajduk’s competitive rhythm, he could open up a new dimension on the right flank.
The most important question will be how quickly he can absorb the demands of the new coach, teammates and an environment in which expectations are traditionally high. Hajduk’s supporters are known for their strong emotional bond with the club, and Poljud is a stadium where young players can stand out quickly, but also feel great pressure. After signing, Acapandié said that he was proud to arrive at the club and that he was entering the new adventure with ambition and determination. Such statements do not in themselves change sporting output, but they show awareness of the size of the step he is taking in his career. For a player who has already gone through the French academy structure, moving to a club with a different football culture can be an important test of maturity.
A transfer that fits into the broader reconstruction of the squad
Hajduk enters the summer transfer window with a clear need to balance the squad, especially because of the early start of the European qualifiers. According to the official schedule, the matches against Žilina come very soon after the start of preparations, which means that new players do not have much time to adapt. In such circumstances, the coach must assess who can help immediately and who will be introduced gradually through training sessions, preparatory matches and domestic competition. Acapandié’s profile suggests that he could be useful in the rotation already at the start of the season, but his actual minutes will depend on tactical assessment, physical readiness and the speed of fitting into defensive automatisms. It is especially important that he fits into an age group that can bring the club sporting and market growth, provided he receives a clear development path.
In the same period, Hajduk also strengthened the central part of defence by bringing in Alec Van Hoorenbeeck, so Acapandié’s arrival can be read as part of a broader attempt to raise the quality and depth of the back line. Defence is the foundation of every European campaign, especially in qualifiers where a season is often decided over two matches before the team reaches full rhythm. The young full-back from Nantes will not solve all structural challenges on his own, but he can increase internal competition and enable more tactical variants. For Hajduk, it is also important that a player arrives who is not tied to only one role, because flexibility in the early phase of the season often becomes just as important as individual quality. If it turns out that he can play both full-back and a more attacking right-sided position, the coach will gain greater room for manoeuvre.
Expectations should be built cautiously
Although he comes from Nantes and has Ligue 1 experience, Acapandié is still a player at the beginning of his senior career. His appearances in the French club’s first team are a valuable foundation, but the number of matches does not indicate that he is already a proven game carrier. Such transfers often depend on how well the development plan, the coach’s trust and the player’s ability to learn quickly through matches align. Hajduk has shown patience and belief in his potential with a contract until 2030, but the football process cannot be reduced to the duration of the contract or a market valuation. The true value of the transfer will become visible only through his performances, stability in defence and contribution in matches in which a high level of concentration will be demanded of the team.
For Acapandié, the move to Split is an opportunity for greater continuity and clearer senior affirmation than he had at Nantes. For Hajduk, it is an opportunity to acquire without a transfer fee a young international with international experience, good physical predispositions and schooling in the French system. The success of that combination will depend on details: the speed of adaptation, communication in defence, the quality of crosses, decision-making under pressure and the ability to repeat good performances in different competitions. The summer transfer window often brings great expectations, but this transfer is most realistically viewed as a development move with a possible short-term effect. If Acapandié confirms already in the first months that he can cope with the rhythm of Hajduk’s matches, the contract until 2030 could gain much more concrete sporting meaning.
Sources:
- HNK Hajduk Split – official announcement of Mathieu Acapandié’s transfer and confirmation of the contract until 2030 (link)
- HNK Hajduk Split – official match schedule and preparatory context ahead of the European qualifiers (link)
- FC Nantes – official player profile with data on position, appearances and the 2025/26 season (link)
- Fédération Française de Football – Mathieu Acapandié’s profile, appearances for French youth selections and club development (link)
- Transfermarkt – player profile, position, national-team status, contract with Nantes and market value (link)
- Dalmatinski portal – statements by sporting director Robert Graf on the profile and potential of the new player (link)