Steve Mandanda
Mandanda with France in 2018
Personal information
Full name Steve Mandanda Mpidi[1]
Date of birth (1985-03-28) 28 March 1985[2]
Place of birth Kinshasa, Zaire
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position Goalkeeper
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 10 (0)
2017–2022 Marseille 135 (0)
2022–2025 Rennes 86 (0)
Total 631 (0)
International career
2004–2006 France U21 28 (0)
2008 France B 2 (0)
2008–2022 France 35 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Winner 2018 Russia
Runner-up 2022 Qatar
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up 2016 France
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Steve Mandanda Mpidi (French pronunciation: [stɛv mɑ̃dɑ̃da];[4] born 28 March 1985) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

A product of the Le Havre academy, Mandanda spent most of his professional career with Marseille, making 614 appearances across all competitions in two spells at the club, and was voted Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year five times. He also had a short stint with English club Crystal Palace between his spells at Marseille. In 2023, Mandanda joined Rennes.

Born in Zaire (present-day DR Congo), Mandanda played for the France national team. Making his debut in 2008, representing France at seven international tournaments: four UEFA European Championships (2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020) and three FIFA World Cups (2010, 2018, 2022), winning the tournament in 2018.

Club career

Early career

Mandanda was born on 28 March 1985 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire), but he moved with his family to Évreux, France when he was two years old. He practiced boxing before joining the local team ALM Évreux at age nine.[5] He acquired French nationality by naturalization in May 2003.[6]

Le Havre

Mandanda made his league debut for Le Havre in August 2005, and did not concede a goal until his fourth match. He played 30 league matches in the 2005–06 season and 37 in 2006–07, with his performances attracting the attention of other clubs. Following an unsuccessful trial at Aston Villa prior to the 2007–08 season,[7] he joined Marseille in summer 2007.

Marseille

At the start of his first season with Marseille, Mandanda was regarded as an understudy to first choice keeper Mitchell te Vrede. However a knee injury ruled Carrasso out for six months, leaving the way clear for Mandanda to become a regular fixture in Ligue 1, Champions League and UEFA Cup matches. On 5 March 2008, Mandanda joined Marseille on a permanent four-year contract.

At the end of Mandanda's final season at Marseille he was named as the club's Player of the Season. It was the second time that he won the award having previously done so in the 2007-08 campaign.[8]

Crystal Palace

On 1 July 2016, Premier League club Crystal Palace announced that they had completed the signing of Mandanda on a free transfer from Marseille.[9] He struggled to make an impact, being injured for most of the season. He made just ten appearances.[10]

Return to Marseille

On 11 July 2017, Mandanda returned to Olympique de Marseille on a three-year contract for €3 million.[11]

On 22 December 2018, Mandanda played his 500th match for Marseille, in a 1–1 draw at Angers.[12] On 25 August 2020, aged 35, he prolonged his contract until 2024.[13]

Rennes

On 6 July 2022, Rennes announced the signing of Mandanda on a two-year deal.[14] On 8 January 2024, Mandanda extended his contract with Rennes until June 2025.[15]

On 10 September 2025, Mandanda officially announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 40.[16]

International career

Mandanda won a number of caps for the France national under-21 team and was named in the French squad for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

For the first time, in 2007, he took part in the French A-squad pre-selection.[17]

He played in a friendly match with France B against Congo DR on 5 February 2008, in which he was substituted at half time, and his younger brother Parfait came on for Congo. He made his full international debut on 27 May 2008 in a 2–0 victory against Ecuador in a Euro 2008 warm-up friendly, coming on as a half-time substitute for Sébastien Frey, and was subsequently nominated as the third-choice goalkeeper in the French squad for the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.[18]

He started the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign as France's first-choice goalkeeper, making his competitive international debut on 6 September 2008 in their opening qualifier against Austria. However, he was replaced in the summer of 2009, as Raymond Domenech chose Olympique Lyonnais goalkeeper Hugo Lloris over him for the international starting eleven. Mandanda was a member of France's World Cup team, but did not appear in any of its three matches in the competition.

On 6 June 2011, Mandanda captained the French in a 4–1 friendly win away to Ukraine at the Donbas Arena.[19] He was called up for UEFA Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.[20] Mandanda was originally named in the squad also for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but sustained an injury before the tournament and was replaced by Stéphane Ruffier of AS Saint-Étienne.[21] He was part of the squad that came runners-up at UEFA Euro 2016 on home soil.[22] Mandanda was part of the 23-man France squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played their goalless group game against Denmark, his debut tournament appearance, at the age of 33.[23] In November 2022, he was named in the French squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he started against Tunisia in the final group stage match.[24] On 14 January 2023, Mandanda announced his retirement from international football.[25]

Style of play

An athletic and powerful goalkeeper, Mandanda was mainly known for his excellent reflexes and shot-stopping ability, which enabled him to produce spectacular saves, as well as his positioning, longevity, and leadership qualities. He was less effective at dealing with high balls, however,[26][27][28][29] and also struggled with injuries throughout his career.[30] Moreover, his penalty saving record was not particularly impressive throughout his career.[31] In addition to his goalkeeping abilities, he was also considered to be composed in possession and comfortable with the ball at his feet, and often functioned as a sweeper-keeper due to his distribution and ball-playing ability.[32][33] He was considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world in his prime,[34] and is regarded as one of the greatest French goalkeepers of all time,[35] as well as one of the best goalkeepers ever to play in Ligue 1.[36]

Personal life

Mandanda has three younger brothers, Parfait, Riffi, and Over, all of whom are goalkeepers.[37] He enjoys spending time with his family in the city of Marseille, where he lives. He earned the nickname "Frenchie" amongst his relatives for having chosen to play for the France national team rather than Congo, his country of birth.[38]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[39][40]
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] 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 (loan) 2007–08 Ligue 1 34 0 2 0 2 0 10[c] 0 — 48 0
Marseille 2008–09 Ligue 1 38 0 2 0 1 0 14[d] 0 — 55 0
2009–10 Ligue 1 36 0 2 0 2 0 10[c] 0 — 50 0
2010–11 Ligue 1 38 0 0 0 3 0 8[e] 0 1[f] 0 50 0
2011–12 Ligue 1 38 0 2 0 2 0 9[e] 0 1[f] 0 52 0
2012–13 Ligue 1 38 0 3 0 1 0 9[g] 0 — 51 0
2013–14 Ligue 1 38 0 1 0 2 0 6[e] 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[g] 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[g] 0 — 45 0
2018–19 Ligue 1 31 0 1 0 1 0 1[g] 0 — 34 0
2019–20 Ligue 1 27 0 1 0 1 0 — — 29 0
2020–21 Ligue 1 37 0 0 0 — 6[e] 0 1[f] 0 44 0
2021–22 Ligue 1 9 0 2 0 — 9[h] 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[g] 0 — 42 0
2023–24 Ligue 1 34 0 1 0 — 7[g] 0 — 42 0
2024–25 Ligue 1 18 0 0 0 — — — 18 0
Total 86 0 2 0 — 14 0 — 102 0
Career total 631 0 29 0 19 0 115 0 3 0 797 0
  1. Include Coupe de France
  2. Includes Coupe de la Ligue, EFL Cup
  3. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. Eight appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  6. Appearance in Trophée des Champions
  7. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  8. One appearance in UEFA Europa League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[41][42]
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

Honours

Marseille

France

Individual

Orders

References

  1. "Squad List: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: France (FRA)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 12.
  2. "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
  3. "Steve Mandanda" (in French). Stade Rennais F.C.
  4. OM (25 March 2018). "Steve Mandanda bests saves 2018". YouTube (in French). Archived from the original on 14 December 2021.
  5. "Biographie de Steve Mandanda" [Biography of Steve Mandanda.]. stevemandanda.net (in French). Archived from the original on 7 November 2012.
  6. "JORF n° 0121 du 25 mai 2003 - Légifrance" [JORF No. 0121 of May 25, 2003 - Légifrance.]. www.legifrance.gouv.fr.
  7. "France goalkeeper in Aston Villa trial". Archived from the original on 22 May 2011.
  8. Daurès, Camille (1 June 2016). "Mandanda, Olympian of the 2015-16 season". Olympique de Marseille.
  9. "Mandanda Pens Crystal Palace Deal". Crystal Palace Football Club. 1 July 2016.
  10. "Summary - Steve Mandanda - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com.
  11. "Mandanda Departs Palace". Crystal Palace F.C. 11 July 2017.
  12. Albano, Mario (22 December 2018). "Angers-OM - Steve Mandanda : cap 500". La Provence (in French).
  13. "Veteran Marseille captain Mandanda extends contract to 2024". Yahoo!. 26 August 2020.
  14. "Steve Mandanda est Rouge et Noir !" (in French). Stade Rennais FC. 6 July 2022.
  15. "Une saison supplémentaire pour Steve Mandanda" [A supplementary season for Steve Mandanda] (in French). Stade Rennais FC. 8 January 2024.
  16. "« Je ne pouvais pas vivre une meilleure fin » : Steve Mandanda fait le bilan de sa carrière après avoir pris sa retraite à 40 ans" ['I couldn't have had a better ending': Steve Mandanda reflects on his career after retiring at 40] (in French). L'Équipe. 10 September 2025.
  17. "List of the pre-selected players in the french A-squad in the season 2007–2008". www.rlfoot.fr. Archived from the original on 28 November 2007.
  18. Duchesne, Vincent (28 May 2008). "Mandanda a poussé la porte" [Mandanda has pushed the door open]. Le Figaro (in French).
  19. "TEAM NEWS: Jeremy Menez starts for France against Ukraine". Archived from the original on 10 October 2019.
  20. "Euro 2012: Younes Kaboul misses out on France squad". BBC Sport. 15 May 2012.
  21. "World Cup 2014: Stephane Ruffier confirmed in France squad". BBC Sport. 18 May 2014.
  22. "Euro 2016: Leicester's N'Golo Kante in France squad". BBC Sport. 12 May 2016.
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  24. Orsini, Vincent (9 November 2022). "La liste des vingt-cinq pour le Mondial" [The list of twenty-five for the World Cup]. French Football Federation.
  25. "Steve Mandanda anunció su retiro de la Selección de Francia" [Steve Mandanda announced his retirement from the French national team.]. ESPNdeportes.com (in Spanish). 14 January 2023.
  26. "Penpix of France squad". Reuters. 18 May 2010.
  27. Marcotti, Gabriele (11 June 2008). "Top 50 transfer targets". www.thetimes.com.
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  31. Whitehead, Jacob (26 June 2021). "France should sub off Lloris while England will fear Neuer: the Euro 2020 goalkeepers with the best penalty records". The New York Times.
  32. Fifield, Dominic (21 October 2016). "Alan Pardew: 'People ask about England but why would I leave Crystal Palace?'". The Guardian.
  33. "Ranking the 10 best goalkeepers in the Premier League". theScore.com. 16 November 2016.
  34. Al-Hendy, Mohamed (6 June 2018). "50 Best Goalkeepers in World Football". bleacherreport.com.
  35. "Il ritorno del Le Havre: la squadra che lanciato Mahrez e Pogba | Goal.com Italia" (in Italian). www.goal.com. 3 June 2023.
  36. Boxall, George (28 March 2025). "Happy Birthday Steve Mandanda!". Ligue 1.
  37. "Les Mandanda, une dynastie de gardiens" [The Mandandas, a dynasty of goalkeepers.] (in French). Le Parisien. 26 January 2008.
  38. Benson, Rory (14 January 2016). "Aston Villa scouting report: Who is Steve Mandanda?". Birmingham Live.
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  41. Steve Mandanda at National-Football-Teams.com
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  44. "MARSEILLE – BORDEAUX : LES COMPOS, LAURENT BLANC MET SON ÉQUIPE TYPE". rmcsport.bfmtv.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023.
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  46. "CdL - Lyon - Marseille, les clés du match". goal.com.
  47. "Résultat et résumé Marseille - Paris-SG, Trophée des Champions, Trophée des Champions, Mercredi 28 Juillet 2010" [Result and summary Marseille - Paris-SG, Trophée des Champions, Trophée des Champions, Wednesday, July 28, 2010.]. lequipe.fr.
  48. "Résultat et résumé Lille - Marseille, Trophée des Champions, Trophée des Champions, Mercredi 27 Juillet 2011". lequipe.fr.
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  51. McNulty, Phil (18 December 2022). "Argentina 3–3 France". BBC Sport.
  52. Taylor, Daniel (10 July 2016). "Portugal beat France to win Euro 2016 final with Éder's extra-time goal". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  53. "Youthful talents convene in Toulon". Eurosport. 1 June 2005.
  54. "Trophées UNFP : Steve Mandanda désigné meilleur gardien de Ligue 1" [Trophées UNFP: Steve Mandanda named best goalkeeper in Ligue 1]. L'Équipe (in French). 13 May 2018.
  55. "Décret du 31 décembre 2018 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 31 December 2018 on promotion and appointment]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 2019 (1). 1 January 2019. PRER1835394D.
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