Steve Mandanda facts for kids
Mandanda with France in 2018
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Steve Mandanda Mpidi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 28 March 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Rennes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–2000 | ALM Évreux | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Le Havre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Le Havre | 67 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | → Marseille (loan) | 34 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2016 | Marseille | 300 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Crystal Palace | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Marseille | 135 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Rennes | 84 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | France U21 | 28 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | France B | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2022 | France | 35 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 January 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Steve Mandanda Mpidi (born on 28 March 1985) is a French professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper and is the captain for the Ligue 1 club Rennes.
Steve Mandanda grew up playing football at the Le Havre academy. He spent most of his career with Marseille, playing in 614 games for the club. He was named the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 five times. He also played for the English club Crystal Palace for a short time. In 2023, Mandanda joined Rennes.
Born in Zaire (now called DR Congo), Mandanda played for the French national team. He started playing for France in 2008 and took part in seven big international tournaments. These included four UEFA European Championships (in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020) and three FIFA World Cups (in 2010, 2018, and 2022). He helped France win the World Cup in 2018.
Contents
Steve Mandanda's Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
Steve Mandanda was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 28 March 1985. When he was two years old, his family moved to Évreux, France. Before he started playing football, he practiced boxing. He joined his first local football team, ALM Évreux, when he was nine. He became a French citizen in May 2003.
Playing for Le Havre
Mandanda played his first league game for Le Havre in August 2005. He was so good that he didn't let in a single goal until his fourth match! He played 30 league games in the 2005–06 season and 37 in the 2006–07 season. His great performances caught the eye of other football clubs. After a tryout with Aston Villa didn't work out, he joined Marseille in the summer of 2007.
Time at Marseille
When Mandanda first joined Marseille, he was expected to be the backup goalkeeper. But the main goalkeeper, Cédric Carrasso, got a knee injury and couldn't play for six months. This gave Mandanda the chance to become the regular goalkeeper for Marseille in Ligue 1, Champions League, and UEFA Cup matches. On 5 March 2008, Mandanda officially signed a four-year contract with Marseille.
At the end of his last season with Marseille, he was named the club's Player of the Season. This was the second time he had won this award, with the first being in the 2007-08 season.
Playing for Crystal Palace
On 1 July 2016, the Premier League club Crystal Palace announced that they had signed Mandanda. He joined them for free from Marseille. However, he had a tough time there because he was injured for most of the season. He only played in ten games.
Coming Back to Marseille
On 11 July 2017, Mandanda returned to Olympique de Marseille. He signed a three-year contract.
On 22 December 2018, Mandanda played his 500th game for Marseille. This was during a 1–1 draw against Angers. On 25 August 2020, when he was 35 years old, he signed a new contract to stay with Marseille until 2024.
Joining Rennes
On 6 July 2022, Rennes announced that they had signed Mandanda for two years.
On 8 January 2024, Mandanda extended his contract with Rennes. He will now stay with the club until June 2025.
Playing for France
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Mandanda played many games for the French under-21 team. He was chosen for the French squad in the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
In 2007, he was first considered for the main French national team.
He played in a friendly match for the France B team against Congo DR on 5 February 2008. He was substituted at halftime, and his younger brother, Parfait, came on to play for Congo. Steve made his full international debut for France on 27 May 2008. This was in a 2–0 win against Ecuador. He came on as a substitute and was later named the third-choice goalkeeper for the Euro 2008 tournament.
He started the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying games as France's first-choice goalkeeper. His first official international game was on 6 September 2008 against Austria. However, in 2009, Raymond Domenech chose Olympique Lyonnais goalkeeper Hugo Lloris over him. Mandanda was part of France's World Cup team in 2010, but he did not play in any of the three matches.
On 6 June 2011, Mandanda was the captain for France in a 4–1 friendly win against Ukraine. He was also called up for UEFA Euro 2012.
Mandanda was initially chosen for the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. But he got injured before the tournament and was replaced by Stéphane Ruffier. He was part of the team that finished second at UEFA Euro 2016 in France.
Mandanda was in the 23-man French squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in their group game against Denmark, which ended in a draw. This was his first tournament appearance, and he was 33 years old.
In November 2022, he was chosen for the French squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He started the game against Tunisia in the final group stage. On 14 January 2023, Mandanda announced that he was retiring from international football.
About Steve's Family
Steve Mandanda has three younger brothers: Parfait, Riffi, and Over. All of them are also goalkeepers! Steve loves spending time with his family in Marseille, where he lives. His relatives call him "Frenchie" because he chose to play for the France national football team instead of Congo, his birth country.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Le Havre | 2004–05 | Ligue 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Ligue 2 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07 | Ligue 2 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 0 | |||
| Total | 67 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 72 | 0 | ||||
| Marseille | 2007–08 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 48 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | — | 55 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 50 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 51 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 47 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 50 | 0 | ||
| Total | 334 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 74 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 441 | 0 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2016–17 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| Marseille | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 45 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| Total | 135 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 172 | 0 | ||
| Marseille total | 469 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 101 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 613 | 0 | ||
| Rennes | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 84 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | — | 100 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 629 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 115 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 795 | 0 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2008 | 3 | 0 |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 0 | |
Awards and Achievements
Marseille
- Ligue 1: 2009–10 (Winner)
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12 (Winner)
- Trophée des Champions: 2010, 2011 (Winner)
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2017–18
France National Team
- FIFA World Cup: 2018 (Winner); 2022 (Runner-up)
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2016
Individual Awards
- Toulon Tournament Best Goalkeeper: 2005
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: February 2008, August 2008, September 2017
- UNFP Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year: 2007–08, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2007–08, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18
- Marseille Olympian of the Season: 2007–08, 2015–16
Special Honours
- Knight of the Legion of Honour: 2018 (A special award from France)
See also
In Spanish: Steve Mandanda para niños
