Florent Johan Malouda (French pronunciation:[flɔʁɑ̃maluda]; born 13 June 1980) is a Frenchfootball coach and former professionalplayer who played as aleft winger. Born inFrench Guiana, he represented both France and French Guiana at the international level. Malouda was regarded as one of best wingers in the Premier League during the late 2000s and he is also among one of the greatest wingers in Chelsea history.
Malouda spent most of his career atLyon andChelsea, winning four consecutiveLigue 1 titles with the former and theUEFA Champions League in2012 with the latter, among other honours.
Malouda was born inCayenne, French Guiana.[2] He attracted the interest ofscouts from French clubChâteauroux and he soon moved toParis to join the club. Despite the difficulties of living far away from his family home in French Guiana, 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 inLigue 2.[citation needed]
Malouda was then signed by top division sideGuingamp following Châteauroux's inability to secure aLigue 1 berth. It was in Guingamp where his talent was showcased in French top-flight football. Under the tutelage of coachGuy Lacombe, Malouda demonstrated his ability and formed a combination withDidier Drogba, whom he would also accompany later in his career atChelsea.[citation needed]
Malouda's performances began to catch the attention of French clubLyon who, after claiming their second consecutive title during the2002–03 season, decided to sign Malouda. In an outstanding Lyon team containingJuninho,Michael Essien,Grégory Coupet andMahamadou 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 theFrance national team.[citation needed]
Malouda made public his wish to leave Lyon at the end of the 2006–07 season, with Chelsea,Liverpool and Real Madrid showing interest in the winger.[6] On 29 June 2007, Malouda toldLyon-based newspaperLe Progres that he has his heart set on a move to Chelsea, confirming that Chelsea had lodged a€17 million bid for him.[7] Malouda later repeated this comment in an interview with theDaily Star.[8] On 5 July 2007, Chelsea chief executivePeter Kenyon toldSky 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 of the United States.[9]
On 8 July 2007, Lyon club presidentJean-Michel Aulas announced that the club had accepted an undisclosed bid, rumoured to be around£13 million, from Chelsea for Malouda.[10] 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 theirPremier League rivals Chelsea intervened. At 7 pm on the same day, Malouda officially signed a three-year contract with the club.[11] He was handed the number 15 shirt. Chelsea managerJosé 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 wingerArjen Robben.[citation needed]
Malouda made his debut for Chelsea againstManchester United in the2007 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.[12] Malouda started againstBirmingham City on 12 August on the left wing and scored Chelsea's second goal in a 3–2 victory, before being replaced bySteve 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.[13]
On 19 August, Malouda won a penalty awarded by refereeRob Styles in a Premier League match against Liverpool. Replays of the incident indicated Malouda had backed into Liverpool defenderJamie Carragher after trying to leave the ball for the unmarked Didier Drogba. The penalty kick was given andFrank Lampard scored.[14] 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.[15] Malouda scored againstSchalke 04 in his first Champions League match for Chelsea, squeezing the ball through keeperManuel Neuer's legs after turning his markerRafinha. On 23 January, Malouda set up Joe Cole with a long pass to score againstEverton in theLeague Cup; Chelsea won the tie 3–1 on aggregate. On 5 May 2008, Malouda scored his second Premier League goal in thepenultimate game of the season againstNewcastle United, converting a Frank Lampard through-ball.[16] Malouda ended his first season in English football with two goals and one assist in the league.[citation needed]
Malouda scored his first two goals in theLuiz Felipe Scolari era against French outfitBordeaux in theChampions League group stages on 16 September 2008, and in the League Cup third round tie againstPortsmouth. Both games went on to be 4–0 victories for Chelsea. His first league goal of the season was againstMiddlesbrough 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.[17] He then scored the equaliser againstArsenal in what would be a 2–1 victory for Chelsea in theirFA Cup semi-final atWembley Stadium. On 6 May in a Champions League semi final againstBarcelona, 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 overArsenal which was their biggest defeat in the league at home for 38 years. The game marked his 50th Premier League match for the Blues.[citation needed]
In the2009 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 andMilan. On 23 June 2009, however, Malouda signed a new four-year deal with Chelsea which would keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2013.[18]
After the arrival ofCarlo Ancelotti in the2009–10 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 againstStoke City he grabbed the winner on the 94th minute to get Chelsea all three points.[19] On 3 November 2009, Malouda made his 100th appearance for Chelsea in a Champions League match againstAtlético Madrid. On 26 December 2009, Malouda was sent off for the first time in the season for tacklingStephen Carr in a league game against Birmingham City atSt Andrew's.[citation needed]
In a Premier League match againstWest Ham United, Malouda was votedMan of the Match, delivering 16 crosses, two of which were turned into goals (thus counted as assists) and scoring one. Malouda scored a brace againstPortsmouth on 24 March, a match Chelsea won 5–0. On 27 March, Malouda scored two more goals againstAston Villa in the match which Chelsea won 7–1.[20]
In Chelsea's most important fixture of the2009–10 Premier League campaign against title rivalsManchester United, Malouda played a pivotal role in setting up the first goal of the match. By evadingAntonio Valencia andDarren Fletcher 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 goalkeeperEdwin van der Sar. Chelsea would go on to win the game 2–1.[21] Malouda was designated for the first time asPremier 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 theFA Cup semi-final for the second successive year on 10 April 2010.[citation needed]
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'sDimitar Berbatov.[citation needed]
Malouda began the2010–11 Premier League season for Chelsea by scoring the first goal of their Premier League campaign againstWest Bromwich Albion, 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 ofWigan Athletic. Malouda scored his fourth goal of the season againstStoke City in a 2–0 win. He continued this prolific form againstBlackpool, scoring 2 more goals to take his goal tally to six only five games into the season.[citation needed]
On 24 January 2011, Malouda scored in the 41st minute againstBolton Wanderers at theReebok Stadium 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 the2010–11 Premier League season he was Chelsea's top league goalscorer, with a total of 13 goals, ahead of the likes of Didier Drogba andNicolas Anelka.[22]
During the summer of 2011, following Chelsea's signing of SpanishWorld Cup-winning wingerJuan Mata, ItalianSerie A giantsJuventus's general director expressed interest in a bid for Malouda.[23] Speaking ahead of France's European Championship qualifier againstAlbania, Malouda insisted that he wanted to stay at Stamford Bridge until the next World Cup at least.[24][25]
He scored in the 5–1 demolition ofTottenham Hotspur at Wembley during theFA Cup semi-finals.[26] Malouda came on as an injury-time substitute in Chelsea's 2–1 defeat of Liverpool in thefinal on 5 May, and collected his third FA Cup winners medal.[27] He picked up a small injury in the club's last game of the Premier League season, a 2–1 defeat of relegatedBlackburn Rovers 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 inMunich.[28] He came on as a second-half substitute forRyan Bertrand in theChampions League final againstBayern Munich on 19 May at theAllianz Arena.[29] The game was decided by spot kicks as Chelsea ran out 4–3 winners, with Malouda helping them become the firstLondon club to win the European Cup/Champions League trophy.[30] 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.[31]
Malouda missed some of Chelsea's pre-season matches as he was given extra rest following his inclusion in France'sUEFA Euro 2012 squad. He was used as a second-half substitute in the pre-season matches againstParis Saint-Germain,[32]MLS All-Stars,[33] and Milan.[34]
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.[35]
On 30 June 2013, Malouda was released by Chelsea.[36]
On 17 July 2013, it was announced that Malouda signed a two-year contract with TurkishSüper Lig sideTrabzonspor.[37] The deal was reported to be worth around €2.5 million per season.[38] On 1 November 2013, he scored two goals againstKayseri Erciyesspor as his side won the match 3–1 in theHüseyin Avni Aker Stadium.
After having been released by Trabzonspor, on 12 September 2014, he returned to Ligue 1 after seven years abroad, signing forMetz.[39]
On 29 January 2016, Malouda joinedEgyptian Premier League sideWadi Degla on a six-month loan deal,[41] 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 theCAF Confederation Cup.[citation needed]
Malouda returned to the Dynamos, ready for the2016 Indian Super League. He played the majority of the season as captain as they again reached the playoff semi-finals before leaving the club in July 2017.[citation needed]
On 25 January 2018, after being without a club for almost half a year, Malouda signed a contract withLuxembourg National Division teamFC Differdange 03 until the end of the season.[42] 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 theLuxembourg Cup.[citation needed]
Malouda made his debut forFrance on 17 November 2004 in a match againstPoland. He then became a squad regular, scoring his first goal for his country on 31 May 2005 againstHungary.[citation needed]
After playing almost throughout France'squalifying campaign for the2006 FIFA World Cup, Malouda earned a call up to the final squad.[43] Malouda continued to play regularly in the tournament, where the French eventually lost onpenalties toItaly in the final. He won a penalty for France in that game, which was converted byZinedine Zidane.[44]
On 22 June 2010, during the2010 World Cup, Malouda scored a goal during the match against host nationSouth Africa, which ended in a 2–1 defeat in favour of South Africa.[45] 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 withUruguay and lost 2–0 toMexico.[citation needed]
On 3 September 2010, Malouda was handed thecaptain's armband in France's firstUEFA Euro 2012 qualifier againstBelarus, while a five-game suspension was being served by the previous captain,Patrice Evra. It was new coachLaurent Blanc's first game in charge andLes Bleus slumped to a disappointing 1–0 defeat.[46]
On international duty in February 2012, Malouda netted his side's second goal of a 2–1 defeat ofGermany, latching on to a cross from fellow substituteMorgan Amalfitano.[47] After being included in France's 23-man squad for theEuro 2012 final stages in Poland and Ukraine,[48] Malouda scored his ninth international goal in a 2–0 friendly defeat ofSerbia on 31 May, netting from the edge of the area to double their advantage.[49]
Malouda became available to play for his home nation, anon-FIFA association, after a five-year absence from the French squad. In June 2017, he was named to the preliminaryFrench Guiana squad for the2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup[50] and made his debut againstBarbados in a friendly.[51] He was, however, ruled ineligible for the Gold Cup sinceCONCACAF rules for the tournament useFIFA eligibility guidelines and Malouda remainscap-tied to France.[52] Despite this, on 11 July 2017, Malouda was selected to start French Guiana's Gold Cup match againstHonduras, resulting in a forfeit after what was originally a 0–0 draw.[53]
