Lloris began his career with his hometown clubNice, made his debut as a teenager in October 2005, and started as a goalkeeper during the team's run to the2006 Coupe de la Ligue final. After excelling at the club for three seasons, he moved toLyon. Lloris won several domestic awards in his first season with the club and, in his second campaign, earned award nominations for his performances in theUEFA Champions League, which saw Lyon reach the semi-finals for the first time. He was also named theNational Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP)Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year three times while at Lyon.
Lloris joinedPremier League sideTottenham Hotspur in 2012 and made over 400 appearances for the club across eleven seasons, being namedcaptain in 2015 and helping the team reach theUEFA Champions League final in2019. He joined Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer in 2024.
Hugo Hadrien Dominique Lloris[2] was born on 26 December 1986[3] in the Mediterranean city ofNice to an upper-class family. His French mother was a lawyer and his father is aMonte Carlo-based banker of Catalan Spanish descent.[4][5][6] He has a younger brother,Gautier, who played for his older brother's former clubNice as acentral defender.[7][8] As a youth, like his international and club teammateYoann Gourcuff, Lloris excelled at tennis and played the sport up until the age of 13. He was among the top players in his age group, ranking high in the country's national standings before opting to focus on football.[5]
Lloris studied at the Lycée Thierry Maulnier in Nice until 2004.[9]
Club career
Early career
Lloris started playing football at the age of six at CEDAC (Centre de Diffusion et d'Action Culturelle), a localcultural center based in the neighborhood ofCimiez, Nice.[10][11] The centre offered a variety of activities, which included football. Lloris played a variety of positions at the centre, such asin the attack, before switching to the goalkeeper position after coaches noticed that he possessed impressive goalkeeping qualities, such as ball-handling and catching skills.[10] Lloris excelled at the position and caught the attention of formerNicegoalkeeper and French internationalDominique Baratelli, who recommended that the player join his former club. At the age of ten, Lloris joined Nice's youth academy.[10] He spent several years in the club's youth academy and was the starting goalkeeper for the club's under-17 team that won the 2003–04 edition of theChampionnat Nationaux des 18 ans, a country-wide domestic league competition for players under the age of 18.[12]
After success with the club's under-18 team, Lloris was promoted to the club's reserve team in theChampionnat de France Amateur, the fourth level of French football, for the 2004–05 season. He alternated the starting goalkeeper spot with Hilaire Munoz as he appeared in 12 matches.[13] Lloris was promoted to the first team squad ahead of the2005–06 season and assigned the number 1 shirt. He was designated by managerFrédéric Antonetti as the team's starting goalkeeper for the club'sCoupe de la Ligue campaign ahead of fan-favourite (and fellow Nice native)Damien Gregorini, who was relied more upon in league play. Lloris made his professional debut on 25 October 2005, at the age of 18, recording a clean sheet in Nice's 2–0 Coupe de la Ligue win overChâteauroux.[14] He recorded another clean sheet the following round againstSedan and helped Nice upset favoritesBordeaux andDerby de la Côte d'Azur rivalsMonaco in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, meaning the club had reached its first-ever Coupe de la Ligue final.[15][16][17] Inthe final, Lloris played the entire match in the club's 2–1 defeat againstNancy.[18]
Lloris made his league debut on 18 March 2006 against Nancy picking up aclean sheet in a 1–0 victory.[19] He made four more league appearances that season. Thefollowing season, Lloris was given the starting job permanently ahead of Gregorini, who subsequently departed the club for Nancy. Lloris appeared in all but one league match recording 13 clean sheets as Nice finished in 16th place. Despite the disappointing finish, the club was the fifth-best defensive team in the league with Lloris conceding only 36 goals. Only veteransGrégory Coupet,Cédric Carrasso andUlrich Ramé conceded fewer. For the early part of the2007–08 season, Lloris endured a recurring ligament injury in his left knee, which forced him to miss three weeks in September. He returned to the team on 6 October 2007 in a league match againstLe Mans, but was substituted out after 71 minutes after the injury relapsed.[20][21] Lloris missed a further six weeks before returning on 24 November in the team's 2–1 victory overParis Saint-Germain.[22] He appeared consistently with the team for the rest of the season as Nice finished in eighth place, the club's best finish in the league since finishing sixth in the1988–89 season. Lloris conceded only 24 goals in his 30 appearances recording 13 clean sheets. He contributed to a defense that only conceded 30 overall during the season, tied for the league-best. Lloris' efforts that season led to him being approached by several big European clubs with hopes of signing him for the future.[citation needed]
Lyon
2008–09 season
After another solid season with Nice, speculation arose as to where Lloris would play the following season. He was primarily linked to French clubLyon, who wanted him to replace the departing Grégory Coupet,Milan, who wanted him to replace the BrazilianDida, andTottenham Hotspur, who wanted Lloris to replacePaul Robinson.[23][24][25] After reportedly coming to personal terms with Milan, Lloris snubbed the Italian club for seven-timeLigue 1 champions Lyon. Milan vice presidentAdriano Galliani later declared that an agreement had been all but reached stating that Lloris was "practically ours", but the deal reached a stumbling block when Milan goalkeeperChristian Abbiati refused a move toPalermo.[26][27][28] Lloris explained his decision citing Lyon'sEuropean ambitions, more playing time at Lyon, and in Milan, he was not guaranteed the starting goalkeeper spot.[29] The transfer fee was initially undisclosed, but was later discovered to be priced at €8.5 million.[30] He was promptly handed the number 1 shirt and also the starting goalkeeper position.[citation needed]
Lloris made his club debut in the team's opening league match of the2008–09 season on 10 August 2008 againstToulouse. Lyon won the match 3–0 win giving the goalkeeper his first career clean sheet with the club.[31] In the following three matches, Lloris earned clean sheets againstLorient and regional rivalsGrenoble andSaint-Étienne.[31][32][33] Despite Lyon losing out on the title for the first time in seven years, he finished the campaign conceding only 27 goals in the league and recording 16 clean sheets; both of which were second-best to only Cédric Carrasso. Lloris was, subsequently, named the league'stop goalkeeper and also named to theTeam of the Year.
2009–10 season
Lloris signing autographs in 2010
In the2009–10 season, Lloris remained the club's first-choice goalkeeper and opened the new campaign by recording four clean sheets in the club's first eight matches. For his performances in the month of September, he was awarded theUNFP Player of the Month becoming the first goalkeeper sinceSteve Mandanda in August 2008 to receive the award. Lloris earned media praise for his performances againstLiverpool in theUEFA Champions League. In the first match, played atAnfield, Lloris made four saves holding Liverpool to only one goal. Lyon won the match 2–1. In the second match at theStade de Gerland, he produced stops from shots byFernando Torres,Dirk Kuyt andAndriy Voronin in the first half, then displayed reflexes to deny the BrazilianLucas midway through the second period. Though Lyon conceded late, the team drew the match 1–1 with a goal fromLisandro López instoppage time.[34][35]
On 8 November 2009, Lloris, alongside Marseille and France's number two goalkeeperSteve Mandanda, each conceded five goals in a5–5 draw between Lyon and Marseille, though most of the goals conceded were attributed to "slack defending" displayed by both clubs as described by the media and both managers.[36][37] On 20 December, Lloris finished third behindNicolas Anelka andYoann Gourcuff in voting for theFrance Football 2009French Player of the Year award.[38]
Lloris remained consistent during the 2010 portion of the season conceding only two goals in the club's first four matches of the year with Lyon winning all of them and Lloris picking up two clean sheets. On 16 February, Lloris earned a clean sheet in Lyon's first leg of itsUEFA Champions League knockout round match againstReal Madrid. Lloris made two saves in the team's 1–0 victory making a finger-tipping save from a deflectedCristiano Ronaldo shot in the 61st minute and producing a reflex save on a shot fromGonzalo Higuaín three minutes later to keep Lyon ahead on the scoreline.[39][40] Lyon later achieved qualification to the quarter-finals in the competition after drawing 1–1 inMadrid with Lloris conceding the opening goal to Cristiano Ronaldo in the sixth minute. It was the goalkeeper's first goal conceded in over 620 minutes. On 2 May, Lloris provided the assist on the game-winning goal scored byMichel Bastos in Lyon's 1–0 win overMontpellier.[41] A week later, he was named, for the second consecutive season, the UNFP Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year.[citation needed]
2010–2012
Ahead of the2010–11 season, Lloris was nominated for the UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year award at theUEFA Club Football Awards, but lost out on the award toChampions League-winning keeperJúlio César ofInternazionale.[42][43] In the season, Lloris performed well, despite conceding a career-high 40 goals in the league as Lyon failed to win the league for the third consecutive season. The frustrating season for the club and Lloris himself reached its nadir on 3 April 2011 following the club's 2–2 away draw with Lloris' former club Nice. Despite being up 2–0 heading into stoppage time, Lyon conceded two goals within two minutes of each other, anÉric Mouloungui penalty and a goal at the death fromRenato Civelli, allowing Nice to leave the match with a draw.[44] Following the conclusion of the match, a disappointed Lloris, who had previously saved a penalty shot in the match, delivered a surprising profanity-laced declaration in the team's locker room, in which he questioned the team's overall performance.[45] Following the team's 3–0 win overLens the following week, in which Lloris earned his first clean sheet in over a month, the goalkeeper reflected on his comments after the Nice match, stating: "It was a human reaction. There was frustration and accumulation and it had to come out. It was intolerable to draw 2–2 when leading 2–0."[46][47]
In the2011–12 Champions League, Lyon finished second in their group to qualify to the round of 16, before they were eliminated byAPOEL on penalties.[48] In theCoupe de France, Lyon managed to win the title after a 1–0 win overQuevilly in thefinal. Despite Lyon finishing fourth inLigue 1, Lloris was voted best goalkeeper in the championship for the third time in his career.[49]
Lloris signed forTottenham Hotspur on 31 August 2012 for €10 million and €5 million variable. Lyon also receives 20% of Lloris's future transfer profit.[50][51] He made his debut for Spurs in aUEFA Europa League match againstLazio on 20 September 2012, the result of the match was 0–0.[52] Lloris started his firstPremier League game againstAston Villa on 7 October 2012, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 home victory. His appearance ended fellow Tottenham goalkeeperBrad Friedel's run of 310 consecutive games in the Premier League.[53] After conceding only four goals in six games, he was nominated for thePremier League Player of the Month for December 2012, but lost out to Manchester United'sRobin van Persie.[54] Lloris ended the 2012–13 season with 27 appearances and 9 clean sheets.[55]
Following speculation linking him with a move to Monaco, Lloris insisted he had left Lyon to play abroad.[56] On 3 November 2013, in a match againstEverton, Lloris lost consciousness in a collision withRomelu Lukaku's knee, but remained in the game after managerAndré Villas-Boas determined he "showed great character and personality".[57] The decision was heavily criticised by head injury charities,FIFA and the players' union,FIFPro.[57]
Lloris signed a five-year contract extension in July 2014.[58] He said thatMauricio Pochettino, the new manager at Tottenham, had convinced him to sign the new contract with his "rigour and vision" that gave the club "new benchmarks".[59]
In a2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage match on 23 October 2014, Tottenham were leadingAsteras Tripoli 5–0 with four minutes to play when Lloris was sent off for a professional foul onTasos Tsokanis. As the team had used all three substitutes, forwardHarry Kane was forced into goal and conceded a goal from a freekick in the 89th minute; Tottenham won the match 5–1.[60] Tottenham progressed through the League Cup to face Chelsea in the final at Wembley. Lloris was named in the starting eleven in the hopes of getting silverware but Tottenham lost 2–0.[61]
2016–2019: Captaincy and Champions League runner-up
In a2016–17 UEFA Champions League group stage match (which ended in a 0–0 draw) againstBayer Leverkusen on 18 October 2016, Lloris made a string of fine saves, including a spectacular one-handed stop on the goal-line to denyJavier Hernández; Tottenham's managerMauricio Pochettino described Lloris's performance in the second half as "brilliant".[63] On 22 November 2016, Lloris savedRadamel Falcao's 11th-minute penalty and pulled off multiple world-class saves, including incredibly tippingKamil Glik's powerful volley from five metres out over the bar in the 68th minute, in their 2016–17 UEFA Champions League group stage match away at Monaco; however Tottenham lost the match 1–2 and were eliminated from the competition.[64][65][66]
In December 2016, Lloris signed a contract extension to remain at Tottenham until 2022.[67] In the2016–17 season, Lloris helped Tottenham achieve the best defensive record in the club's history, conceding only 26 goals in the Premier League that season (only 9 of which were conceded in home league games), 6 better than the previous record of 32 conceded that was set in the1908–09 season in theSecond Division.[68] He kept 15 clean sheets this season, but missed out on theGolden Glove award when a goal was conceded in the last game of the season, a record-breaking 7–1 away league win atHull City.[69]
On 17 April 2018, Lloris made his 250th appearance for Tottenham in a 1–1 draw withBrighton. In doing so, he became only the 61st player, and sixth goalkeeper to achieve the milestone for the club.[70]
In theChampions League group round match againstPSV on 24 October 2018, Lloris was sent off after a challenge late in the game that ended in a 2–2 draw.[71] On 2 March 2019, Lloris saved a late penalty in theNorth London derby, and kept the score at 1–1.[72] A few days later on 5 March 2019, in the Champions League last-16 away tie againstBorussia Dortmund, Lloris made a number of crucial saves to kept a clean sheet, which ensured a 4–0 win on aggregate and progress to the club's second quarterfinal in the Champions League.[73] This is his 100th clean sheet with the club.[74] He also kept a clean sheet in the home leg of the quarter-final against Manchester City, saving a penalty in a 1–0 win that helped keep Tottenham in the competition.[75] The previous week in the Premier League match against Liverpool, he made a goalkeeping error which let in a late goal and lost 2–1.[76]
In the2019–20 season, Lloris made his 300th appearance for the club in the second league match of the season againstManchester City, a match that finished 2–2.[77] On 5 October, Lloris was carried off on a stretcher after suffering a dislocated elbow against Brighton, a match which ended in 3–0 defeat for Spurs.[78] Ligament damage sustained in the injury would rule him out the team for a few months.[79][80] In November 2019, he underwent surgery for the dislocation.[81] He returned from injury in January 2020 in the home game againstNorwich City.[82]
On 29 November 2020, he played his 100th European match in a 1–0 defeat againstRoyal Antwerp in theEuropa League, becoming the first French goalkeeper to achieve this feat.[83] On 28 February 2021, he had his 100th Premier League clean sheet in a 4–0 win overBurnley.[84]
On 22 August 2021, he played his 300th Premier League match in a 1–0 away win overWolverhampton Wanderers.[85] In January 2022, he extended his contract with Tottenham Hotspur until 2024.[86] On 19 February 2022, he made his 400th appearance for his club in all competitions in a 3–2 away win over Manchester City.[87] On 15 May 2022, he equaled his record of 15 clean sheets per season in a 1–0 win over Burnley,[88] before breaking the record to reach his personal best of 16 clean sheets in a 5–0 away win over Norwich City in the last match of the season.[89]
2023: Limited playing opportunities
On 23 April 2023, Lloris was substituted off at half-time in a 6–1 defeat toNewcastle United.[90] This would be his last appearance for the club. In July 2023, Tottenham announced that Lloris was left out of the club pre-season tour, with a statement reading that he could "explore prospective transfer opportunities".[91][92] On 12 August, it was announced thatSon Heung-min had replaced Lloris as club captain.[93] Lloris remained at the club and continued training with the squad despite failing to be included in match-day squads by new managerAnge Postecoglou.[94]
Los Angeles FC
On 30 December 2023, it was announced that Lloris had signed a contract forMajor League Soccer clubLos Angeles FC for the 2024 season, with options to extend in the following two years.[95]
International career
Youth
Lloris has been active on the international front withFrance, first appearing with theunder-18 team making his debut on 11 March 2004 in afriendly match againstGermany.[96] He later played with theunder-19 team and was part of the winning team at the2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Lloris appeared in all five matches the team played in the competition. He made only five appearances with theunder-21 team, primarily because of his commitments to the senior team. On 11 October 2008, with the under-21 squad attempting to qualify for the2009 European Under-21 Championship, coachErick Mombaerts called up Lloris to the team for their important two-legged playoff againstGermany, despite him having been called up to the senior team and the player having last played for the team in August 2007. Lloris honored the call up and started the second leg. With France seconds away from a spot in the tournament, because of the team's 1–1 draw in the first leg, Germany got a late goal fromBenedikt Höwedes.[97] The 1–0 loss eliminated France from the competition and also ended Lloris's under-21 career.[citation needed]
Senior
Early career
Lloris received his first call-up to the senior national team for France's 6 February 2008 match againstSpain. However, he instead played forthe B team in their friendly match against theCongo DR, held the day before the Spain friendly. After receiving several more call ups in 2008, he finally earned his first cap on 19 November 2008 in a 0–0 draw withUruguay. On 9 September 2009, Lloris received his first internationalred card, againstSerbia, following a foul onNikola Žigić in the penalty box, despite replays showing otherwise.[98] Lloris returned to the team on 14 October playing the entire 90 minutes in the team's 3–1 win overAustria.[citation needed]
2010 FIFA World Cup
Lloris was applauded by the media and players, alike, for his performance over two legs against theRepublic of Ireland that saw France earn a spot in the2010 FIFA World Cup. Former national team goalkeeperGrégory Coupet credited his performance as "phenomenal", while the French media described him as "Saint Lloris", which is a play on the nickname of Real Madrid counterpartIker Casillas, who was considered one of the top goalkeepers in Europe at the time.[99][100][101]
On 11 May 2010, Lloris was named in Domenech's 30-man preliminary squad to participate in the 2010 World Cup, later being named to the final 23-man team and installed as first-choice goalkeeper. On 11 June 2010, Lloris made hisWorld Cup debut in the team's opening group stage match againstUruguay, earning a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw.[102] Lloris appeared in both of France's other group stage matches, againstMexico and hostsSouth Africa. Against South Africa, Lloris committed a goalkeeping error which resulted in the opening goal for the hosts. He redeemed himself later in the match, however, by producing several saves to limit the South Africans' chances of progressing to the knockout rounds. France lost the match 2–1, which resulted in the hosts' elimination from the competition.[103]
On 17 November 2010, Lloriscaptained France for the first time in the team's 2–1 victory overEngland atWembley Stadium.[104] After leading France out six more times on an interim basis, on 28 February 2012, he was named first-choice captain of the national team by managerLaurent Blanc ahead ofUEFA Euro 2012. Lloris started for his country in the final tournament, as they reached the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated following a 2–0 loss to eventual champions Spain.[105]
Lloris started for France at the2014 World Cup, helping the team to the quarter-finals, where they were defeated 1–0 by eventual championsGermany.[106]
UEFA Euro 2016
Lloris was the starting goalkeeper of the French squad that reached thefinal ofEuro 2016 on home soil, only to be defeated 1–0 byPortugal in extra time.[107]
On 21 June 2018, Lloris earned his 100th cap in France's 1–0 win overPeru in their second group stage game of the2018 World Cup.[111] Against Uruguay in the quarter-finals, Lloris kept a clean sheet and made a key save from aMartín Cáceres header as France won 2–0.[112]On 15 July, he lifted theWorld Cup trophy as the team's captain, as France defeatedCroatia with a 4–2 victory in thefinal, despite a mistake which allowed Croatia'sMario Mandžukić to score their second goal as Lloris tried to dribble past him.[113]
2018–19 UEFA Nations League, UEFA Euro 2020 and 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
On 18 May 2021, Lloris was selected to the France squad forUEFA Euro 2020,[116] which had been postponed by a year because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[117] During France's match againstSwitzerland in the Round of 16 on 28 June 2021, he saved a penalty taken byRicardo Rodriguez in the 55th minute of the game.[118] The game eventually went into apenalty shoot-out after a 3–3 draw.[119] Lloris failed to save a single Swiss penalty, and France were eliminated from the tournament.[119]
On 10 October 2021, he played in the2021 UEFA Nations League Final which ended in a 2–1 win for France against Spain, where he produced two late saves to ensure the victory.[120]
2022 FIFA World Cup and retirement
In November 2022, he was included in the French squad for the2022 World Cup in Qatar.[121] On 4 December, he tiedLilian Thuram's record for most capped player for the national team after starting againstPoland.[122] Six days later, on 10 December, he broke the record by reaching his 143rd cap, playing in a 2–1 win againstEngland in the quarter-finals.[123] He also played his 18th World Cup match, to be the most capped in the competition ahead of both Fabien Barthez andThierry Henry.[124] On 14 December, in the semi-final againstMorocco, he made his 19th World Cup appearance, equaling the record for most matches played by a goalkeeper, with Germany'sManuel Neuer.[125] On 18 December, he made his 20th World Cup appearance in thefinal,[126] whichArgentina eventually won 4–2 in the penalty shoot-out after the match ended 3–3 at extra-time.[127] On 9 January 2023, Lloris, being themost capped player in the history of the national team, announced his retirement from international football at the age of 36.[128]
Style of play
Lloris is described as a goalkeeper who "boasts lightning reflexes and good decision-making" and is "a formidable opponent in one-on-one situations". Lloris also "commands his box well".[129] His playing style, and in particular his speed when coming off his line to anticipate opponents and clear the ball, has led him to be described as asweeper-keeper in the media.[130] Lloris has been described as an "acrobatic shot-stopper," due to his athleticism in goal,[131] and is considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world,[132][133][134] with his former Tottenham managerJosé Mourinho even describing him as "the best in the Premier League" in 2020.[135] While he has been described in the media as being comfortable with the ball at his feet and generally reliable in his passing,[136] he has also come into criticism due to some high-profile errors he has made in his entire career, which often resulted in goals, mainly due to his poor distribution and decision making when attempting to play out from the back.[137][138][139] Moreover, his ability to deal with crosses effectively has occasionally come into question in the media;[140] he has also been accused of being inconsistent, and has frequently struggled with injuries throughout his career.[138][141][142] Notwithstanding his reputation for being prone to errors, Adam Bate ofSky Sports described Lloris as "underrated" in 2020, however, and as an "elite shot-stopper," due to his agility and ability to produce numerous saves consistently throughout the course of a given season.[137]
Personal life
Lloris met his wife Marine while he was studying at the Lycée Thierry Maulnier in 2002.[143] On 23 September 2010, he announced the birth of their daughter, Anna-Rose.[144] They married at the Église Saint-François-de-Paule inNice in 2012.[145] Another daughter Giuliana was born in 2014 just before the World Cup in Brazil.[146] Their son Léandro was born on 20 September 2019.[147]
In 2008, while Lloris was playing for Nice, his mother died. Just two days after her death, he gained national respect for his refusal of abereavement leave offer from managerFrédéric Antonetti, instead opting to play in a league match for Nice.[148]
On 10 August 2010, Lloris was named, alongside international teammateKarim Benzema, to appear on the cover of the French version ofFIFA 11.[149]
On 24 August 2018, Lloris was charged withdrink-driving after being stopped by police in west London.[150] Lloris later pleaded guilty atWestminster Magistrates' Court and admitted to being more than twice the drink-drive limit. He was fined £50,000 and banned from driving for 20 months.[151]
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