| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Florent Stéphane Sinama Pongolle | ||
| Date of birth | October 20, 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Saint-Pierre, Réunion | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker / Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Saint-Étienne (loan from Sporting CP) |
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| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Saint-Pierroise | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2006 | Liverpool | 38 | (4) |
| 2001–2003 | → Le Havre (loan) | 42 | (7) |
| 2006 | → Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2006–2008 | Recreativo | 68 | (22) |
| 2008–2009 | Atlético Madrid | 40 | (5) |
| 2010– | Sporting CP | 5 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | → Zaragoza (loan) | 24 | (4) |
| 2011– | → Saint-Étienne (loan) | 10 | (3) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2001 | France U17 | 6 | (9) |
| 2002–2006 | France U21 | 37 | (11) |
| 2008– | France | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 July 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Florent Stéphane Sinama Pongolle (born 20 October 1984 in Saint-Pierre, Réunion) is a French footballer who plays for AS Saint-Étienne on loan from Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Mainly a striker he can also play as a winger, pace and mobility are his best attributes.
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In 2001, Sinama Pongolle, along with his cousin Anthony Le Tallec,[1] was signed from Le Havre AC by Liverpool, after some impressive performances in both the European Under-16 Championship and the Under-17 World Championship. He was named player of the tournament as France won the latter competition,[2] and would remain (as Le Tallec) two further years at Le Havre, loaned.[1]
After his return, Sinama Pongolle appeared sporadically with the Reds, with some highlights however: In the club's victorious UEFA Champions League campaign, he came from the bench against Olympiacos F.C. and immediately netted Liverpool's equaliser to make it 1–1, in an eventual 3–1 win and qualification to the round of 16;[3] he was, however, left out of the squad for the final.
Sinama Pongolle also netted in the third round of the 2005–06 FA Cup against Luton Town, as he helped Liverpool come from 3–1 down to a final score of 5–3, with the Reds finally emerging victorious in the tournament, and scoring in the 2005–06 Champions League 2–1 success at Real Betis, with a memorable chip from 20 yards.[4]
In late January 2006, Sinama Pongolle was loaned to fellow Premier League side Blackburn Rovers until the end of the season.[5] He scored once for the club, a 2–3 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.[6]
On 30 August 2006, Sinama Pongolle signed a one-year contract at Recreativo de Huelva,[7] with an option to sign on for a further two years. On 4 May 2007, the Andalusia outfit confirmed he signed a permanent deal until 2011, for a fee of €4 million (£2.7 million).[8] He was Recre's top goalscorer in his two La Liga seasons with the team (12 and 10 respectively).
Sinama Pongolle signed a four-year contract with Atlético de Madrid for a fee believed to be in the region of €10 million (£8 million), on 3 July 2008.[9] Initially thought of as a backup to Diego Forlán and Sergio Agüero, he benefitted from an injury to the Uruguayan, netting four goals in his first five league appearances for the Colchoneros, with braces against former side Recreativo[10] and Getafe CF;[11] later in his first season, injury and match bans to team captain Maxi Rodríguez saw him playing several games successfully at right winger, as Atlético once again finished fourth.
In the winter transfer market opening in 2010, Sinama Pongolle was transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal for €6.5 million, with the fee possibly raising to €7.5.[12] On 26 March 2010, he scored his first goal for the Lions, but also netted in his own goal, in a 2–3 loss at C.S. Marítimo.
Sinama Pongolle spent the following two seasons on loan, with Real Zaragoza and AS Saint-Étienne, the latter in his homeland.
After his under-16 and 17 exploits, Sinama Pongolle made his under-21 debut on 21 August 2002. He was a part of the squad that participated in the 2006 European Championship, which took place from 23 May to 4 June in Portugal.[13] At the end of his four-year tenure with this category, he ranked first in caps (37) and goals (11).
Sinama Pongolle received his first senior cap on 14 October 2008, during a friendly match with Tunisia, in a 3–1 win.
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| France | League | Coupe de France | Coupe de la Ligue | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2001/02 | Le Havre | Ligue 2 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | 13 | 3 | |
| 2002/03 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 33 | 6 | ||
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2003/04 | Liverpool | Premier League | 15 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| 2004/05 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 4 | ||
| 2005/06 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 3 | ||
| 2005/06 | Blackburn Rovers | Premier League | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Copa de la Liga | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2006/07 | Recreativo | La Liga | 34 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 12 |
| 2007/08 | 34 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 10 | ||
| 2008/09 | Atlético Madrid | La Liga | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 5 |
| 2009/10 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||||||||
| Portugal | League | Taça de Portugal | Taça da Liga | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2009/10 | Sporting | Primeira Liga | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||||||
| Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Copa de la Liga | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2010/11 | Zaragoza | La Liga | 24 | 4 | 24 | 4 | ||||||
| Country | France | 42 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 46 | 9 | ||
| England | 48 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 72 | 10 | ||
| Spain | 132 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 132 | 31 | ||
| Portugal | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||
| Total | 226 | 44 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 254 | 51 | ||
| France national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 |
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