Damien Le Tallec

Damien Le Tallec
Personal information
Full nameDamien Le Tallec
Date of birth19 April 1990
Place of birthPoissy, France
Height1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionStriker
Club information
Current team
FC Mordovia Saransk
Number7
Youth career
1995–2005Le Havre
2005–2009Rennes
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2009–2012Borussia Dortmund II43(14)
2010–2012Borussia Dortmund6(0)
2012Nantes8(0)
2012–2014Hoverla41(7)
2014–FC Mordovia Saransk24(0)
National team‡
2004–2005France U153(2)
2005–2006France U162(2)
2006–2007France U1718(14)
2007–2008France U185(3)
2008–2009France U1915(6)
2011France U204(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 May 2014

Damien Le Tallec (born 19 April 1990 in Poissy) is a French football player who plays for FC Mordovia Saransk in the Russian Premier League. He is the younger brother of current Valenciennes striker Anthony Le Tallec, and cousin of current FC Rostov player Florent Sinama Pongolle. Like his older brother, Le Tallec is a France youth international, first appearing with the under-15 team and has appeared in several tournaments around the world for his nation. He primarily plays as a striker and is capable of playing on both wings.

Football career

Early career

Like his older brother, Damien began his career at Le Havre joining the club at only five years of age. He spent a full decade at the club and began drawing interests from several clubs in Ligue 1. He eventually joined Stade Rennais F.C., who were known for the promising youth academy.

Rennes

Le Tallec quickly established himself at the club joining fellow prospects Yann M'Vila, Yohann Lasimant, Abdoul Camara, and Yacine Brahimi as the club's most promising players. The foursome were particularly instrumental in the club's successes on the youth level helping their age groups win the 2006 edition of the under-16 Tournoi Carisport, as well as capturing the under-18 championship for the 2006–07 season, and also winning the Coupe Gambardella in 2008 scoring an impressive eight goals in seven matches. In the Coupe Gamberdella final against Bordeaux, he scored the final goal in the team's convincing 3–0 victory. Following the 2006–07 season, on 11 August, Le Tallec, alongside teammates M'Vila and Camara, signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal.[1] He spent the entire season in the reserves, before being officially promoted to the senior squad and assigned the number 22 shirt for the 2008–09 season.

Though on the first-team, Le Tallec began the season with the club's Championnat de France amateur team. He appeared in 22 matches scoring four goals helping the side finish 1st among professional clubs in their group, thus qualifying for the playoffs, where they lost to Lyon in the semi-finals.[2]

Borussia Dortmund

Following the season, news came that Le Tallec had become unsettled at Rennes, primarily due to his limited first-team opportunities at the club. Eager to begin his professional career,[3] he was primarily linked to La Liga club Valencia and was reportedly in the process of joining the club, but due to a shake up in the club's front office, the move was put on hold and eventually called off.[4] He was later linked with moves to German clubs Hertha BSC and VfB Stuttgart. Two months later, on 8 August 2009, another German club, Borussia Dortmund, announced that they had signed the player to a three-year contract and that he will be gradually introduced to the first team.[5][6]

Nantes

On 31 January 2012, Le Tallec returned to France signing with Nantes in Ligue 2.[7]

International career

Le Tallec has featured for all of France's national youth teams beginning with the under-15 team earning his first selection in March 2006. He was a member of the under-17 team that reached the semi-finals at the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship before losing to England. He scored two goals in the tournament, both of them in the same game against Germany.[8] He later played with the same under-17 team at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup held in South Korea.[9] Le Tallec appeared in all five matches scoring four goals, one against Haiti,[10] a brace against Tunisia in the Round of 16,[11] and one against Spain whom defeated France on penalties in the quarterfinals. In total with the under-17s, Le Tallec scored 14 goals in 18 appearances.[12]

With the under-19 team, Le Tallec appeared in 15 matches scoring 6 goals. He scored three of those goals during the qualification process for the UEFA U-19 Championship against the Republic of Ireland,[13] Liechtenstein,[14] and Romania.[15] The victory over Romania assured qualification to the tournament.[16] At the tournament, held in the Ukraine, Le Tallec appeared in all four matches helping France reach the semi-finals before suffering defeat to England.[17]

Honours

Club

Rennes

References

  1. ↑ "Premier contrat pro pour Le Tallec, M’Vila et Camara". Stade Rennais F.C. 11 August 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  2. ↑ "Réserves, demi-finale : Lyon élimine Rennes aux tirs au but". Stade Rennais F.C. (in French). 2 June 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  3. ↑ "rennes / damien le tallec". Mercato365 (in French). 13 June 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  4. ↑ "FC Valence: D.Le Tallec tout proche". Mercato365 (in French). 5 June 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  5. ↑ "Damien Le Tallec signs for Borussia Dortmund". Borussia Dortmund. 9 August 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  6. ↑ "D. Le Tallec, 3 ans à Dortmund". L'Equipe (in French). 9 August 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  7. ↑ "Nantes sign Damien Le Tallec from Borussia Dortmund". goal.com. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  8. ↑ "France 2 – 1 Germany". UEFA. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  9. ↑ "France Korea 2007". FIFA.com. 1 August 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  10. ↑ "Haiti – France". FIFA.com. 22 August 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  11. ↑ "Tunisia – France". 29 August 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  12. ↑ "France – Spain". FIFA.com. 1 September 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  13. ↑ "France 2 – 0 Republic of Ireland". UEFA. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  14. ↑ "France 4 – 0 Liechtenstein". UEFA. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  15. ↑ "Romania 0 – 3 France". UEFA. 23 May 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  16. ↑ "France come from afar to claim finals berth". UEFA. 23 May 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  17. ↑ "Outnumbered France succumb to England". UEFA. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.

External links