| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Le Tallec | ||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Hennebont, France | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Auxerre | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2001 | Le Havre | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2008 | Liverpool | 17 | (0) |
| 2001–2003 | → Le Havre (loan) | 54 | (7) |
| 2005 | → Saint-Étienne (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | → Sunderland (loan) | 27 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | → Sochaux (loan) | 25 | (4) |
| 2007–2008 | → Le Mans (loan) | 26 | (5) |
| 2008–2010 | Le Mans | 70 | (14) |
| 2010– | Auxerre | 22 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 2001 | France U17 | 6 | (3) |
| 2005–2008 | France U21 | 4 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 May 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Anthony Le Tallec (born 3 October 1984 in Hennebont) is a French footballer who plays for AJ Auxerre in Ligue 1, as a forward or attacking midfielder.
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Le Tallec was signed from Le Havre AC by Liverpool in 2001, along with his cousin Florent Sinama Pongolle,[1] by manager Gérard Houllier. This was after impressive performances for the French national youth team in the UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the player being awarded the 'Silver Ball' as the second best player (behind his cousin) in the latter tournament, as the national team emerged champions;[2] both players remained a further two years at Le Havre, loaned by the Reds.[1]
Le Tallec scored his first and only Liverpool goal in a UEFA Cup tie against NK Olimpija Ljubljana in October 2003.[3] After his return, he also featured in the club's victorious run in the UEFA Champions League, starting in the home leg of the quarterfinal tie against Juventus FC,[4] but did not appear in the squad list of 18 for the final itself.
For the 2005–06 season, Le Tallec joined fellow Premier League side Sunderland on loan, in a bid to gain some more first team football. He stated: "I am a competitor and I want to play all the time, but with Liverpool it was impossible. I chose to come to Sunderland because I need to play every week". In a disappointing season for the club, who finished bottom of the table, he was its top scorer with only 6 goals in all competitions; this included a header against Fulham, helping the Black Cats pick up their only home win all season.
In May 2006, after Sunderland announced they would not be looking to retain his services, Le Tallec returned to Liverpool but was not given a squad number by boss Rafael Benítez. At the end of the month, he joined up with the France U21 for the European Championship, which took place in Portugal. He only featured in the national team's final group match, after they had already secured qualification, and he was substituted after 61 minutes.
In August 2006, Le Tallec moved to FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, on another loan deal. He won the season's French Cup, scoring a late equaliser in the final, which eventually led to a penalty shootout against Olympique de Marseille. Incidentally, a fellow Liverpool player out on loan, Djibril Cissé, scored two goals in the match for the opposition.[5]
On 31 August 2007, it was reported that Scottish Premier League's Heart of Midlothian F.C. were close to signing Le Tallec.[6] However, the player ended up moving to Ligue 1 outfit Le Mans Union Club 72, on loan for the entire season, with a view to a permanent deal for approximately £1.1 million pounds.[7]
At the end of the season, on 27 June 2008, Le Mans decided to make the loan permanent, signing Le Tallec to a four-year contract.[8][9] On 27 June 2010, following Le Mans top flight relegation, he reached an agreement with fellow top-divisioner AJ Auxerre for a four-year deal, worth €3 million.[10]
Le Tallec's younger brother, Damien, is also a footballer. Another French youth international who was groomed at Le Havre, he started his professional career in Germany with Borussia Dortmund.
His cousin, Sinama Pongolle, other than Liverpool, represented teams in Spain, Portugal and France.
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