Mickaël Landreau facts for kids

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Mickaël Landreau

Landreau as Lorient manager in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Mickaël Vincent André-Marie Landreau
Date of birth	(1979-05-14) 14 May 1979 (age 46)
Place of birth	Machecoul, France
Height	1.84 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1985–1992	Étoile Arthonnaise
1992–1993	GS Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire
1993–1996	Nantes
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–2006	Nantes	335	(0)
2006–2009	Paris Saint-Germain	114	(0)
2009–2012	Lille	119	(0)
2012–2014	Bastia	50	(0)
Total		618	(0)
National team
1997–2002	France U21	46	(0)
2001–2014	France	11	(0)
Teams managed
2016–2017	Paris FC (assistant)
2017–2019	Lorient
Honours Men's football Representing  France FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2001 Winner 2003 FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2002
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Mickaël Landreau (born on May 14, 1979) is a French football manager and former player. He was a talented goalkeeper.

Landreau holds a special record in French football. He has played in the most Ligue 1 matches ever, with 618 games. He played for four different clubs: Nantes, Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, and Bastia. His career lasted from 1996 to 2014.

He won the French league title (Ligue 1) twice. First with Nantes in 2001, and then with Lille in 2011. He was also a part of the French national team. He helped them win the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003. He was also on the team that finished second at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Mickaël Landreau's Club Career

Starting at Nantes

Mickaël Landreau was born in Machecoul, France. He learned to play football at the Nantes Atlantique "Centre of Excellence." His first professional game for Nantes was on October 2, 1996. It was a 0–0 draw against Bastia. In that match, he even saved a penalty kick!

From 1996 onwards, Landreau was a key player for Nantes. He played very well consistently. When he was only 19 years old, he became the team's captain. He also played for the France youth national team in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Landreau during a casting organized by Adidas.

For the next ten years, he rarely missed a game. By July 2005, he had played 300 matches for Nantes. He was a big reason for his team's success around the year 2000. Nantes won the Coupe de France (French Cup) two years in a row, in 1999 and 2000. Landreau was captain in the 2000 final.

In 2001, Nantes won the Ligue 1 championship. This was their first league title since 1995. In the same year, Landreau signed a new contract to stay with Nantes until 2006. Many big clubs like Barcelona and Manchester United were interested in signing him.

In 2003, Landreau had an operation on his knee, which was a serious injury. He returned to play on November 22, 2003. In the 2004 French League Cup final, the game went to a penalty shootout. Landreau took a penalty kick in a "panenka" style, but the opposing goalkeeper saved it. Nantes ended up losing the game. Landreau later said he had "no regrets" about how he took the penalty.

At the end of the 2005–06 season, Landreau decided to leave Nantes. He wanted to find new challenges with a bigger team. He had been with the club for thirteen years. Fans gave him a big thank you during his last match at Stade de la Beaujoire. The season after he left, Nantes was moved down to a lower league (Ligue 2) for the first time in many years.

Playing for Paris Saint-Germain

Landreau during a match between Dynamo Kyiv and PSG.

Mickaël Landreau then joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for free. He signed a four-year contract on May 15, 2006. He hoped that playing for a big club like PSG would help him get called up for the French national team more often.

At PSG, Landreau quickly became the main goalkeeper. He was also very popular with the fans. He played his first game for PSG on August 5, 2006, in a 3–2 loss against Lorient. For three seasons (2006–07, 2007–08, and 2008–09), Landreau played in all 38 league games for PSG.

In his last game for PSG, a 0–0 draw against AS Monaco, he thanked the fans. They gave him a standing ovation (everyone stood up and clapped). There were rumors that he might leave PSG, but he stayed until 2009.

Time at Lille

Landreau in training just before the final of the Coupe de France match with Lille.

After the 2009–10 season, Lille OSC offered to buy Landreau. They wanted him to be their new main goalkeeper. He agreed to the move. Just five days after joining Lille, he got a serious knee injury during training. This kept him from playing for about six months.

When he returned, Landreau became Lille's first-choice goalkeeper again. He made his league debut for Lille on October 30, 2009, in a 2–0 win over Grenoble.

Landreau wearing the medal of the winner of the Coupe de France 2011.

In the 2010–11 season, Landreau helped Lille win the Ligue 1 title. This was Lille's first league championship since 1954. He also made history by becoming the first player to play in the Trophée des Champions (a French Super Cup) with three different clubs.

In December 2012, Landreau decided to leave Lille. He said he was not happy playing there anymore. He wanted to "blossom on the pitch" and felt he couldn't do that at Lille.

Moving to Bastia

On December 23, 2012, Landreau signed a six-month contract with the Corsican club SC Bastia. He later said he had turned down an offer from the famous Italian club Inter Milan to join Bastia.

On December 4, 2013, Landreau set a new record. He played in his 603rd Ligue 1 match against AC Ajaccio. This meant he had played more top-flight French football games than any other player in history! He broke the record previously held by Jean-Luc Ettori.

Becoming a Manager

In August 2016, Landreau started a new part of his career. He became an assistant manager for Paris FC. In May 2017, he was given a four-year contract to manage Lorient, a team that had just moved down to a lower league. His goal was to help them get promoted back to the top league. He left the job in May 2019, after two years.

Mickaël Landreau's International Career

Landreau was part of the French national team that won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Korea and Japan. He played his first game in the tournament on June 3, a 4–0 win against Mexico. He also played in the 2003 tournament, which France won again at home.

He was in the French squad for UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Even though he wore the number one jersey, he was usually the third-choice goalkeeper. This meant he did not play in those tournaments.

In September 2012, Landreau was called back to the French national team. This was his first call-up since November 2007. He was part of the team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He was the third-choice goalkeeper behind Hugo Lloris and Stéphane Ruffier. After the World Cup, at age 35, he retired from both club and international football. He wanted to spend more time with his family.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Achievements

Nantes

• Division 1: 2000–01
• Coupe de France: 1998–99, 1999–2000
• Trophée des Champions: 1999, 2001

Paris Saint-Germain

• Coupe de la Ligue: 2007–08

Lille

• Ligue 1: 2010–11
• Coupe de France: 2010–11

France National Team

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001, 2003
• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2006

See also

In Spanish: Mickaël Landreau para niños