Mickaël Vincent André-Marie Landreau (; born 14 May 1979) is a French professional
football manager
''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game bega ...
and former
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...
who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
.
Landreau holds the record for Ligue 1 appearances, with 618 for Nantes,
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
,
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...
and
Bastia
Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
between 1996 and 2014. He won a league title with Nantes in 2001 and Lille in 2011.
Landreau was a long-term France international but always as back-up. He was part of their squads that won the
Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, ...
2006 World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
, along with other tournament call-ups.
Club career
Nantes
Born in
Machecoul
Machecoul ( br, Machikoul) is a former commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Machecoul-Saint-Même.Nantes Atlantique "Centre of Excellence" in La Jonelière. His first professional match for Nantes was a 0–0 draw against
Bastia
Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
on 2 October 1996 and saved the penalty from Ľubomír Moravčík. Since 1996, he remained a mainstay in the Nantes starting line-up, and consistently produced excellent performances. At age 19, Landreau became captain. He was selected to represent the France youth national team at the 1997
FIFA World Youth Championship
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 wh ...
.
In the next ten years, he hardly missed a game, completing in July 2005 300 matches for Nantes and was an important support for his team during their successes around the turn of the millennium. Having won two consecutive
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
trophies in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
and
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
(captained in the 2000 final), Nantes were crowned 2001 Ligue 1 champions for the first time since 1995. In the same when Nantes won the Ligue 1, Landreau signed a new contract, keeping him until 2006. His good performance at Nantes led Landreau drew strong interest from clubs like
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
articular disk
The articular disk (or disc) is a thin, oval plate of fibrocartilage present in several joints which separates synovial cavities. This separation of the cavity space allows for separate movements to occur in each space.
The presence of an articula ...
which was a serious injury in his football career. On 22 November 2003, Landreau made his return in a 3–1 win over his (first match in his career) against Bastia. In the semi-final of the 2004 French Cup, Landreau produced several saves, but to no avail as the team could not score and were eliminated from the competition. In the final of Coupe de la Ligue against Sochaux-Montbéliard, the match was 1–1 and played until the penalty shootout. Landreau shot the seventh penalty in a panenka style, only to be saved by Teddy Richert. Nantes were about to lose the game when Pascal Delhommeau missed, allowing
Benoît Pedretti
Benoît Pedretti (born 12 November 1980) is a French football manager and former player who is the manager of the reserve team of Nancy. A midfielder, he was a deep-lying playmaker well-known for his wide range of passing.
He started his profe ...
to score the winning penalty. After the match, Landreau said he had "no regrets" on missing the penalty in that manner.
At the end of the 2005–06 Ligue 1 season, Landreau's contract with Nantes was set to expire but Nantes was set to offer Landreau a new contract along with Mauro Cetto and
Jérémy Toulalan
Jérémy Toulalan (born 10 September 1983) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, but was also utilized as a central defender. He is best known for his humble demeanor, simple distribution, good techniqu ...
. He gave a press conference and announced that after thirteen years, he would leave FC Nantes to meet new challenges in a more important team. He announced his intention to leave his first club just before the end of the 2005–2006 season. As his contract expired, Arsenal and
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...
were among interested signing him. During his last match at Stade de la Beaujoire on 6 May 2006, he received a tribute from the fans who saluted his dedication and loyalty to the club for thirteen years. The season following his departure, Nantes was relegated to Ligue 2 for the first time since 1963.
Paris Saint-Germain
Landreau then joined
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
on a free transfer, signing a four-years contract on 15 May 2006. After his move to Paris, Landreau says moving to Paris could earn him a call up from France.
At Paris Saint-Germain, Landreau established himself as a first choice goalkeeper beating Jérôme Alonzo and youngster Nicolas Cousin He also became a fan favorite. On 5 August 2006, Landreau made his debut for PSG in a 3–2 loss against
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...
. In the 2006–07, the 2007–08 and the 2008–09 season, Landreau played all 38 appearance in his PSG Career. At his last appearance at PSG in a match against AS Monaco which resulted in a 0–0 draw and his last clean sheet, he thanked the fans for his time at the club and they passed him with a rare standing ovation. After the 2007–08 season ended, Landreau had been linked with a move away from the club after
Grégory Coupet
Grégory Coupet (born 31 December 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Throughout his playing career, he represented Saint-Étienne, Lyon, Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Franc ...
remained keen to play abroad at PSG, who could replaced him as a first choice goalkeeper. However,
Charles Villeneuve
Charles Villeneuve (born Charles Leroy; 19 July 1941) is a French journalist.
He was the sports director of the television channel TF1.
On 27 May 2008, he was named as president of Paris Saint-Germain F.C. ahead of the new season, after the on ...
said he had not confirmed Landreau's place in the squad for next season and had hinted at an interest in Coupet but Sebastien Bazin (the chairman of PSG's majority shareholders Colony Capital) insisted Landreau will not be leaving the club. Reports claims Landreau could be set to move to Real Madrid in order to become Iker Casillas’ understudy. Coupet eventually move to Paris Saint-Germain putting Landreau’s future in doubt.
Lille
After the 2009–10 season, Lille OSC made a €2 million (£1.7 million) offer for Landreau who wanted him to replace the veteran goalkeeper Grégory Malicki who left Lille to join
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
on a free transfer and was the first choice goalkeeper for Lille in the 2008–09 season. The move was agreed and was completed. Five days after signing for Lille, he suffered a massive blow by damaging cruciate ligaments during a training session which kept him out of action for around six months. During his absence due to injury,
Ludovic Butelle
Ludovic Jean-Luc Butelle (born 3 April 1983) is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Red Star.
Club career
Born in Reims, Butelle began his career at Metz, in 2001–02's Ligue 1, appearing in six matches. He bec ...
got more playing time and played about 10 matches until Landreau returned and he later became the first choice-goalkeeper ever since. On 22 October 2009, Landreau was back on the bench in Europa League during the match against
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
(3–0) and made his league debut for Lille in a 2–0 win over
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
on 30 October 2009.
In the 2010–11 season, Landreau was involved in the Lille squad that won the Ligue 1 for the third time in club history and the first time since 1954. He made history by becoming the first player ever to compete in the
Trophée des Champions
The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries.
His ...
with three clubs.
On 7 November 2012, he allowed six goals from Bayern Munich during a Champions League match. In December 2012 as a remaining first choice goalkeeper, Landreau left Lille by mutual consent after a strained relationship with general manager Frederic Paquet. In the press conference, Landreau said ''"The most important thing is to blossom on the pitch. I could not anymore. And a year and a half is a long way to go when you have hard days."'' and left the club both sportingly and psychologically.
Bastia
On 23 December 2012, Landreau signed a six-month contract with the Corsican club
SC Bastia
Sporting Club Bastiais ( co, Sporting Club di Bastia, commonly referred to as SC Bastia or simply Bastia) is a Corsican association football club based in Bastia on the island of Corsica. The club plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of French f ...
. Upon moving to Bastia, he revealed that he had turned down a move to Italian side
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
. On 4 December 2013, Landreau broke the record for the most appearances by any player in Ligue 1 or Division 1 - the top flight in French football - when he started in the match against
AC Ajaccio
Athletic Club Ajaccio ( co, Athletic Club Aiacciu), commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ''ACA'' or simply Ajaccio, is a French association football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and ...
. It was Landreau's 603rd Ligue 1 match. Three days earlier, he had equalled the previous record of 602 Ligue 1 or Division 1 matches held by former
AS Monaco
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Frenc ...
In August 2016, Landreau was appointed assistant manager to Réginald Ray at
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National ( en, French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, ...
club
Paris FC
Paris Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris FC or simply PFC, is a French professional football club based in Paris, that competes in the Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. Paris FC play their home matches at the Stade C ...
. In May 2017, he was given a four-year contract at
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...
, newly relegated to Ligue 2. He quit that job halfway through the deal in May 2019, having finished sixth and therefore missed out on the objective of promotion.
International career
Landreau was part of the
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
squad that won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Korea and Japan. He made his debut in his only appearance of the tournament, a 4–0 win over
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in the final group game on 3 June. He did not play again until the 2003 edition that the team won again on home soil, taking part in a 5–0 win over
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
UEFA Euro 2004
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. The ...
and the
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...
, Landreau wore France's number one jersey despite being the third-choice goalkeeper behind Fabien Barthez and
Grégory Coupet
Grégory Coupet (born 31 December 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Throughout his playing career, he represented Saint-Étienne, Lyon, Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Franc ...
and unused in both tournaments as a result. He played half of the 12 matches in UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, but was overlooked for the
final tournament
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
in Austria and Switzerland, where
Sébastien Frey
Sébastien Jacques André Frey (born 18 March 1980) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His club career began in France with Cannes in 1997, but later went on to spend most of his career in the Italian Serie A, ...
and
Steve Mandanda
Steve Mandanda Mpidi (; born 28 March 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Rennes.
Mandanda spent most of his professional career with Marseille, making over 600 appearances across all competition ...
backed up Coupet.
Landreau was recalled to the French national team in September 2012 by newly appointed manager
Didier Deschamps
Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, ...
for upcoming
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
matches against
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
on 7 September and
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
on 11 September. It was his first national call-up since November 2007. He went to the finals in Brazil, as third choice behind Hugo Lloris and Stéphane Ruffier. After the tournament, he retired from club and international football at the age of 35, to spend more time with his family.
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
Trophée des Champions
The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries.
His ...
:
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
*Coupe de France:
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...