 Cardona withSaint-Étienne in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Irvin Charly Jose Cardona | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-08-08)8 August 1997 (age 28) | ||
| Place of birth | Nîmes, France | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Saint-Étienne | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2012 | Le Pontet | ||
| 2012–2017 | Monaco | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Monaco B | 21 | (15) |
| 2017–2019 | Monaco | 3 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | →Cercle Brugge (loan) | 35 | (12) |
| 2019–2023 | Brest | 99 | (18) |
| 2022 | Brest B | 2 | (1) |
| 2023–2025 | FC Augsburg | 13 | (1) |
| 2023–2025 | FC Augsburg II | 2 | (1) |
| 2024 | →Saint-Étienne (loan) | 19 | (8) |
| 2024–2025 | →Espanyol (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2025 | →Saint-Étienne (loan) | 15 | (5) |
| 2025– | Saint-Étienne | 22 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | France U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | France U20 | 7 | (2) |
| 2025– | Malta | 6 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:35, 14 February 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:27, 17 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Irvin Charly Jose Cardona (born 8 August 1997) is a professionalfootballer who plays as aforward orwinger forLigue 2 clubSaint-Étienne. Born in France, he represents theMalta national team.[1]
Cardona made his professional debut on 2 February 2017 in theCoupe de France round of 32 againstChambly. He replacedPierre-Daniel N'Guinda after 78 minutes in a 5–4 away win.[2]He made hisLigue 1 debut ten days later coming on forRadamel Falcao to play the last 9 minutes of a 5–0 home thrashing ofMetz.[3]
On 18 July 2017, Cardona extended his Monaco contract until 2021 and was immediately loaned to the club's Belgian satellite clubCercle Brugge for the following season.[4] Although he missed a couple of weeks by an injury, he still was a major key player in the team that became champion of the2017–18 Belgian First Division B. He scored an important penalty in the last minute in the champion's game againstBeerschot-Wilrijk.[5] He was voted second best player in the league, after teammateXavier Mercier.[6]
On 12 August 2019, Cardona signed with Ligue 1 promoteesBrest.[7] On 13 September 2020, he scored an acrobatic volley goal in a 2–0 away win overDijon which was described as a "Puskás Award contender."[8][9]
On 18 January 2023, Cardona signed a contract with German clubFC Augsburg until 30 June 2027.[10]
On 3 January 2024, Cardona returned to France, joiningLigue 2 clubSaint-Étienne on loan with an option-to-buy.[11]
On 10 August 2024, Cardona moved on a new loan toEspanyol inLa Liga.[12]
On 28 January 2025, Cardona returned toSaint-Étienne on a new loan, with an option to buy.[13] On 2 June 2025, Saint-Étienne exercised the option to buy and signed a three-year contract with Cardona.[14]
Born in France, Cardona is ofMaltese descent through a great-grandfather. He is a former youth international for France, having played up to theFrance U20s.
On 28 August 2025, he was called up to theMalta national team upcoming games in September.[15] He made his debut on 4 September 2025, in a2026 FIFA World Cup qualification againstLithuania which ended in a 1–1 draw.[16]
On 9 September 2025, on his secondcap, he scored his first international goal with Malta, the opener in a 3–1 friendly win againstSan Marino. Before half-time, Cardona wassent off following an altercation withFilippo Berardi.[17]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Monaco B | 2015–16 | CFA | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| 2016–17 | CFA | 17 | 14 | — | — | — | 17 | 14 | ||||
| Total | 21 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 15 | ||
| Monaco | 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Cercle Brugge (loan) | 2017–18 | Belgian First Division B | 15 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | 2[b] | 1 | 18 | 8 | |
| 2018–19 | Belgian First Division A | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 6 | |||
| Total | 35 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 14 | ||
| Brest | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 1 | — | 23 | 7 | |
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 8 | |||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 4 | |||
| 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Total | 99 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 19 | ||
| Brest B | 2021–22 | Championnat National 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | |||
| FC Augsburg | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |||
| FC Augsburg II | 2023–24 | Regionalliga | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | |||
| Saint-Étienne (loan) | 2023–24 | Ligue 2 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 2 | 22 | 10 | |
| Espanyol (loan) | 2024–25 | La Liga | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 2 | ||
| Saint-Étienne (loan) | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 15 | 5 | — | — | — | 15 | 5 | |||
| Saint-Étienne | 2025–26 | Ligue 2 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 246 | 67 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 266 | 73 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malta | 2025 | 6 | 2 |
| Total | 6 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 September 2025 | National Stadium,Ta' Qali, Malta |  San Marino | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 17 November 2025 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta |  Poland | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Monaco
Cercle Brugge