Jean-Marc Bosman (French: [ʒɑ̃ maʁk bɔsman]; born 30 October 1964) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

This led Bosman to challenge the system legally and bring his case to court; he sued Liège, the Belgian FA, and UEFA, arguing that the rules set out by UEFA, which prevented him from leaving his club even though his contract had expired, amounted to a breach of his rights established in the 1957 Treaty of Rome, which allowed freedom of movement within the European Community, now the European Union.

While the trial was ongoing Bosman played briefly in the French lower leagues for second division club Saint-Quentin, and on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion.

[2][3][5][7][8][9] Despite the legal victory, Bosman faced significant financial and personal difficulties following the landmark trial.

As a result of his financial difficulties and his claimed ostracism by the world of football, Bosman fell into depression and also struggled with alcoholism.