Florent Malouda
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Florent Malouda | |
| |
| Full Name | Florent Johan Malouda |
| Date of Birth | 13 June 1980 |
| Place of Birth | Cayenne, French Guiana |
| Position | Midfielder Left winger |
| Chelsea career | 2007–2013 |
| Debut | 5 August 2007 |
| Games (goals) | 229 (45) |
| Other clubs | Châteauroux Guingamp Lyon Trabzonspor Metz |
Florent Johan Malouda (born 13 June 1980 in Cayenne, French Guiana) is a French international footballer who played for Chelsea from 2007 until 2012. Primarily a left-sided midfielder or forward, he played as part of a front three and in deeper midfield roles during his time at the club. During his time at Chelsea he won the FA Cup three times; in 2009, 2010 and 2012, in addition to the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League, making nine appearances in the latter competition including a substitute appearance in the final. A particularly important member of the 2009-10 double winning side – contributing 12 Premier League goals and numerous assists – he was voted Players' Player of the Year by his team-mates for his performances during that season.
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Before Chelsea
Born in Cayenne, French Guiana, Malouda attracted the interest of scouts from French club Châteauroux as a youngster and he soon moved to Paris to join the club. Despite the difficulties of living far away from home, Malouda was able to continue his studies and play professional football. Malouda played 57 games for Châteauroux, making his senior debut at the age of 16 in the French Ligue 2. He also got sent off in his second game for the club.
Malouda was then signed by top division side Guingamp following Châteauroux's inability to secure a Ligue 1 berth. It was in Guingamp where his talent was showcased in French top-flight football. Under the tutelage of coach Guy Lacombe, Malouda demonstrated his tremendous ability and formed a superb assister and finisher combination with then team-mate Didier Drogba, with whom he would later reunite at Chelsea.
Malouda's performances at Guingamp began catching the attention of French giants Olympique Lyonnais who, after claiming their second consecutive title during the 2002–03 season, decided to sign Malouda. In an outstanding Lyon team containing Juninho, Michael Essien, Grégory Coupet, and Mahamadou Diarra, Malouda established himself on the left side of Lyon's attack, forming great link-ups with all of Lyon's strikers. His performances for Lyon finally earned him a call up to the French national team. He also won the Ligue 1 Player of the Year that season.
Malouda made public his wish to leave Lyon at the end of the 2006-07 season. On 29 June 2007, Malouda told Lyon based newspaper Le Progres that he has his heart set on a move to Chelsea, confirming that Chelsea had lodged a €17 million bid for him. On 5 July 2007, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon told Sky Sports News that Chelsea had been in discussions with Lyon regarding Malouda's transfer and were hoping to tie up the deal before Chelsea's pre-season tour in the USA.
Chelsea career
On 8 July 2007, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas announced that Lyon had accepted an undisclosed bid, rumoured to be around $20m/£13m, from Chelsea for Malouda. Chelsea later officially revealed that Malouda would be travelling to London on 9 July for a medical and to discuss personal terms. At 7pm on the same day, Malouda officially signed a three-year contract with the club. He was handed the number 15 shirt. Chelsea manager José Mourinho described Malouda as a mature and proven player who was up to the challenge of adapting to the fast pace of English football, and hinted that Malouda would be fielded in tandem with Dutch winger Arjen Robben.
2007-08
In his first game for Chelsea, a pre-season friendly against Mexican side Club América, Malouda scored the equaliser and set up John Terry for the winning goal as Chelsea went on to win 2-1. Malouda made his competitive debut for Chelsea against Manchester United in the 2007 FA Community Shield on 5 August 2007 in a 1-1 draw, despite Chelsea going on to lose on penalties, he scored in what was an impressive display.
Malouda started against Birmingham City on 12 August on the left wing, a position previously adopted by Arjen Robben and Joe Cole. Malouda scored Chelsea's second goal in a 3-2 victory, before being replaced by Steve Sidwell in the 83rd minute. He scored against Schalke 04 in his first Champions League game for Chelsea, squeezing the ball through keeper Manuel Neuer's legs after turning his marker Rafinha. On 23 January, Malouda set up Joe Cole with a long pass to score against Everton in the Carling Cup, Chelsea winning 3-1 on aggregate. On 5 May 2008, Malouda scored his second Premier League goal in the penultimate league game of the season against Newcastle United, converting Frank Lampard's through ball. Malouda ended his first season in English football with two goals and one assist in the league, a relatively poor return due to being second choice on the left wing to Salomon Kalou for the majority of the season and the shock arrival of Avram Grant as Chelsea manager.
2008-09
Malouda scored his first two goals under new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari against French team Girondins de Bordeaux in the Champions League group stages on 16 September 2008, and in the Carling Cup third round tie against Portsmouth. Both games were 4-0 victories for Chelsea. His first league goal of the season was against Middlesbrough in a 5-0 win.
The Frenchman scored the crucial second goal in a 2-0 win against Newcastle United, scoring from Frank Lampard's pass in what was almost a carbon copy of he goal he scored at St James' Park the previous season. Malouda then played one of his best games for Chelsea in a 3-1 win over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, supplying crosses for Branislav Ivanović and Didier Drogba to score. He then scored the equaliser against Arsenal in what would be a 2-1 victory for Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium. On 2 May, he netted in Chelsea's 3-1 win over Fulham at Stamford Bridge. He scored the fourth goal in a famous 4-1 victory over Arsenal which was they biggest defeat in the league at home for 38 years, in the game which marked his 50th Premier League match for the Blues. In the 2009 FA Cup Final against Everton, he played a pivotal role in Chelsea's 2-1 win setting up Didier Drogba's equaliser, but was then later denied a superb goal when his 36 yard strike hit the underside of the crossbar; the ball subsequently shown to have crossed the line in television replays.
2009-10
On 23 June 2009, Malouda signed a new four-year deal with Chelsea which will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2013. On 12 September 2009 against Stoke City he grabbed the winner on the 94th minute to earn Chelsea all three points. On 4 October 4 2009, Malouda scored the final goal in a 2-0 win over Liverpool. Malouda continued his fine form scoring the second goal in a 4-0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the Carling Cup. On 3 November Malouda made his 100th appearance for Chelsea in a Champions League match against Atlético Madrid. On 21 November 2009, Malouda scored an early opening goal in a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, from 25 yards out. Malouda was sent off in a the Boxing Day fixture against Birmingham City at St Andrews, but returned to the team to score in an FA Cup tie against Watford, and scored a superb solo goal against Sunderland in the following game, a 7-2 win.
In a Premier League match against West Ham United, Florent Malouda was voted Man of the Match, delivering 16 crosses, two of which were turned into goals (thus counted as assists) and scoring one. Malouda scored a brace against Portsmouth on 24 March, a match won by Chelsea 5-0. Three days later Malouda scored two goals against Aston Villa in a 7-1 win. Malouda's performances over the month of March earned him the Player of the Month award for the first time [1].
In a crucial Premier League fixture against title rivals Manchester United, Malouda played a pivotal role in setting up the first goal of the match. By evading Antonio Valencia and Darren Fletcher on his way into the penalty area, Malouda was able to deliver a low cross to Joe Cole who redirected the ball with his back heel past Edwin van Der Sar. Chelsea would go on to win the game 2-1. A week later he scored the second goal for Chelsea in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the FA Cup Semi-Final for the second successive year on the 10 April 2010.
Malouda was one of the stand-out players in the league during the 2009-10 campaign, helping Chelsea to the League and FA Cup Double for the first time in the club's history. He was controversially not included in the team of the season - despite compiling an impressive 12 goals and 8 assists. Overall he scored 15 goals and provided 15 assists during the 2009-10 season, and finished joint 12th top scorer in the Premier League.
2010-11
Malouda made a goalscoring start to the 2010-11 Premier League season, with two goals on the opening day against newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge, in a 6-0 win, before scoring the opening goal in another 6-0 victory against Wigan Athletic the following weekend. A goal against Stoke City and a brace against Blackpool followed, but the Frenchman's form declined towards the end of the year, along with that of his side. Malouda continued to contribute goals – he finished the season as Chelsea's top scorer in the Premier League with 13 – but his overall play didn't reach the same standard that it had the previous season.
2011-12
Over the summer Malouda was linked with a move to Juventus, but with two years left on his Chelsea contract he opted to stay in west London. [2] During the 2011-12 season he again featured regularly, though the majority of his appearances would be as a substitute. On 20 August he scored a late winner in a 2-1 home win against West Bromwich Albion, but he remained a bit-part player over the course of the season, albeit making frequent appearances from the bench. He scored two more goals late in the season, in 5-1 and 6-1 thrashings of Tottenham Hotspur and QPR respectively, and appeared as a substitute in both the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals, taking his tally of majour honours at Chelsea to five.
2012-13
In the summer of 2013, with one year remaining on his contract, Malouda was linked with several different clubs as it became clear that he was deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea. However the French international reportedly turned down all potential moves and was subsequently banished to the Under-21 team, where he would see out the remaining year of his contract without making a further first team appearance. [3]
It was a sour end to his six-year spell at Stamford Bridge, but with five major honours and some memorable performances – particularly during the double-winning 2009-10 season – his time at the club was generally successful despite occasional dips in form.
After Chelsea
Upon the expiry of his contract Malouda joined Turkish side Trabzonspor, [4] where he would remain for one season before returning to France in 2014, signing a one-year contract with Metz.
International
Malouda made his debut for France on 17 November 2004 in a match against Poland. He then became a regular for his country, scoring his first international goal on 31 May 2005 against Hungary.
After playing almost throughout France's qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Malouda earned a call up to the final squad. Malouda continued to play regularly in the tournament, where the French eventually lost on penalties to Italy in the final. He won a penalty for France in that game which was converted by Zinédine Zidane.
On 22 June 2010, during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Malouda scored a goal against the hosts South Africa which ended in a 2-1 defeat. It was the only goal scored by France during their campaign, before they were eliminated after finishing in last place in their group.
Statistics
- See also: List of Florent Malouda goals
| Season | Prem | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2007-08 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 4 |
| 2008-09 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 9 |
| 2009-10 | 33 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 15 |
| 2010-11 | 38 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 14 |
| 2011-12 | 26 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 3 |
| 2012-13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 149 | 35 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 47 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 229 | 45 |
Career honours
Club
- Lyon
- Ligue 1: 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07
- Trophée des champions: 2003, 2004, 2005
- Chelsea
- Premier League: 2009-10
- FA Cup: 2009, 2010, 2012
- UEFA Champions League: 2012
- FA Community Shield: 2009
Individual
- Premier League Player of the Month: March 2010
- Chelsea Players' Player of the Year: 2009-10
