Florent Sinama Pongolle facts for kids
Sinama Pongolle playing for Rostov in 2012
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 20 October 1984 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Saint-Pierre, Réunion | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Saint-Pierroise | |||||||||||||
| 1995–2001 | Le Havre | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 2001–2006 | Liverpool | 38 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | → Le Havre (loan) | 42 | (7) | ||||||||||
| 2006 | → Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 10 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Recreativo | 68 | (22) | ||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Atlético Madrid | 40 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Sporting CP | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | → Zaragoza (loan) | 24 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | → Saint-Étienne (loan) | 23 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Rostov | 18 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Chicago Fire | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Lausanne-Sport | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Dundee United | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Chainat Hornbill | 62 | (33) | ||||||||||
| 2019 | Saint-Pierroise | 10 | (1) | ||||||||||
| Total | 351 | (85) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 2001 | France U17 | 6 | (9) | ||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | France U21 | 37 | (11) | ||||||||||
| 2008 | France | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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Florent Stéphane Sinama Pongolle (born 20 October 1984) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was an attacker who tried to score goals.
He was signed by Liverpool when he was only 16 years old. However, he found it hard to become a regular player in their main team. He also spent several seasons playing in Spain for clubs like Recreativo, Atlético Madrid, and Zaragoza.
Today, Florent Sinama Pongolle works as a football expert for Canal + in France.
Contents
Early Life and Young Talent
Florent Sinama Pongolle was born in Saint-Pierre, Réunion, an island in the Indian Ocean. He started his football journey at his hometown club, Saint-Pierroise. When he was 11, he moved to Le Havre in France to continue his training.
In 2001, Florent and his cousin, Anthony Le Tallec, caught the eye of Liverpool. This happened after they both played amazingly well in two big youth tournaments: the UEFA European Under-16 Championship and the FIFA Under-17 World Championship. Florent was even named the best player of the FIFA Under-17 World Championship, which France won! He stayed at Le Havre on loan for two more years before joining Liverpool.
Playing for Big Clubs
Time at Liverpool
After returning to Liverpool, Sinama Pongolle played for the team sometimes. He made his first appearance in a UEFA Cup game. Soon after, he scored his first goal in a league match against Leeds United.
In the 2004–05 Champions League, Liverpool had an amazing journey. Florent came on as a substitute against Olympiacos and scored a quick goal to make the score 1–1. This helped Liverpool win 3–1 and move forward in the competition. Sadly, he got a knee injury in January 2005. This meant he missed the rest of that season, including Liverpool's famous win in the Champions League final.
He also scored in the 2005–06 FA Cup against Luton Town. Liverpool was losing 3–1 but came back to win 5–3, and they ended up winning the whole tournament! He also scored a great goal in the 2005–06 Champions League against Real Betis. In early 2006, he was loaned to another Premier League team, Blackburn Rovers, where he scored one goal.
Adventures in Spain
On 30 August 2006, Florent moved to Spain and signed with Recreativo de Huelva. He did very well there, becoming the team's top goal scorer in his two seasons in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He scored 12 goals in his first season and 10 in his second.
His good performances led him to join Atlético Madrid on 3 July 2008. He was expected to be a backup player, but when Diego Forlán got injured, Florent stepped up. He scored four goals in his first five league games, including two goals in one match against his old club Recreativo. He also played as a right winger sometimes.
Portugal, Russia, and Beyond
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In 2010, Florent moved to Portugal to play for Sporting CP. He scored his first goal for them in March 2010. For the next two seasons, he was loaned out to other clubs: Zaragoza in Spain and Saint-Étienne in his home country, France.
In 2012, he joined FC Rostov in the Russian Premier League and played there for two years. Later, in 2014, he signed with Major League Soccer team Chicago Fire in the United States. After a short time in Switzerland with Lausanne-Sport, he moved to Scotland to play for Dundee United in 2015.
In July 2016, Florent joined Chainat Hornbill in Thailand. He scored a goal in his very first game for them! Even though his team was relegated (moved down a league) in 2016, he decided to stay with them until 2018.
In 2019, Florent returned to his home island of Réunion and rejoined Saint-Pierroise. Even though he retired during that season, he helped his team make history. They became the first club from outside mainland France since 1989 to reach the last 32 of the Coupe de France, a major French cup competition. He even scored three goals in one match during their cup run!
International Football
Florent Sinama Pongolle had a great youth international career. After his success with the under-16 and under-17 teams, he played for the France under-21 team. He was part of the squad that played in the 2006 UEFA European Championship. By the end of his time with the U21 team, he held the record for the most games played (37) and goals scored (11) for that age group.
He played his only game for the senior French national team on 14 October 2008. It was a friendly match against Tunisia, which France won 3–1.
Honours and Achievements
Florent Sinama Pongolle won several important trophies during his career:
Liverpool
- UEFA Champions League: 2004–05 (He was part of the squad that won this huge European trophy!)
- UEFA Super Cup: 2005
- FIFA Club World Championship runner-up: 2005
- FA Community Shield: 2006
Rostov
- Russian Cup: 2013–14
Chainat Hornbill
- Thai League 2: 2017
Saint-Pierroise
- Réunion Premier League: 2019
France U17
- FIFA U-17 World Championship: 2001 (He helped France win the U-17 World Cup!)
Individual Awards
- FIFA U-17 World Championship Golden Ball: 2001 (Award for the best player in the tournament)
- FIFA U-17 World Championship Golden Shoe: 2001 (Award for the top goal scorer in the tournament)
Images for kids
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Sinama Pongolle playing for Rostov in 2012
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Sinama Pongolle with Saint-Étienne in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Florent Sinama-Pongolle para niños
