Steed Malbranque
Steed Malbranque ( born January 6, 1980 in Mouscron ) is a French football player. The midfielder from 2001 to 2011 active in the English Premier League for Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland AFC. He began his career in the mid -1990s, the French first division club Olympique Lyon, where he returned in the summer of 2012.
Career
Training and first steps in France (until 2001)
Malbranque was born in Belgium Mouscron. For professional reasons, his parents later moved to France to the département of Ain Oyonnax. When local U.S. Oyonnax he was making its first steps in organized football before it went on for him at the beginning of the 1990s to Montpellier. From the mid- 1990s he was part of the youth section of Olympique Lyon and the early successes on winning the U-15 Championship, the Coupe Gambardella 1997, and the title at the reserve crews transported him to the captain of the French U-18 national team. Also in 1997, the somewhat diminutive and stocky midfielder was brought into the first team of " OL".
He made his debut in the first team on February 21, 1998 compared to HSC Montpellier and after only one further appearance in the 1997/98 season he received in the subsequent season 1998/99 after the departure of Reynald Pedros frequent parole opportunities in the midfield. He denied it 21 league games and in the following two years he established himself not only on domestic stage, but also particularly in the 2000 /01 season in the Champions League with ten inserts - including found his performance against Arsenal and FC Bayern München large attention. In May 2001 he also won the French League Cup with Lyon, where, however, he sat in the finals on the substitutes' bench. In August 2001, it eventually moved him to England for Fulham FC.
Fulham FC (2001-2006)
Fulham had recently been promoted to the Premier League and the French coach Jean Tigana working there for Malbranque paid a transfer fee in the amount of five million pounds. As a link in the midfield with the attack, ball distributor and specialist in standard situations, he led well into the new environment. It also helped that he had a need for English football duel hardness and showed score goals in his debut season 2001/ 02 with ten official matches gates. Further evidence in this regard, he delivered in the season 2002 / 03 with nine goals in six games at the turn off. As the " heart" of the midfield game in Fulham he was in season 2003/ 04 the only player of his club, who completed all Premier League games - despite increasing enemy attacks. With grown reputation he played also in the focus of the French national team, but two years after he had led the U- 21 team as captain to the finals of the 2002 European Championships, A- coach Jacques Santini called him, although in March 2004 for the first time in the squad, but cut it in the upcoming euro 2004 in Portugal.
After an injury early in the season 2004/ 05 Malbranque returned end of September 2004 back into the team and at the end of a 22- League assignments in the starting comparatively moderate year he showed at the penultimate match against Blackburn Rovers ( 3-1 ) with two goals the best power. Malbranques fifth and final season in Fulham was characterized by fewer injuries, but despite his constant performances remained unchanged disregarded in the French selection - this should also remain in the course of his career so; always came back to mind games on him to nominate for the Belgian or German national team ( also without result). End of April 2006 he headed before his departure in the summer of gates to victory against Wigan Athletic ( 1-0) and away to Manchester City (2-1) at. That let them go in the direction of Tottenham Hotspur him Fulham, was especially true because Malbranques contract only had one year remaining term to maturity and since you do not it was understood with respect to an extension, he moved on for an undisclosed transfer fee to Tottenham - supposedly this However be 2 to 2.5 million pounds.
Tottenham & Sunderland (2006-2011)
Tottenham committed Malbranque in the knowledge that this was due to injury to pause until November 2006. After his debut, he was, nevertheless, because of its use will, ball control and good passing game in midfield quickly became a favorite with audiences. Overall, he was during his first Tottenham season in 30 competitive games in the starting eleven came to substitutions. Not less than 55 duty games - including 52 from the start - he completed for Tottenham in the 2007/ 08 season. He occupied most of the left side, but was also in "free position " if required in the center and thanks to his strength in the tackle, he helped many, " filling gaps " formed on the defensive. In February 2008, he was the occasion of the final of the League Cup in the starting eleven against Chelsea, Tottenham won the Overtime 2-1. This Malbranque was replaced after 75 minutes for Teemu Tainio at 1-1. Together with Tainio and Pascal Chimbonda he was then one of three Tottenham players who joined the trained by Roy Keane Sunderland in summer 2008.
In the first half of the season 2008/09 Malbranque showed strong form in Sunderland. He prepared numerous hits before ( in the assist table he occupied at times one of the front seats), which especially benefited Djibril Cissé. However, the services were rapidly after collections at Malbranque Sunderland and in general in the second half. In March 2009, he lost his place for three games before he returned to the team and its best performance on the last match against Chelsea (2-3 ) handed in. Under the new manager Steve Bruce is Malbranque did in the season 2009/10 long hard on the left and in the center before it as a right midfielder helped after a brief pause, that first ended in a series of fourteen league games without a win and the team's performance stabilized again. After a third and final year Malbranque adopted after a total of 112 official matches and two goals early August 2011 from Sunderland. In this case, the decision to return to France with his wife and children, have been in the forefront. In Sunderland they let him go free transfer despite the still -year remaining term, because thereby the content of the " Topverdieners " was saved.
Return to France ( since 2011 )
Destination on his return was in France the first division side AS Saint- Étienne. There, he signed a contract for two years, but after only less than a month sparked Malbranque the contract with Saint- Étienne mutual agreement back on.
After the sudden interruption of his footballer career he remained a year without a contractual commitment to a club before he mittrainierte at the beginning of the 2012/13 season at Olympique Lyon in order to keep in shape. On August 4, 2012, he was received in a friendly match against FC Porto as a replacement in the squad during the game loaded to it. The club was on 25 August 2012, the signing of a player for a season known. On the fourth match day came to return to Ligue 1 with FC Valenciennes. On 4 November 2012, he scored his first goal of the season against SC Bastia penalty in stoppage time. In December 2012, Lyon extended the contract with Malbranque until the end of Season 2013 / 14th
Title / Awards
- English League Cup ( 1): 2008
- UEFA Intertoto Cup ( 1): 2002
- French League Cup ( 1): 2001
- Coupe Gambardella ( 1): 1997