Gaëtan Paquiez

Gaëtan Paquiez took the long way into professional football. He started out at Île-Rousse-Monticello in Corsica at the age of four before moving into Nîmes Olympique's youth setup, with a brief spell training at Avignon F84 before he returned to Nîmes for the under-14 federal level. Between 2012 and 2016 he worked his way through the club's reserve side, making 55 appearances in that time. His first professional contract was delayed by administrative changes at the club, and in the interim he worked as a shoe salesman before finally signing terms in February 2016. He made his professional debut that same season.

Paquiez went on to make over 150 senior appearances for Nîmes, including three seasons in Ligue 1 before the club's relegation. In July 2022 he left on a free transfer to join Grenoble Foot 38, where he became club captain and passed 100 appearances, a spell that included an unbeaten run in Ligue 2 in late 2023. A strike against Reims earned him a nomination for Ligue 2's Best Goal of the Season in October 2025.

He left Grenoble as a free agent to sign for Pau FC.