Jean-Louis Valois

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Jean-Louis Valois (born 15 October 1973, in Lyon) is a professional French footballer, currently unattached. A left-sided player capable of playing on either wing, his last senior club was Burnley.

Valois began his professional career under the tutelage of renowned coach Guy Roux at AJ Auxerre but was unable to command a first-team position in Burgundy, and opted for a move to Ligue 2 side Gueugnon in 1997. Three years later he moved north to join Lille Olympique before crossing the English Channel in September 2001, when he signed for League Two side Luton Town.

Valois enjoyed an impressive 2001-02 season with the Hatters, helping them to clinch promotion, but a dispute with manager Joe Kinnear saw him leave for SPL side Hearts in August 2002 on a free transfer. An explosive start saw him named Man of the Match on his Tynecastle debut, a 5-1 defeat of city-rivals Hibernian, despite fellow debutant Mark de Vries scoring 4 goals. Valois maintained this form during the remainder of the 2002-03 season as Hearts achieved European qualification, however an indifferent period in early 2003-04 led to his release in January 2004.

Spain was Valois' next port of call, although when his 6-month contract with UD Almería was not renewed in the summer of 2004 the mercurial Frenchmen returned to Britain. After a month with Clyde, he signed for Championship side Burnley in September, with whom he stayed until May 2005.