Florent Johan Malouda (born 13 June 1980) is a French

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach and former professional

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

. A

left winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, he spent most of his career at

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

and

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, winning four consecutive

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

titles with the former and the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

with the latter, among other honours. A

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

international from 2004 to 2012, Malouda represented ''Les Bleus'' on 80 occasions, including in two

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

s and two European Championships. He was part of the French team which reached the 2006 World Cup final. In 2017, he played for his home nation

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

Club career

Châteauroux

Malouda was born in

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; gcr, Kayenn) is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic Oc ...

, French Guiana. He attracted the interest of

scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

from French club

Châteauroux Châteauroux (; ; oc, Chasteurós) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French. Climate ...

and he soon moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to join the club. Despite the difficulties of living far away from his family home in

, Malouda was able to continue his studies and play professional football. He played 57 games for Châteauroux, making his senior debut at the age of 16 in

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...

Guingamp

Malouda was then signed by top division side

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 ...

following Châteauroux's inability to secure a

berth. It was in Guingamp where his talent was showcased in French top-flight football. Under the tutelage of coach

Guy Lacombe Guy Hubert Georges Lacombe (born 12 June 1955) is a French football manager and former professional player. Playing career Lacombe was a member of the French squad that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. ...

, Malouda demonstrated his ability and formed a combination with Didier Drogba, whom he would also accompany later in his career at

Lyon

Malouda's performances began to catch the attention of French club

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 Michael Kojo Essien (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder and is currently a member of Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland, Nordsjælland's coaching staff. He was ...

Grégory Coupet Grégory Coupet (born 31 December 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Throughout his playing career, he represented Saint-Étienne, Lyon, Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Franc ...

and

Mahamadou Diarra Mahamadou Diarra (born 18 May 1981) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He served as captain for the Mali national team. Club career OFI Crete Diarra started his professional career at Greek club ...

, 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 France national team. The highlights of Malouda's career at Lyon were a

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

display against

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

in the

and his ten goals which led Lyon to their sixth consecutive Ligue 1 title, both during the 2006–07 season. He also won the Ligue 1 Player of the Year that season, edging teammate Juninho,

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

Kader Keïta Kader may refer to: * ''Kader'' (film), a 2006 Turkish drama film *Kader Group, a toy manufacturer of Hong Kong People with the given name * Kader Abdolah (born 1954), Iranian-Dutch writer, poet and columnist. *Kader Asmal (1934–2011), South Af ...

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

Johan Elmander Johan Erik Calvin Elmander (; born 27 May 1981) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Beginning his career with Holmalunds IF in the late 1990s, he went on to play professionally in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmar ...

and

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''), ...

Seydou Keita Seydou Keïta (; anglicised to Keita; born 16 January 1980) is a Malian former footballer. A versatile midfielder, he operated as both a central or defensive midfielder. Keita most notably played for Lens (five seasons) and Barcelona (four ...

to the accolade. Malouda made public his wish to leave Lyon at the end of the 2006–07 season, with Chelsea,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

and Real Madrid showing interest in the winger. On 29 June 2007, Malouda told

-based newspaper ''Le Progres'' that he has his heart set on a move to Chelsea, confirming that Chelsea had lodged a

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

17 million bid for him. Malouda later repeated this comment in an interview with the '' Daily Star''. On 5 July 2007, Chelsea chief executive

Peter Kenyon Peter Kenyon (born 1954 in Stalybridge, Cheshire) is a British businessman who has served as the chief executive of English Premier League football clubs Manchester United and Chelsea, where he has been involved in contentious transfer dealing ...

told ''

Sky Sports News Sky Sports News (SSN) is a British pay television, paid television sports news channel run by Sky Limited, Sky, a division of Comcast. History Since 1992, Sky Sports had broadcast sports news, initially a brief ''Football Update'' and lat ...

'' 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 of the United States.

Chelsea

2007–08

On 8 July 2007, Lyon club president

Jean-Michel Aulas Jean-Michel Antoine Aulas (born 22 March 1949) is a French businessman. He is the founder and CEO of :fr:Cegid, Cegid (Compagnie Européenne de Gestion par l'Informatique Décentralisée) and serves as the owner and president of French Associatio ...

announced that the club had accepted an undisclosed bid, rumoured to be around £13 million, from Chelsea for Malouda. Chelsea later officially revealed that Malouda would be traveling to London on 9 July for a medical and to discuss personal terms. Malouda had looked set to join Liverpool until their

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

rivals Chelsea intervened. At 7 pm 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 José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH (; born 26 January 1963), is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Once dubbed "The Special One" by the British ...

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 Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (football), winger. He was known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long ...

. Malouda made his debut for Chelsea against

Manchester United 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 City of Salford, Salford to ...

in the

2007 FA Community Shield The 2007 FA Community Shield (also known as The FA Community Shield sponsored by McDonald's for sponsorship reasons) was the 85th staging of the FA Community Shield, an annual football match played between the reigning Premier League champions a ...

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 Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...

on 12 August on the left wing and scored Chelsea's second goal in a 3–2 victory, before being replaced by Steve Sidwell in the 83rd minute, with the win cementing Chelsea's place in the history books by overtaking Liverpool's record of 63-straight home games unbeaten. On 19 August, Malouda won a penalty awarded by referee

Rob Styles Robert Styles (born 21 April 1964
at

in a Premier League match against Liverpool. Replays of the incident indicated Malouda had backed into Liverpool defender

Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's vic ...

after trying to leave the ball for the unmarked Didier Drogba. The penalty kick was given and

Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielder ...

scored. Referee Rob Styles was dropped from the next weekend Premier League games as a result of this incident and some other contentious decisions during the game. Malouda scored against

Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...

in his first Champions League match for Chelsea, squeezing the ball through keeper

Manuel Neuer Manuel Peter Neuer (; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and captains both club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the ...

'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

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 ...

; Chelsea won the tie 3–1 on aggregate. On 5 May 2008, Malouda scored his second Premier League goal in the

penultimate Penult is a linguistics term for the second to last syllable of a word. It is an abbreviation of ''penultimate'', which describes the next-to-last item in a series. The penult follows the antepenult and precedes the ultima. For example, the main ...

game of the season against

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 ...

, converting a Frank Lampard through-ball. Malouda ended his first season in English football with two goals and one assist in the league.

2008–09

Malouda scored his first two goals in the

Luiz Felipe Scolari Luiz Felipe Scolari (; born 9 November 1948), also known as Felipão ("Big Phil"), is a Brazilian football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Athletico Paranaense. Scolari was a defender during his playing days, and no ...

era against French outfit

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

in the Champions League group stages on 16 September 2008, and in the League Cup third round tie against

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. Both games went on to be 4–0 victories for Chelsea. His first league goal of the season was against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

in a 5–0 win. The Frenchman scored the crucial second goal in a 2–0 win against Newcastle, scoring from Frank Lampard's pass. He then scored the equaliser against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in what would be a 2–1 victory for Chelsea in their

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 ...

semi-final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

. On 6 May in a Champions League semi final against

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Malouda was disallowed a potential penalty by the controversial referee, who disallowed numerous other Chelsea appeals for a penalty. He scored the fourth goal in a famous 4–1 victory over

which was their biggest defeat in the league at home for 38 years. The game 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 goal when his 36-yard strike hit the underside of the crossbar, despite replays showing it crossed the line. Malouda's impressive form in the last half of the season prompted interest from big teams such as Barcelona and

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. On 23 June 2009, however, Malouda signed a new four-year deal with Chelsea which would keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2013.

2009–10

After the arrival of

Carlo Ancelotti Carlo Ancelotti , (born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Real Madrid. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Ancelotti is the most decorated manager ...

in the 2009–10 season, Malouda found himself playing in a more central role on the left of Ancelotti's preferred diamond formation in midfield. On 12 September 2009 against Stoke City he grabbed the winner on the 94th minute to get Chelsea all three points. On 3 November 2009, Malouda made his 100th appearance for Chelsea in a Champions League match against

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...

. On 26 December 2009, Malouda was sent off for the first time in the season for tackling Stephen Carr in a league game against Birmingham City at St Andrew's. In a Premier League match against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

, Malouda was voted

Man of the Match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

, delivering 16 crosses, two of which were turned into goals (thus counted as assists) and scoring one. Malouda scored a brace against

on 24 March, a match Chelsea won 5–0. On 27 March, Malouda scored two more goals against

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

in the match which Chelsea won 7–1. Florent Malouda 4634

In Chelsea's most important fixture of the 2009–10 Premier League campaign against title rivals

, Malouda played a pivotal role in setting up the first goal of the match. By evading

Antonio Valencia Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known as Antonio Valencia (; born 4 August 1985), is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played primarily as a right-sided player throughout his career, initially as a right winger, before developin ...

and

Darren Fletcher Darren Barr Fletcher (born 1 February 1984) is a Scottish football coach and former professional player who is currently the technical director of Manchester United, where he spent the majority of his playing career. He mostly played as a cent ...

en route to the penalty area, Malouda was able to deliver a low cross to Joe Cole, who redirected the ball with his back heel past goalkeeper

Edwin van der Sar Edwin van der Sar (; born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch football executive and former professional player who is currently the chief executive of AFC Ajax, with whom he began his senior playing career in the early 1990s; he is considered to be a m ...

. Chelsea would go on to win the game 2–1. Malouda was designated for the first time as Premier League's Player of the Month in March 2010. He scored the second goal for Chelsea in a 3–0 win over Aston Villa in the

semi-final for the second successive year on 10 April 2010. Malouda scored 12 goals and 8 assists in the league, 15 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, during the 2009–10 season. He finished joint 12th top scorer in the Premier League that season with Manchester United's

Dimitar Berbatov Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov ( bg, Димитър Иванов Бербатов; born 30 January 1981) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer. A striker, he captained the Bulgaria national team from 2006 to 2010, and is the country's all-ti ...

2010–11

Malouda began the 2010–11 Premier League season for Chelsea by scoring the first goal of their Premier League campaign against

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

, and later getting another in a record 6–0 opening day win. He scored his third goal of the season in another 6–0 demolition of

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

. Malouda scored his fourth goal of the season against Stoke City in a 2–0 win. He continued this prolific form against

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, scoring 2 more goals to take his goal tally to six only five games into the season. On 24 January 2011, Malouda scored in the 41st minute against

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 ...

at the

Reebok Stadium The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England. Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming righ ...

in a 4–0 victory for Chelsea in a game in which he completed the full 90 minutes. On 20 April 2011 he scored 2 goals in the game against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge, starting in a 3–1 win. As of May 2011, he had scored 41 goals in 179 matches in all competitions since making his debut back in 2007. Florent is also widely known for his hairstyle changes. During the 2010–11 Premier League season he was Chelsea's top league goalscorer, with a total of 13 goals, ahead of the likes of Didier Drogba and

Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional football manager and retired player who played as a forward. As a player, he regularly featured in his country's national team, often scoring at crucial moments. Known f ...

2011–12

During the summer of 2011, following Chelsea's signing of Spanish

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

-winning winger

Juan Mata Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray. He mostly plays as a central attacking midfielder, but he can also play on the wing. A gr ...

, Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

giants

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...

's general director expressed interest in a bid for Malouda. Speaking ahead of France's European Championship qualifier against

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, Malouda insisted that he wanted to stay at Stamford Bridge until the next World Cup at least. Florent Malouda vs Arsenal 2012

He scored in the 5–1 demolition of

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

at Wembley during the

semi-finals. Malouda came on as an injury-time substitute in Chelsea's 2–1 defeat of Liverpool 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 ...

on 5 May, and collected his third FA Cup winners medal. He picked up a small injury in the club's last game of the Premier League season, a 2–1 defeat of relegated

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...

which left him in doubt for the Champions League final, but passed a late fitness test and started on the bench for the Champions League final in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. He came on as a second-half substitute for

Ryan Bertrand Ryan Dominic Bertrand (born 5 August 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Leicester City. Bertrand began his youth career at Gillingham, before signing for Chelsea in July 2005. He gradu ...

in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on 19 May at the

Allianz Arena Allianz Arena (; known as Fußball Arena München for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely known for its exterior ...

. The game was decided by spot kicks as Chelsea ran out 4–3 winners, with Malouda helping them become the first

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

club to win the European Cup/Champions League trophy. Following an up-and-down season where he was regularly out of the first team, Malouda pledged his loyalty to the club and promised that he would work his hardest to prove his worth again to the club and fans.

2012–13

Malouda missed some of Chelsea's pre-season matches as he was given extra rest following his inclusion in France's

UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...

squad. He was used as a second-half substitute in the pre-season matches against Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain, Major League Soccer, MLS All-Stars, and Milan. Malouda requested a transfer away from Chelsea during the summer. A number of teams in Brazil, as well as his former club Lyon, all showed an interest while the window was open, but Malouda refused to take a significant wage drop from his £80,000 a week. As a result of his refusal to move, he was not picked to be a member of the Chelsea squad in any competition. He was instead ordered to train away from the regular team with the under-21 squad. On 30 June 2013, Malouda was released by Chelsea.

Later career

On 17 July 2013, it was announced that Malouda signed a two-year contract with Turkish Süper Lig side Trabzonspor. The deal was reported to be worth around €2.5 million per season. On 1 November 2013, he scored two goals against Kayseri Erciyesspor as his side won the match 3–1 in the Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium. After having been released by Trabzonspor, on 12 September 2014, he returned to Ligue 1 after seven years abroad, signing for FC Metz, Metz. On 23 August 2015, Malouda signed for Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos FC, Delhi Dynamos, managed by Roberto Carlos. He played in all of the Dynamos 2015 Indian Super League season, 2015 Indian Super League games, as they reached the playoff semi-finals. On 29 January 2016, Malouda joined Egyptian Premier League side Wadi Degla SC, Wadi Degla on a six-month loan deal, allowing him to continue to play and remain fit during the Indian off-season. He played 18 times as he helped his new club the Egyptian cup quarter-finals and a fifth-placed finish in the league, narrowly missing out on qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup. Malouda returned to the Dynamos, ready for the 2016 Indian Super League season. He played the majority of the season as captain as they again reached the playoff semi-finals before leaving the club in July 2017. On 25 January 2018, after being without a club for almost half a year, Malouda signed a contract with Luxembourg National Division team FC Differdange 03 until the end of the season. Injuries restricted his playing time in Luxembourg, playing five times and assisting three goals as his team finished fifth in the league and reached the semi-finals of the 2017–18 Luxembourg Cup, Luxembourg Cup.

International career

France

Malouda made his debut for

on 17 November 2004 in a match against Poland national football team, Poland. He then became a squad regular, scoring his first goal for his country on 31 May 2005 against Hungary national football team, Hungary. After playing almost throughout France's 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4, 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 Penalty shootout (association football), penalties to Italy national football team, Italy in the final. He won a penalty for France in that game, which was converted by Zinedine Zidane. Florent Malouda Euro 2012 vs Sweden

On 22 June 2010, during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2010 World Cup, Malouda scored a goal during the match against host nation South Africa national football team, South Africa, which ended in a 2–1 defeat in favour of South Africa. It was the only goal scored by France during their campaign in the group stage before they were eliminated in last place, having drawn 0–0 with Uruguay national football team, Uruguay and lost 2–0 to Mexico national football team, Mexico. On 3 September 2010, Malouda was handed the Captain (association football), captain's armband in France's first UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Belarus national football team, Belarus, while a five-game suspension was being served by the previous captain, Patrice Evra. It was new coach Laurent Blanc's first game in charge and ''Les Bleus'' slumped to a disappointing 1–0 defeat. On international duty in February 2012, Malouda netted his side's second goal of a 2–1 defeat of Germany national football team, Germany, latching on to a cross from fellow substitute Morgan Amalfitano. After being included in France's 23-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2012, Euro 2012 final stages in Poland and Ukraine, Malouda scored his ninth international goal in a 2–0 friendly defeat of Serbia national football team, Serbia on 31 May, netting from the edge of the area to double their advantage.

French Guiana

Malouda became available to play for his home nation, a Non-FIFA international football, non-FIFA association, after a five-year absence from the French squad. In June 2017, he was named to the preliminary

squad for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup and made his debut against Barbados national football team, Barbados in a friendly. He was, however, ruled ineligible for the Gold Cup since CONCACAF rules for the tournament use FIFA eligibility guidelines and Malouda remains cap-tied to France. Despite this, on 11 July 2017, Malouda was selected to start French Guiana's Gold Cup match against Honduras national football team, Honduras, resulting in a forfeit after what was originally a 0–0 draw.

Coaching career

Malouda later became a coach at Swiss club FC Zurich, but his contract was cancelled in April 2019 after less than 2 months.

Career statistics

Club

:Source:

International

:Source: International goals

Honours

Lyon *

: 2003–04 Ligue 1, 2003–04, 2004–05 Ligue 1, 2004–05, 2005–06 Ligue 1, 2005–06, 2006–07 Ligue 1, 2006–07 *Trophée des Champions: 2003 Trophée des Champions, 2003, 2004 Trophée des Champions, 2004, 2005 Trophée des Champions, 2005 Chelsea *

: 2009–10 Premier League, 2009–10 *

: 2008–09 FA Cup, 2008–09, 2009–10 FA Cup, 2009–10, 2011–12 FA Cup, 2011–12 *FA Community Shield: 2009 FA Community Shield, 2009 *

: 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, 2011–12; runner-up: 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, 2007–08 France *

runner-up: 2006 FIFA World Cup, 2006 Individual *Trophées UNFP du football#Team of the Year, Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07 *UNFP Player of the Month, Ligue 1 Player of the Month: November 2006 *Ligue 1 Player of the Year: 2006–07 *Premier League Player of the Month: 2009–10 Premier League#Monthly awards, March 2010 *Indian Super League Hero of the League: 2016 Indian Super League season, 2016

References

External links

* * * *
Footballdatabase provides Florent Malouda's profile and stats

BBC Sport profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malouda, Florent 1980 births Living people Sportspeople from Cayenne French Guianan footballers French Guiana international footballers French footballers France international footballers French people of French Guianan descent French Roman Catholics French Guianan Roman Catholics LB Châteauroux players En Avant Guingamp players FC Metz players Association football forwards Olympique Lyonnais players Chelsea F.C. players Trabzonspor footballers Odisha FC players Wadi Degla SC players FC Differdange 03 players French expatriate footballers French Guianan expatriate footballers Premier League players Ligue 1 players Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Turkey Expatriate footballers in India Expatriate footballers in Egypt 2006 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2008 players 2010 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2012 players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Süper Lig players Indian Super League players French expatriate sportspeople in England French expatriate sportspeople in Turkey UEFA Champions League winning players Dual internationalists (football) Luxembourg National Division players Black French sportspeople FA Cup Final players Association football coaches Expatriate footballers in Luxembourg