Gignac began his career in his homedepartment ofBouches-du-Rhône, playing for local club Fos andMartigues. In 2002, he ventured to theBrittany region to join professional clubLorient. He starred for the club for two seasons, which included a loan stint at amateur clubPau.
Gignac joinedToulouse in 2007, amid controversial circumstances.[6] After early struggles, he reached prominence during the2008–09 season, becoming theleague's top scorer with 24 goals. After a sub-par2009–10 season with Toulouse, Gignac joined thedefending championsMarseille in August 2010 on a five-year contract. He scored 77 goals in 186 matches across all competitions for OM, winning two consecutiveCoupe de la Ligue titles and the2011 Trophée des Champions. After his contract expired, he moved to Mexico to play for Tigres UANL, where he has become the club's all-time top scorer in all competitions.[7]
Gignac was aFrance international from 2009 to 2016. He made his debut with the team in April 2009 againstLithuania as a result of his good form with Toulouse. He scored his first international goal five months later against theFaroe Islands. Gignac made his first major international appearance for his country at the2010 FIFA World Cup, featuring in all three matches the team contested. He also represented his country atUEFA Euro 2016, playing in several matches including thefinal, which France lost toPortugal after extra time.
Gignac was born in the city ofMartigues in Bouches-du-Rhône in the south of France.[8] Gignac is of partialRomani descent,[9] but in an interview with French football magazineSo Foot he stated he considers himself to be an adoptedManouche.[citation needed] He is the cousin of former defenderJacques Abardonado andwingerYohan Mollo.[10]
Gignac began his career with local clubES Fos-sur-Mer. He spent five years at the club before joining hometown clubMartigues. After almost seven years at the club, Gignac was released after being informed he needed to bulk up. He, subsequently, moved over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) to theBrittanyregion to join the youth academy of professional clubLorient.[11] After developing in the club's academy for two seasons, Gignac was promoted to the club's senior team for the2004–05 Ligue 2 season bymanagerChristian Gourcuff.[citation needed]
Gignac made his professional debut with Lorient on 13 August 2004, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute with the score tied 1–1 againstChâteauroux. Within seconds of coming on, he scored the winning goal to bring Lorient a 2–1 victory.[12] An elated Gignac later said after scoring the match-winning goal that he "thought he wasRonaldo". In subsequent matches, Gignac was minor presence within the team featuring primarily as a substitute. Gignac scored his only other goal in the season againstReims in a 4–1 victory on 29 October.[13] The following week he made his first professional start, in a 2–1 defeat toLe Mans, playing 70 minutes.[14]
Thefollowing season, Lorient achieved promotion toLigue 1, though without Gignac's services as he was loaned out toChampionnat National clubPau during the winter transfer period. Prior to the loan, Gignac had appeared in only one match for the club in the season. At Pau, Gignac featured as a starter for the first time in his career. He appeared in 20 league matches for the club and scored eight goals. Notable appearances with the team included a double in a victory overToulon and ahat-trick againstChâtellerault.[15][16] The week before the match against Châtellerault, Gignac scored the equalizing goal againstRomorantin in a 1–1 draw.[17]
Gignac's newfound confidence saw the player return to Lorient senior team for the2006–07 Ligue 1 season where he was inserted as starter. Initially, he began the season as a substitute, appearing as a replacement in the first three league matches. In the team's fourth league match againstDerby Breton rivalsNantes, Gignac started the match and repaid manager Gourcuff by converting a hat-trick in 27 minutes in a 3–1 victory.[18] On 4 November 2006, he scored the match-winning goal away toMarseille and, in December, scored goals in back-to-back matches againstSedan andAuxerre.[19][20][21] Gignac finished the campaign with 37 appearances in the league and nine goals, a club best.[citation needed]
On 25 June 2007, it was announced Gignac had signed a four-year deal withToulouse.[22] However, it was revealed soon after that Lorient had accepted a €4.5 million bid fromLille and that the player had already agreed to a pre-contract with the Northern side, putting his move to Toulouse in jeopardy.[23] Despite this, Toulouse trumped Lille's offer by offering the player more than double the salary he had been offered by Lille.[23] The clubs entered a war of words, with Toulouse questioning the legitimacy of Lille's agreement while Gignac and Lille questioned the ethics and tactics of Toulouse.[23] Eventually, Gignac's move to Toulouse was validated.[citation needed]
Gignac made his competitive debut for Toulouse in the first leg of the club'sUEFA Champions League third qualifying round match againstLiverpool, coming on as a substitute in the 65th minute. Toulouse lost the match 1–0 and conceded the two-legged tie 5–0 on aggregate, thus being eliminated from the Champions League. On 4 October 2007, after coming on as a substitute for Swedish strikerJohan Elmander, Gignac scored alast-minute goal against Bulgarian clubCSKA Sofia to cancel outNei's opening goal from the penalty spot and enable Toulouse to progress to the group stages of theUEFA Cup on theaway goals rule.[24] Despite the hype, both Gignac and Toulouse had disappointing2007–08 seasons, with Gignac appearing in 28 matches and scoring only two goals. Toulouse finished the season in 17th place, just one place above the relegation zone. Some media outlets attributed Gignac's struggle for form to him playing second fiddle to Johan Elmander. Gignac also struggled with weight problems during the season.[25]
In the2008–09 season, Gignac's form blossomed as he became first-choice striker following the departure of Johan Elmander toBolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal of the season in Toulouse's second match, againstLe Havre, with an 88th-minute strike to seal a 2–1 victory.[26] Over the course of the season, Gignac scored several vital goals for his club, notably braces againstSochaux,Grenoble,Saint-Étienne, Marseille and twice againstNice, including his final two goals of the season.[27][28] He overtook Johan Elmander (Toulouse's top scorer the season prior with 11 goals) during the 19th league match. In the events leading up to the 31st matchday, he was challenged by his coachAlain Casanova to score a goal with his left foot (weak foot). The coach promised to kiss his left foot in front of everyone if he scored with his left foot against Nantes in that match. Gignac practiced shooting with his left foot the entire week and in the match, he scored the only goal of the night with his left foot. For his efforts, he was awarded theUNFP Player of the Month award twice for September and March, nominated for the Ligue 1Player of the Year Award (which was won byYoann Gourcuff), selected to the Ligue 1 Team of the Year and received the league's top scorer award with 24 goals to his name.[29][30][31]
Gignac switched to the number 10 shirt for the2009–10 season and, on 14 August 2009, signed a one-year contract extension tying him to Toulouse until 2013.[32][33] The extension signaled an end to rumours of a move during the fall transfer window, where the player had been linked with moves to fellow Ligue 1 clubLyon, EnglishPremier League clubsArsenal andManchester United and ItalianSerie A clubsJuventus andAC Milan.[34][35][36]
Gignac scored his first goal of the season on 15 August 2009 in a 3–1 victory over Saint-Étienne.[37] Five days later, he scored a brace in the first leg of the club's playoff round match against Turkish clubTrabzonspor.[38] The 3–1 result in the first leg was enough for Toulouse to reach the group stage of the competition where Gignac struck again, this time against Belgian sideClub Brugge in a 2–2 draw.[39] After going scoreless for seven weeks in the league, on 24 October, Gignac scored the second goal in the club's 2–0 away win overLens.[40] Two weeks later, Gignac scored thegame-winning goal againstRennes.[41] Two months later, he scored both goals in another 2–0 victory, this time against Sochaux.[42] On 16 January 2010, Gignac provided the assists on all three goals scored by the club in its 3–1 win overValenciennes. Despite being injured for the majority of the spring campaign, Gignac finished the season as the club's top scorer.
Gignac totalled 34 Ligue 1 goals for Toulouse, remaining their highest scorer in the league in the 21st century until September 2014, when his record was surpassed byWissam Ben Yedder.[43]
On 20 August 2010, prior to the start of the press conference for new signingLoïc Rémy, Marseille club presidentJean-Claude Dassier confirmed the club had reached a tentative agreement with Toulouse for the transfer of Gignac. Gignac underwent a medical the following day and signed a five-year contract.[44][45] The transfer fee was undisclosed but was reported to be within the region of €16–18 million.[46][47][48] Gignac was assigned the number 10 shirt and made his club debut nine days after signing in a league match againstBordeaux.[49] He scored his first goal for the club two months later in a 1–1 draw with Saint-Étienne.[50] On 3 November, Gignac scoreda hat-trick in the 7–0 away win against Slovak clubMŠK Žilina in a UEFA Champions League group stage match.[51]
Gignac endured a rough patch for the majority of the season, which led to criticism from local media, club supporters and former club players, most notablyJean-Pierre Papin, who said Gignac's game had "become too predictable".[52][53] Gignac admitted the criticism was justified and stated that "you will see the real Gignac in 2011".[54] Following the winter break, Gignac attempted to live up to his declaration by scoring in the team's first league match in a 2–1 win over Bordeaux.[55] Three days later, he scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory over Auxerre in theCoupe de la Ligue.[56] The win sent Marseille to the competition's final match. On 5 February, he scored a goal in a win overArles-Avignon and, in the following week, scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over Sochaux.[57][58] He played the full 90 minutes in the2011 Coupe de la Ligue final on 23 April, a 1–0 win overMontpellier.[59]
Gignac was not named in the Marseille squad for the2011 Trophée des Champions on 27 July, which they won 5–4 against Lille at theStade de Tanger in Morocco. He was close to a move to English Premier League clubFulham during the transfer window, but this collapsed at the last moment as Marseille failed to bring inAmauri as a replacement. He was also offered as part of a failed bid forSunderland'sAsamoah Gyan. Gignac expressed frustration at the move to Fulham being called off.[60]
On 26 November 2011, Gignac was relegated to Marseille's reserve squad. He made only six league starts duringthe season, and his only goal came in the penultimate match against Sochaux, when he came on in the 50th minute for Rémy and concluded a 3–0 home victory.[61] He was an unused substitute on 14 April as Marseille won the2012 Coupe de la Ligue final against Lyon.[62]
Gignac regained his position on the first team and scored in Marseille's first home match of the season, a first in a 2–0 win over Sochaux. He then scored the only goal of an away victory over reigning league champions Montpellier. Gignac scored two first-half goals againstParis Saint-Germain inLe Classique on 7 October, to secure a draw for the home side and to retain the league lead.[63] On 6 January 2013, he scored twice, including the extra-time winner, as Marseille won 2–1 againstGuingamp in thelast 64 of the Coupe de France.[64] Gignac's 13 goals eventually helped Marseille to second place, behind PSG.
Gignac scored in each of Marseille's three opening matches ofthe league season, all victories, with the third being the 84th-minute only goal of an away win at Valenciennes on 24 August.[65] In January 2014, he scored braces in consecutive rounds of the Coupe de France: an extra-time double to dispatch Reims in the round of 64 on 5 January, and a further two in a 4–5 home defeat to Nice 16 days later. On 4 May, he scored twice in a 4–2 win over Lyon,[66] finishing the season with 16 league goals, joint-second with four other players behind PSG'sZlatan Ibrahimović.[citation needed]
Gignac began the season with two goals in a 3–3 draw atBastia on 9 August 2014, the first being the first goal under new managerMarcelo Bielsa, and the latter a penalty.[67] On 20 September, he scored Marseille's first two goals as they defeated Rennes 3−0 and moved to the top of the Ligue 1 standings.[68] Three days later, he scored another double in a 5–0 thrashing away to Stade de Reims.[69]
On 4 January 2015, in theround of 64 of the Coupe de France away to fourth-tierGrenoble, Gignac scored twice in the first half in an eventual 3–3 draw which ended in his team losing on penalties.[70] He scored a further two on 5 April as Marseille hosted rivals PSG, twice putting his team ahead in an eventual 2–3 loss.[71] The2014–15 season saw Gignac get his best goal return for Marseille, scoring 23 times in all competitions and 21 in Ligue 1 play as he finished runner-up to Lyon'sAlexandre Lacazette for the league's golden boot.[72]
On 18 June 2015, Gignac signed with Mexican clubTigres UANL, ending rumours of alleged interest from several European teams.[73] Upon signing, he said his ambition to join the club was to win the domestic league and help his side reach the final ofCopa Libertadores.[74] Gignac made his official debut with Tigres on 15 July in the away game of semi-finals of the2015 Copa Libertadores against Brazilian sideInternacional at theEstádio Beira-Rio, a 2–1 defeat. In the second leg, he scored his first goal to open a 3–1 victory, taking his team into thefinals againstRiver Plate of Argentina.[75]
After losing the 2015 Copa Libertadores finals, Gignac debuted in theApertura 2015 season ofLiga MX on 9 August, scoring in a 2–2 draw againstGuadalajara at theEstadio Universitario.[76] Six days later, he recorded a hat-trick in a 4–1 home win overChiapas for the first win of the season for theNuevo León-based team.[77] He made his debut in theClásico Regiomontano by scoring the second goal of the 3–1 home victory over arch-rivalMonterrey on 19 September.[78] Gignac's 11 goals contributed to the team reaching thechampionship stage, in which he scored in each leg of a 3–1 aggregate win over Chiapas in the quarter-finals. He repeated the feat in the 4–4 draw againstPumas in thefinal, also converting his attempt as they won in apenalty shootout.[79]
The following 30 January, Gignac scored his second hat-trick for Tigres, as they won 3–1 at home againstLeón in the Clausura 2016 season.[80] He scored againstQuerétaro for his 5th consecutive match of the season, in a 2–2 draw.[81] Gignac scored 13 goals in regular season and finished as the top goal scorer of the Clausura 2016.[citation needed]
On 2 March 2016, Gignac scored a late goal againstReal Salt Lake in a 1–1 away draw, for a 3–1 aggregate win in the quarter-finals of the2015–16 CONCACAF Champions League.[82] On 5 April, he scored twice in the final six minutes of a 2–0 home win over Querétaro (same score aggregate) to advance his team to the final,[83] where on 27 April in the second leg of the finals againstAmérica at theEstadio Azteca, he scored the goal of the 2–1 defeat (losing the aggregate by 4–1).[citation needed]
Gignac scored a hat-trick in quarter-finals of theApertura 2016 season playoffs against Pumas. He scored one goal in each, first and second leg of semi-finals against León. In the first leg of the finals against América he scored the goal of the 1–1 draw, also converting his attempt as they won in apenalty shootout in the second leg. In the last match of the Clausura 2017 season, he scored a hat-trick in the 5–1 victory over Querétaro that meant that Tigres had qualified for the play-offs. In quarter-finals, Tigres faced city rival: Monterrey. Gignac had only scored one goal in six previous derbies. Tigres won 4–1 in the first leg and 2–0 in the second leg, with Gignac scoring twice in both matches.[84][85] In the home leg of the finals against Guadalajara, Gignac scored twice to level the score at 2–2.[citation needed]
On 15 July 2018, Gignac scored in Tigres' 4–0Campeón de Campeones victory overSantos Laguna, tyingWalter Gaitán's record of 80 goals with the club and becoming the club's joint-second highest scorer. A week later, Gignac scored in the 2–0 league win over León, surpassing Gaitán with 81 goals to become the lone second-highest goalscorer in club history.
On 4 August 2019, Gignac scored in Tigres' 1–0 victory overPumas, becoming the club's all-time top scorer in all competitions. His goal against Pumas took his tally in Tigres to 105 goals, surpassing the club's previous recordholder,Tomás Boy.[86]
Gignac received his first international call-up forFrance for the2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match againstLithuania.[25] He missed the first match due to injury, but was fit enough to earn his first cap on 1 April 2009 coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute and providing the assist toFranck Ribéry's goal in the 1–0 victory.[91][92] On 12 August 2009, Gignac scored France's lone goal after 42 minutes when set up byFlorent Malouda against last-placeFaroe Islands in a World Cup qualifier inTórshavn.[93] On 10 October, he scored a brace in a five-minute span, again against the Faroes, in France's 5–0 rout inGuingamp, securing a place in the play-offs.[94] Four days later, Gignac struck againstAustria, scoring the final goal in France's 3–1 victory after appearing as a substitute forThierry Henry in the second half.[citation needed]
On 11 May 2010, Gignac was named to France managerRaymond Domenech's 30-man preliminary squad to participate in the2010 World Cup tournament proper. He was later named in the 23-man team to compete in the competition, after which he was issued shirt number 11 for the tournament. On 11 June, Gignac made hisWorld Cup debut in the nation's opening group stage match againstUruguay, replacingSidney Govou as a substitute in the 85th minute of a goalless draw. He also appeared in the final two group stage matches, which included a start against the hostsSouth Africa. France lost the match 2–1, which resulted in the team's elimination from the competition.[citation needed]
On 6 September 2013, Gignac made his first appearance for France in three years during a 0–0 draw withGeorgia inqualification for the2014 World Cup.[95] His next appearance came as a late substitute in a friendly againstPortugal on 11 October 2014.[96] Three days later, he was selected to start in France's away friendly againstArmenia, scoring his first international goal in five years from apenalty kick in a 3–0 win, afterPaul Pogba was brought down byVarazdat Haroyan.[97] On 13 November 2015, he scored France's second goal in a 2–0 home friendly victory over defending world championsGermany, a powerful header from aBlaise Matuidi cross. He was named inDidier Deschamps' squad for their hosting ofUEFA Euro 2016, making Gignac the first Mexico-based player in European Championship history.[98] He played six of their seven matches – starting only the goalless group draw withSwitzerland – and was a 78th-minute substitute forOlivier Giroud in thefinal that the team lost to Portugal in extra time.[99] In this match, Gignac came close to securing the title for France, hitting the post in the last minute of regular time.[100] Later on, Gignac was included in the French squad for the2020 Summer Olympics.[101]
Gignac has four children: Andre-Pierre Jr. from a previous relationship, and Grace, Eden and Mavy with his current wife Deborah[102] In 2019, Gignac gained Mexican citizenship.[103] He is known personally by teammates and friends as simply "Dédé".[104][105] while the late Mexican sports journalist Roberto Hernandez Jr. "Don Robert" baptized him as "El Bomboro" after theLa Sonora Santanera song[106]