Philippe Mexès facts for kids
Mexès lining up for France at UEFA Euro 2012
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Philippe Mexès | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 March 1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Toulouse, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1990 | Toulouse-Mirail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1997 | Toulouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Auxerre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2004 | Auxerre | 133 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2011 | Roma | 183 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | AC Milan | 86 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 402 | (24) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | France U16 | 7 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | France U18 | 8 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | France U21 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2012 | France | 29 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Philippe Mexès, born on March 30, 1982, is a French former professional footballer. He played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position in football. His career lasted from 1999 to 2016. During this time, he played for famous clubs like Auxerre, Roma, and AC Milan. He also played for the French national team from 2002 to 2012, earning 29 caps and scoring one goal. He represented France in big tournaments like the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup and UEFA Euro 2012.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting at Auxerre
Philippe Mexès was born in Toulouse, France. He started his youth football journey at Auxerre when he was 12 years old. He trained with the youth team, Bastille, and quickly became a very important player. He even captained the youth squads to win many cups. With the main Auxerre team, he helped them win the French Cup in 2003.
Time with Roma
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In June 2004, Mexès signed a four-year contract with Roma. There was a problem with this transfer because his old club, Auxerre, didn't agree to it. It was mainly Mexès's decision to move. Because of this disagreement, Mexès was temporarily suspended from playing. However, the ban was lifted for a while. He played his first Serie A match for Roma on September 12, 2004, against Fiorentina. Later, the suspension was put back in place until April 2005. Eventually, the issue was resolved, and Roma had to pay Auxerre €7 million.
After a tough first season, Mexès started the 2005–06 season on the bench. Roma had been banned from signing new players because of the transfer issue, but this ban was temporarily lifted. Since the club couldn't sign many new players, Mexès became a key player for coach Luciano Spalletti. He played in many UEFA Cup games and also reached the final of the 2005–06 Coppa Italia. Roma finished fifth in Serie A, but because of a big problem in Italian football in 2006, they were moved up to second place. This allowed Mexès to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time.
Mexès became one of Roma's most important players, forming a strong defense with Cristian Chivu. The team reached the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. They also faced Inter Milan in the 2007 Coppa Italia final. Mexès, along with other defenders, helped Roma win the cup with a 7–4 total score over two games. Roma also finished second in Serie A, letting in very few goals.
Mexès signed a new five-year contract with Roma. The team reached the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals again but lost to Manchester United. In Serie A, Roma almost caught up to Inter Milan but finished second. In the 2008 Coppa Italia final, Mexès scored the first goal, and Roma won 2–1, keeping their title.
With Mexès in defense, Roma made it to the knockout stage of the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League. Mexès missed a key game against Arsenal, and Roma lost in a penalty shootout. In the UEFA Europa League on July 30, 2009, Mexès scored a goal from a Francesco Totti free kick, helping Roma get a draw. Even though he played a bit less when Nicolás Burdisso joined, Mexès helped Roma finish second in Serie A. By late 2010, he was back as a regular starter.
On April 3, 2011, Mexès got a serious injury to his left knee during a Serie A match against Juventus. He had surgery two days later. His contract was ending in June 2011, and he hinted that he might leave Roma to join AC Milan.
Playing for AC Milan
On May 10, 2011, Milan's CEO announced that Mexès would join AC Milan for the next season. He was given the number 5 jersey, the same number he wore at Roma. He played his first unofficial game for Milan's youth team to help him recover from his knee injury. On October 26, 2011, he made his official debut in Serie A for Milan in a 4–1 win against Parma. In his first season, he played 24 games and was the third-choice central defender.
In the next season, Milan's main defenders left, and Cristián Zapata joined. Mexès and Zapata became Milan's main central defenders. They helped the team let in only 12 goals in the second half of the 2012–13 Serie A season. Mexès scored his first goal for Milan with an amazing bicycle kick from far away on November 21, 2012. This goal, scored in a Champions League group match against Anderlecht, was considered one of the best goals of the year. He scored his first Serie A goal for Milan on May 20, 2013, helping Milan finish third in the league and qualify for the next Champions League.
Mexès scored his first goal of the 2013–14 season in a 3–1 home win against Cagliari. He continued to be an important part of Milan's defense. However, in a Serie A match against Juventus, Mexès was sent off for hitting Juventus player Giorgio Chiellini. This led to him being suspended for four matches.
On July 8, 2015, Milan announced that Mexès had signed a contract extension until 2016. In November 2015, Mexès was nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award for a fantastic goal he scored. It was a powerful volley from the edge of the penalty area in a friendly match against Inter on July 25, 2015.
On May 14, 2016, Mexès played his last game for AC Milan in a 3–1 loss against AS Roma. He was the team's captain in that match. A week later, he was on the bench for the 2016 Coppa Italia final but did not play. On May 25, 2016, the club owner announced that Mexès was leaving the team. After leaving Milan, he did not find another club for over a year. In November 2017, he announced that he was retiring from football.
Playing for France
Philippe Mexès played for the French national teams at different age levels, including the under-18 and under-21 teams. He also played for the senior French national team. He was part of the squad that played in the UEFA Euro 2012 competition.
Personal Life
Philippe Mexès has two children with his ex-wife, Carla, born in 2003 and 2007. He also has another child, born in 2012, with his current wife, Véronique.
In Video Games
Mexès is featured in EA Sports' popular FIFA video game series. He was even on the cover of the Italian version of FIFA 12, alongside Giampaolo Pazzini and global cover star Wayne Rooney.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Auxerre | 1999–2000 | Division 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Division 1 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Division 1 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 3 | |||
| 2002–03 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 49 | 1 | ||
| 2003–04 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 45 | 4 | ||
| Total | 133 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 22 | 1 | — | 168 | 8 | |||
| Roma | 2004–05 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | |
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 27 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 43 | 3 | ||
| 2006–07 | Serie A | 27 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 31 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 2 | |
| 2008–09 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 19 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 31 | 2 | ||
| Total | 183 | 11 | 32 | 3 | 49 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 267 | 15 | ||
| AC Milan | 2011–12 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 2 | |||
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| Total | 86 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 114 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 402 | 24 | 56 | 3 | 90 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 549 | 30 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2002 | 2 | 0 |
| 2003 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 1 | |
France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Mexès goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 March 2011 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualification |
Awards and Trophies
With Auxerre
- Coupe de France: 2002–03 (French Cup)
With Roma
- Coppa Italia: 2006–07, 2007–08 (Italian Cup)
With AC Milan
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2011 (Italian Super Cup)
With France Youth Teams
- UEFA European Under-18 Championship: 2000
With France National Team
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 2003
Individual Awards
- Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2002–03 (Chosen as one of the best players in the French league)
See also
In Spanish: Philippe Mexès para niños
