 Lopez withMarseille in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Maxime Baila Lopez | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-12-04)4 December 1997 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Marseille, France[1] | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Paris FC | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2010 | Burel FC | ||
| 2010–2016 | Marseille | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2016 | Marseille II | 30 | (3) |
| 2016–2021 | Marseille | 113 | (4) |
| 2020–2021 | →Sassuolo (loan) | 22 | (1) |
| 2021–2024 | Sassuolo | 74 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | →Fiorentina (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| 2024– | Paris FC | 27 | (3) |
| International career | |||
| 2016–2017 | France U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | France U21 | 13 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11 May 2025 | |||
Maxime Baila Lopez (Spanish:López,pronounced[ˈlopeθ]; born 4 December 1997) is a French professionalfootballer who plays as adefensive midfielder forLigue 1 clubParis FC.
Lopez is an academy graduate ofMarseille, having made his professional debut in August 2016 and appeared in 150 games for the side. He signed for Sassuolo in 2021 following a loan deal at the club. He also represented France internationally at youth level.
Born in Marseille, Maxime Lopez is a product ofOlympique de Marseille's football academy, having joined in 2010 from F.C. Burel. During his time in the academy he represented the club at U-19 level in theUEFA Youth League.[2] He signed his first professional contract with Marseille on 12 July 2014, and was handed his non-competitive debut by interimmanagerFranck Passi on the same date two years later in a friendly encounter withLausanne Sport.[2][3]
Lopez made his senior debut for Marseille on 21 August 2016, coming on as a 60th-minutesubstitute forBouna Sarr in a 2–1Ligue 1 away defeat toGuingamp and, just 18-minutes after entering the field of play, assistedFlorian Thauvin for Marseille's only goal.[4] His home debut at theStade Vélodrome came on 16 October in Marseille's 1–0 Ligue 1 win overMetz.[5] Later that month, on 30 October, he made his first start for Marseille in a 0–0 Ligue 1 home draw withBordeaux.[6] On 20 November, Lopez made 129 touches during Marseille's 1-0 Ligue 1 home win againstCaen, which was the most ever by a Marseille player in a single match in recorded history.[7] He then scored the first goal of his senior club career on 10 December, netting the opening goal in Marseille's 2–1 Ligue 1 away victory overDijon.[8] Lopez was later namedLigue 1 Player of the Month in recognition of his performances throughout the month of December.[9] On 30 April 2017, he scored twice in a 5–1 Ligue 1 away win over Caen, thereby becoming the youngest Marseille player in 30 years to score a brace in Ligue 1.[10] He ultimately made 35 appearances across all competitions and scored three times in his debut season with Marseille.
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The following season, Lopez temporarily retained his starting berth in Marseille's midfield under coachRudi Garcia, but lost his position following a dip in form during the campaign's opening matches.[11] On 19 October 2017, he scored his first and only goal of the season, and his first ever in European competitions, when he netted in a 2–1Europa League group-stage win overVitória de Guimarães.[12] He made his 50th league appearance for Marseille on 15 April 2018 in a 3–2 victory overTroyes.[13] He continued to feature regularly in the club's Europa League campaign and helped the side reach the final of the competition, where he appeared as a substitute in a 3–0 loss to Spanish side,Atlético Madrid.[14]
Lopez scored his first goal of the following campaign, and his first in the league since April 2017, in a 1–1 draw withMonaco on 15 January 2019. His performance earned him the man of the match award and saw him named as the highest performing player in the league over the weekend.[15] The following week, he made his 100th appearance for the club in a 2–1 league loss toSaint-Étienne.
On 5 October 2020, Lopez joinedSerie A clubSassuolo on aseason-long loan with option to buy.[16] The deal was made permanent in April 2021 after he had played over 30 minutes in 20 Serie A games, triggering an obligation to buy from Marseille. Lopez's contract at Sassuolo would now keep him at the club until June 2025.[17]
On 1 September 2023, Lopez moved toFiorentina on loan with an option to buy.[18]
On 29 August 2024, Lopez signed a three year contract withParis FC in the French second division afterSassuolo were relegated.[19]
Due to his Algerian lineage and similar progression through Marseille's academy, Lopez has often been likened to former Marseille midfielderSamir Nasri.[20] Though small in stature, Lopez has been described as a versatile playmaker capable of fluid movement and quick and intelligent passing.[21]
Lopez was born in France to a French father of partially Spanish origin, and an Algerian mother. He holds French and Algerian nationalities.[22] His older brother,Julien is also a footballer who plays in theLigue 1 withParis FC and was a youth international for Algeria.[23]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Marseille II | 2013–14 | CFA 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | CFA 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | CFA | 23 | 2 | — | — | — | 23 | 2 | ||||
| 2016–17 | CFA | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 3 | — | — | — | 30 | 3 | |||||
| Marseille | 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 17[c] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 | |
| 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 113 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 150 | 5 | ||
| Sassuolo(loan) | 2020–21[d] | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| Sassuolo | 2020–21 | Serie A | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 96 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 101 | 4 | ||||
| Fiorentina(loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10[e] | 1 | — | 31 | 1 | |
| Paris FC | 2024–25 | Ligue 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Career total | 267 | 13 | 19 | 0 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 321 | 15 | ||
Marseille
Individual
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