Jean-Sylvain Babin
Jean-Sylvain Claude Emmanuel Babin is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Primera Federación club Real Avilés.
He all but spent his professional career in Spain, appearing for Granada and Sporting de Gijón in La Liga and Alcorcón and Sporting in the Segunda División.
Born in metropolitan France, Babin represented the Martinique national team at international level.
Club career
France
Born in Corbeil-Essonnes, Essonne, Babin graduated from LB Châteauroux's youth academy, and made his senior debut with their B team. He started playing as a professional in the 2003–04 season, appearing with the main squad in Ligue 2.Babin was loaned to FC Martigues on 30 August 2007. After his contract expired, he left Châteauroux.
Spain
On 14 July 2008, Babin moved to Spain and joined Lucena CF in Segunda División B. He was regularly used by the Andalusians during his stint, being an important defensive unit in the 2009–10 campaign.On 2 August 2010, Babin signed with AD Alcorcón, recently promoted to Segunda División. He made his debut for the Madrid club late in the month, starting in a 1–1 away draw against Albacete Balompié.
Babin scored his first goal for the Alfareros on 22 October 2011, closing the 2–1 home win over Recreativo de Huelva. He added a further four during the season, as his team missed out on promotion in the play-offs.
On 9 June 2014, Babin signed a four-year contract with Granada CF. He made his debut in La Liga on 23 August, and scored to help the hosts come from behind and win 2–1 against Deportivo de La Coruña.
On 4 August 2016, Babin agreed to a three-year deal with fellow top-tier side Sporting de Gijón. He scored once in 22 appearances in his first year, as the Asturians were relegated after finishing third-bottom.
Babin was loaned to Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. of the Israeli Premier League in September 2017; the previous month, he had seen his request for an improved contract denied and was also transfer-listed.
On 24 June 2022, Babin returned to Alcorcón after eight years. He scored on his debut on 28 August, opening the 1–1 draw at Pontevedra CF in the Primera Federación. He won promotion at the end of the season, being immediately relegated in 2024.
Babin moved down to Segunda Federación for the 2024–25 campaign, with the 37-year-old joining Real Avilés Industrial CF on a two-year deal.
International career
Babin chose to represent Martinique internationally. He earned his first cap during the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, playing the full 90 minutes and helping to a 1–0 group-stage defeat of Canada.Career statistics
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 1 June 2016 | Pierre-Aliker, Fort-de-France, Martinique | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification |