Steve Mandanda Mpidi is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Marseille, where he is captain, and the France national team. He spent most of his professional career with Marseille, making over 500 appearances across all competitions, and was voted Ligue 1Goalkeeper of the Year five times. Since his debut in 2008, Mandanda has represented France at five international tournaments: three UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups, winning the last of those.
Club career
Early career
Steve Mandanda was born on 28 March 1985 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 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.
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, he joined Marseille in summer 2007.
At the start of his first season with Marseille, Mandanda was regarded as an understudy to first choice keeper Cédric Carrasso. 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.
On 1 July 2016, Premier League club Crystal Palace announced that they had completed the signing of Mandanda on a free transfer from Marseille. He struggled to make an impact, being injured for most of the season. He made just ten appearances.
Return to Marseille
On 11 July 2017, Mandanda returned to Olympique de Marseille on a three-year contract for €3 million. On 22 December2018, Mandanda played his 500th match for Marseille, in a 1–1 draw at Angers.
International career
Mandanda has won a number of caps for the France national under-21 football team and was named in the French squad for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. For the first time, in 2007, he took part in the French A-squad pre-selection. 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 brotherParfait 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. 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, 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 Donbass Arena. He was called up for UEFA Euro2012 in Poland and Ukraine. 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. He was part of the squad that came runners-up at UEFA Euro 2016 on home soil. Mandanda was part of the 23-man French squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played their goalless group game against Denmark, his first tournament appearance at the age of 33.
Personal life
Mandanda has three younger brothers, all of whom are goalkeepers: Parfait, goalkeeper of Charleroi and Congolese international; Riffi, goalkeeper of US Boulogne and France U-16; and Over, who was in the junior ranks of US Lusitanos Saint-Maur. He enjoys spending time with his family in the city of Marseille, where he lives. He has earned the nickname "Frenchie" amongst his relatives for having chosen to play for the French national football team rather than Congo, his country of birth.
