Anthony Patrick Knockaert (born 20 November 1991) is a French professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
winger for
EFL Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
side
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
, on loan from side
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
.
Club career
Guingamp
Knockaert, who was born in
Roubaix
Roubaix ( or ; nl, Robaais; vls, Roboais) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial commune in the Nord department, which grew rapidly in the 19th century ...
, began his professional career with
Guingamp
Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Gui ...
, having previously spent his youth career at
Wasquehal
Wasquehal (traditional pronunciation ; currently common pronunciation ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
The town originally had a Flemish name; it was written as ''Waskenhal'' in the 11th century.
Geography
Wasquehal ha ...
, Leers,
Lens
A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
,
Mouscron
Mouscron (; Dutch and vls, Moeskroen, ; Picard and Walloon: ''Moucron'') is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, along the border with the French city of Tourcoing, which is part of the Lille metropoli ...
and
Lesquin
Lesquin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
Population
Heraldry
Economy
When Flandre Air existed, it had its head office at Lille Airport and in Lesquin. On 30 March 2001 Flandre, Proteus Airlines, and Regional Airl ...
. While progressing in the youth at Lesquin, he almost joined
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
in September 2008, but both parties could not agree terms after
Lens
A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
intervened in the transfer and demanded a compensatory fee. At some point on progressing his youth career, Knockaert thought about considering quitting football after being told by the Lens' management that he was released because he was small at the time.
It was not until the summer of 2009 when he moved to Guingamp, where he signed his first professional contract. It was not until on 30 July 2010 when he made his Guingamp debut in the first round of the Coupe de la Ligue, scoring in a 2–1 win over
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
. After playing 120 minutes, in a 3–2 win over
Evian
Evian ( , ; , stylized as evian) is a French company that bottles and commercialises mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. It produces over 2 billion plastic bottles per year.
Today, Evia ...
in the second round of the Coupe de la Ligue, he scored his second goal in the Coupe de la Ligue, in a 3–2 win over on 22 September 2010. Seven days later, on 29 September 2010, he made his league debut, making his first start and played 69 minutes before being substituted, in a 5–0 win over
Gap. Soon after, he signed a three-year contract with the club on 6 October 2010 Knockaert then scored his first league goals, in a 6–0 win over
Maccabi Paris Métropole on 22 April 2011. After helping the club's promotion to Ligue 2, he made 27 appearances scoring 4 times in all competitions.
In the 2011–12 season, Knockaert started the season well when he scored twice in a 2–0 win over
Vannes
Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History Celtic Era
The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who lived ...
in the second round of the Coupe de la Ligue on 9 August 2011. Weeks later, on 9 September 2011, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
. It was not until on 17 October 2011 when he scored again, in a 4–1 win over
AS Monaco
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Frenc ...
. In the ten matches between 19 December 2011 and 16 March 2012, he scored six times against
Sedan,
Istres
Istres (; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture.
Location
...
,
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
,
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
,
Troyes
Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...
and Lens. Knockaert then scored three more goals later in the season, scoring twice against
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
and once against
Clermont. He finished the 2011–12 season making 38 appearances and scoring thirteen times in all competitions.
At the end of the season, Knockaert's performance at Guingamp attracted interests from clubs around Europe, such as English side
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, and Portuguese side
Benfica, as well as being linked with his native country side
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
.
Leicester City
![Anthony Knockaert](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Anthony_Knockaert.jpg)
On 1 August 2012, Knockaert moved to
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
on a three-year contract.
The transfer fee was undisclosed before the transfer fee was revealed as £2.5 million.
Knockaert made his Leicester City debut on 18 August 2012, where he came on as a substitute for
Lloyd Dyer
Lloyd Richard Dyer (born 13 September 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. During his 18 years as a professional, Dyer spent the majority of his career in the Football League, most notably with West Bromwi ...
in the second half, in a 2–0 win over
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
. he then scored his first goal for Leicester with a free-kick against
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
in the League Cup on 28 August 2012. His first league goals came in a 2–0 win at
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
on 2 October 2012. The first was a 35-yard shot into the top corner, while the second saw him flick the ball in from behind with his left heel, after a cross from left-back
Paul Konchesky
Paul Martyn Konchesky (born 15 May 1981) is an English Association football, football coach and former professional player who currently manages West Ham United W.F.C., West Ham United Women of the FA WSL.
During a 21-year playing career, Konch ...
. By the end 2012, he scored two more goals against
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
and
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
. On 1 January 2013, he scored another two league goals for the club in the reverse fixture against Huddersfield Town with Leicester City winning 6–1 and then scored another by the end of January, with a 2–1 win over
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
. On 4 May 2013, he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
at the
City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,445.
The stadium was a venue when E ...
that got Leicester City into a playoff place.
Following his performance against Forest, which also contained an assist for
Andy King Andrew or Andy King may refer to:
* Andrew King (astrophysicist) (born 1947), British astrophysicist
* Andrew King (architect), Canadian architect and cross-disciplinary artist
* Andrew King (mayor) (born 1960 or 1961), former mayor of Hamilton, Ne ...
's 50th Leicester goal, Knockaert was named in the Championship Team of the Week, alongside King. However, in the
2013 Playoff semi-final second leg, with the aggregate scores level he won a penalty for Leicester City deep into stoppage time. He opted to take the penalty himself but it was saved by
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
goalkeeper
Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia Rivero (born 19 May 1977) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He competed mainly in the Spanish lower leagues in his early years, only appearing in 26 La Liga games over the course of two seasons with Rec ...
who also saved the follow-up. Despite this, he went on to win both Young Player of the Year and Goal of the Season against Huddersfield Town and finished his first season making 47 appearances and scoring nine times in all competitions.
In the 2013–14 season, Knockaert scored his first goal of the 2013–14 season in the 5–2
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
victory away to
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
and scored again in the second round of the League Cup with a 30-yard free kick at home to
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
and then assisted
Danny Drinkwater
Daniel Noel Drinkwater (born 5 March 1990) is an English professional footballer who is a midfielder. He is currently a free agent.
Having come through the youth academy at Manchester United, he spent time on loan with Huddersfield Town, Cardif ...
's winning goal in a 2nd half come back in the 3rd round victory. Despite his good performances, he did not score his first league goal until Leicester's 3–0 away win against
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
. After scoring three more goals from December to early-January against Sheffield Wednesday,
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
and
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
, He was a regular member of a settled side that went unbeaten from early December until 5 April, when promotion was assured after losses by third placed
QPR
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football, football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home ...
and fourth placed Derby County. Knockaert had scored the winning goal from a free-kick in a Friday night fixture the day before, at home to
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
. He went on to finish the 2014–15 season making 50 appearances and scoring 7 times in all competitions.
In the 2014–15 season, Knockaert made his first Premier League appearance in the opening game of the season, where he played 64 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–2 draw against
Everton. However, he struggled to regain his first team place, owing to the performances of
Nick Powell
Nicholas Edward Powell (born 23 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or as a striker for EFL Championship club Stoke City.
He began his career at Crewe Alexandra, initially as a forward, making his de ...
,
Marc Albrighton
Marc Kevin Albrighton (born 18 November 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or wing-back for Championship side West Bromwich Albion, on loan from Premier League club Leicester City.
Albrighton joined Aston Vil ...
and
Danny Simpson
Daniel Peter Simpson (born 4 January 1987) is an English professional footballer who last played as a right-back for Championship side Bristol City.
A product of the Manchester United academy, Simpson played on loan for Royal Antwerp, Sunderla ...
. In effort to fight for the first team place, he was sent to play for the club's reserves, which he did for the most of the season. Despite being rumoured to be loaned out to clubs in the Championship throughout the season, manager Pearson blocked his loan move from happening unless the squad was strengthened. Nevertheless, Knockaert made 11 appearances in the 2014–15 season in all competitions.
At the end of the 2014–15 season, Knockaert's contract was set to expire and he began talks with the club over a new contract, with manager Pearson revealing that he was given a "fair contract offer". However, he rejected a contract, revealing he had been offered a four-year contract. Despite this, Knockaert made a farewell message to Leicester City supporters upon leaving the club, stating that he would not forget the club.
Standard Liège
On 4 June 2015, it was announced that Knockaert had joined
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (; nl, Standard Luik ; german: Standard Lüttich ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.
They are one of the most ...
on a free transfer. It came after the club had begun to open talks with Knockaert the month before.
Knockaert started well on his Standard Liège debut when he scored his first goal for the club despite losing 2–1 to
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...
in the opening game of the season. Five days later, he scored again, but this time in an UEFA Europa League match against
Željezničar Sarajevo, as well as setting up a goal in a 2–1 win. Following this, he scored again in the league on 15 August 2015, in a 1–1 draw against
Mouscron
Mouscron (; Dutch and vls, Moeskroen, ; Picard and Walloon: ''Moucron'') is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, along the border with the French city of Tourcoing, which is part of the Lille metropoli ...
and scoring two weeks later, in a UEFA Europa League against
Molde
Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord.
The administrative centre of the m ...
in the return leg, in a 3–1 win, but was eliminated following an away goal from Molde. Despite this, he scored three more goals by the end of 2015 against
Gent
Gent is a shortened form of the word gentleman. It may also refer to:
* Ghent (Dutch language, Dutch: Gent), a Belgian city
** K.A.A. Gent, a football club from Ghent
** K.R.C. Gent, a football club from Ghent
** Gent RFC, a rugby club in Ghen ...
,
Genk
Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...
and
Mechelen
Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...
. However, in a match against
Oud-Heverlee Leuven
Oud-Heverlee Leuven (), also called OH Leuven or OHL, is a Belgian football club from the city of Leuven. It was created in 2002 from the merger of three clubs, '' F.C. Zwarte Duivels Oud-Heverlee'', whose registration number it inherited, '' ...
on 26 September 2015, Knockaert reacted furiously via Twitter when he substituted during the second half, in a 2–2 draw. Following, he soon apologised the way he behaved and vowed to be calmer next time.
Between July 2015 and January 2016, Knockaert made 20 appearances and scored 5 goals in
2015–16 for the club despite missing out a game, due to suspension after picking a yellow card for the fifth time this season against Anderlecht on 8 November 2015. On 6 January 2016, Standard confirmed they had accepted an offer from Championship side
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
with the player set to travel to England to agree personal terms.
Brighton & Hove Albion
2015–16 season
On 7 January 2016,
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
confirmed the signing of Knockaert for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract. Upon joining the club, he said the move interested him, citing the club's ambition as the reason he returned to England.
Knockaert made his Brighton debut five days after signing with the club on 12 January 2016, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 defeat against
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
. He soon began to have an impact at Brighton, setting up two assists for his team in a 2–1 win over
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
on 23 January 2016. He scored his first goal for Brighton in a 3–0 win over
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
on 5 February 2016.
Knockaert was a key performer for Brighton in April 2016, scoring against
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
,
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
and twice against
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
, as the club pushed for automatic promotion. His performances in April earned him the Player of the Month award. Despite Brighton's unsuccessful attempt to reach promotion to the Premier League after losing in the play-offs to Sheffield Wednesday, Knockaert impressed for the club, making 16 appearances and scoring 5 times.
2016–17 season
In the 2016–17 season, Knockaert was linked with a move to recently relegated side Newcastle United, but Brighton rejected their bid. He began the season well, scoring three goals for Brighton in their first five matches against Nottingham Forest, Rotherham United and
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
. He also began playing in advanced role behind
Tomer Hemed
Tomer Hemed ( he, תומר חמד; born 2 May 1987) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a forward for Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Be'er Sheva and the Israel national team.
Early and personal life
Hemed was born and rai ...
up front. He scored again for Brighton on 13 September 2016, in a 1–0 win over Huddersfield Town. In October 2016, Knockaert scored against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
, and also contributed to Brighton's 5–0 drubbing of
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
.
On 3 March 2017, Knockaert signed a new four-year contract extension with the club, expiring in June 2021. On 9 April 2017, he was named EFL's Championship Player of the Year having scored 13 goals in 40 games at that stage of the season.
He finished the season with 15 goals in 45 appearances in the league and overall where Brighton were promoted to the Premier League.
2017–18 season
Brighton's first match in the top flight for 34 years was at home to eventual champions
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. Knockaert was brought on to replace
Solly March
Solomon Benjamin March (born 20 July 1994) is an English professional footballer who predominantly plays as a left wing-back for club Brighton & Hove Albion. March can also operate further forward as a winger.
Early life
March was born in Ea ...
in the 75th minute with Brighton trailing 2–0, the scoreline that the game finished. Knockaert scored his first Premier League goal on 15 October 2017, in a 1–1 home draw against
Everton. He scored his second Premier League goal for Brighton on 1 January 2018, the opening goal in a 2–2 draw against
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
. On 10 March, Knockaert was sent off for the first time in the Premier League away against Everton as a result of an in air two footed challenge. (Brighton were already 2–0 down in the 2–0 defeat). Knockaert played in the 1–0 home victory over
Manchester Utd on 4 May 2018 which secured Albion's Premier League status. BBC Sport's Emlyn Begley described Knockaert and fellow winger
Jose Izquierdo as "fantastic" in this game.
2018–19 season
On 5 January 2019 Knockaert scored his first ever
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
goal in a 3–1 away win against south coast rivals Bournemouth in the third round. On 9 March Knockaert scored a screamer which turned out to be the winner against bitter rivals
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
where it finished 2–1 at
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...
. This win meant Brighton won the double over Palace. Knockaert's goal also won the Premier League Goal Of The Month for March.
On 13 April Knockaert was sent off for the second time in his Premier League career. Albion were 2–0 down against Bournemouth at the time of the red card and went on to be beaten 5–0 at home.
Fulham
Initial loan and then transfer
On 21 July 2019, Knockaert joined
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
on a season-long loan from
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
with an option to make the move permanent. On 3 August, Knockaert made his debut, coming on as a sub in a 1–0 away loss to
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
. Knockaert scored his first goal for Fulham in a 4–0 home victory against
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
on 21 August.
On 8 July 2020, Fulham completed the permanent transfer of Knockaert in a deal worth up to £15 million with add-ons. With the deal, Knockaert signed a three-year contract. Knockaert played in all three of Fulham's
play off matches, coming on in the 81st minute as a substitute in
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
where Fulham beat rivals
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
after extra time to earn an immediate return to the Premier League. The promotion meant that Knockaert has been promoted to the top flight with all three English clubs for whom he has played.
Loan to Nottingham Forest
On 16 October 2020, Knockaert joined
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
side
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
on a loan until 7 January 2021 in where he was to play under former Brighton manager
Chris Hughton
Christopher William Gerard Hughton (born 11 December 1958) is a professional football manager and former player. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland national team.
After making his professional debut aged 20, Hughton spen ...
. He made his debut for the ''Tricky Trees'' coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 home draw against
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
on 23 October. Knockaert scored his first goal for ''Forest'' in a 2–1 away loss at
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
on 9 December. Three days later he set up a 90+2 minute header with
Joe Worrall scoring the consolation, before being sent off for a second yellow for diving in 90+5 minute a 3–1 home defeat against
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
. On 12 January 2021, it was announced that Knockaert's loan with
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
had been extended until the end of the 2020–21 season. 11 days later he scored his second ''Forest'' goal in a 5–1
FA Cup fourth round defeat at
Swansea City on 23 January. He scored his third goal for ''Forest'' in a 3–0 away win over
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their ho ...
on 6 February, in a match where former Brighton teammate
Glenn Murray
Glenn Murray (born 25 September 1983) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football pundit who played as a Forward (association football), striker. His career spanned 19 years from 2002 until 2021.
Best known ...
scored his first two goals for the club and other former Brighton teammate
Gaëtan Bong
Thomas Gaëtan Bong (born 25 April 1988) is a Cameroonian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, left back. He has made 16 appearances for the Cameroon national football te ...
picked up an assist in the victory.
Loan to Volos
On 10 September 2022, Knockaert joined
Super League Greece
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
club
Volos
Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...
on a season-long loan.
Loan to Huddersfield Town
On 11 January 2023, Knockaert joined
EFL Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
side
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
on loan for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.
International career
After representing
France under-20, Knockaert was called up by
France under-21 for the first time and made his France under-21 debut, scoring in a 2–1 win over
Chile under-20 on 10 September 2012. He went on to make two more France under-21 appearances against
Norway under-21 on 12 October 2012 and 16 October 2012.
Personal life
He holds dual French-Belgian citizenship. In 2015, Knockaert was given a personal leave by the club after his father, Jamie, became ill. The following year, when his father died on 3 November 2016, he sat out of the match against
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
. It was not the first time he suffered a tragedy: he lost his elder brother, Steve, in 2011 and after scoring in a 3–0 win against Nottingham Forest, Knockaert dedicated his goal to his late brother.
In September 2018 he revealed his struggles with mental health issues.
Career statistics
Honours
Guingamp
*
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National ( en, French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, t ...
third-place promotion:
2010–11
Leicester City
*
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
:
2013–14
Brighton & Hove Albion
*
EFL Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
runner-up:
2016–17
Fulham
*
EFL Championship play-offs:
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
Individual
*
PFA Championship Team of the Year:
2016–17
*
EFL Team of the Season: 2016–17
*
EFL Championship Player of the Year:
2016–17
*
Football League Championship Player of the Month:
April 2016
*
Premier League Goal of the Month
The Premier League Goal of the Month is an association football award that recognises the player who is deemed to have scored the best Premier League goal each month of the season from August to April. The winner is chosen by a combination of ...
:
March 2019
References
External links
*
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Knockaert, Anthony
1991 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Roubaix
French footballers
France youth international footballers
France under-21 international footballers
Association football wingers
En Avant Guingamp players
Leicester City F.C. players
Standard Liège players
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Fulham F.C. players
Nottingham Forest F.C. players
Volos N.F.C. players
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
Championnat National players
Ligue 2 players
English Football League players
Premier League players
Belgian Pro League players
Super League Greece players
French expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Belgium
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in Greece
French expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
French expatriate sportspeople in England
French expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Wasquehal Football players
Footballers from Hauts-de-France