Charting the key moments in Jean-Ricner Bellegarde's career which made him the player he is today.
B-team debut
12th September 2015 | RC Lens B 0-1 AC Amiens
Beginning his career at the age of six with local club FC Saint-Michel-sur-Orge, Bellegarde played youth football for Villetaneuse CS and Le Mans before joining the set-up at Lens in 2013. Just two years later, the midfielder was making his debut for the club’s B-team, in the Championnat National 2 – the fourth tier of French football. Joining a squad alongside the likes of former Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin and current Bristol Rovers defender Taylor Moore, Bellegarde made his debut in game five of the season as he played the opening 65 minutes of Lens’ one-goal defeat at home to Amiens.
Senior debut
29th July 2016 | Chamois Niort 0-0 RC Lens
A regular at B-team level during the 2015/16 season, which saw him turn out 23 times in the league, Bellegarde made the step up to senior level in the summer of 2016, as he started in midfield – alongside John Bostock – for Lens’ opening game of the Ligue 2 campaign. A visit to Chamois Niort awaited for Bellegarde, and he helped the team’s steadfast defence to keep a clean sheet and get the campaign off with a point. He would feature another 13 times for the first-team that season, including nine outings in the league and two each in the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue.
First goal
18th September 2017 | RC Lens 2-0 Quevilly Rouen
Two years after his Lens B-team debut and a year after his senior bow, Bellegarde continued to tick off the milestones as he found the net for the first time in his career during the September of 2017. Lens had made a poor start to the season, as they entered their eighth game of the campaign without a single point, but Bellegarde’s debut senior goal earned his team a morale boosting victory. With the game entering the final 20 minutes, the midfielder was picked out by Souleymane Diarra and his deflected effort put Lens a goal to the good – setting the team up for the first of 11 wins that season.
First captaincy
3rd December 2017 | RC Lens 3-2 Stade Reims
Bellegarde had made himself a key member of the Lens side during the 2017/18 season, so much so that by the time the Coupe de France rolled around in December, he was chosen to lead the team out as captain for the first time, with Lens coming out on top as 3-2 winners after a thrilling contest which saw three goals scored in extra time. Bellegarde would go on to skipper Lens three more times that season, once in the next round of the cup, as well as twice in the league – away at Paris FC and in the final game of the season, a 2-1 win over Auxerre.
International debut
5th September 2025 | Haiti 0-0 Honduras
The midfielder, who was born in the northwestern suburbs of Paris but of Haitian descent, had represented France at youth level internationally, turning out for the under-19s, under-20s and under-21s during the years following his breakthrough into the Lens senior side. But six years later, and just over a month ago, Bellegarde was granted clearance to make his senior international bow for Haiti in their World Cup qualification matches. His debut came against Honduras as the sides played out a goalless draw. He has since played three more times for the country and is already proving popular with the Haitian supporters.
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2025/26 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
