Anthony Le Tallec

Anthony Le Tallec

Le Tallec playing for Le Mans in 2009
Personal information
Date of birth	(1984-10-03) 3 October 1984 (age 38) [1]
Place of birth	Hennebont, France
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) [1]
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1992–2001	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)
2010–2012	Auxerre	52	(8)
2011–2012	Auxerre B	2	(0)
2012–2015	Valenciennes	71	(20)
2014	Valenciennes B	2	(1)
2015–2017	Atromitos	53	(13)
2017	Astra Giurgiu	18	(1)
2018–2019	Orléans	37	(8)
2019–2021	Annecy	17	(2)
Total		478	(88)
International career
2001	France U17	6	(3)
2005–2008	France U21	4	(5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Anthony Le Tallec (born 3 October 1984) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward or an attacking midfielder for Liverpool, Sochaux, and Annecy FC.

Club career

Liverpool

Born in Hennebont, ^[1] Le Tallec was signed from Le Havre AC by Liverpool in 2001, along with his cousin Florent Sinama Pongolle, ^[2] by manager Gérard Houllier. This was after impressive performances for France at the UEFA European Under-16 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; ^[3] both players remained a further two years at Le Havre, loaned by the Reds. ^[2]

Le Tallec scored his first and only Liverpool goal in a UEFA Cup tie against NK Olimpija Ljubljana in October 2003. ^[4] After his return, he also featured in the club's victorious run in the UEFA Champions League, starting in the home leg of the quarter-final tie against Juventus F.C. ^[5] but failing to appear in the squad of 18 for the final itself.

For 2005–06, 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 six goals in all competitions; this included a header against Fulham, helping the Black Cats pick up their only home win. ^[6]

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 French under-21s for the European Championship which took place in Portugal, only featuring in the final group match after the team had already secured qualification and being substituted after 61 minutes. ^[7]

Return to France

In August 2006, Le Tallec moved to FC Sochaux-Montbéliard on another loan deal. He won the Coupe de France scoring a late equaliser after coming off the bench in the final, which eventually led to a penalty shootout against Olympique de Marseille – a fellow Liverpool player out on loan, Djibril Cissé, netted two goals in the match for the opposition. ^[8]

On 31 August 2007, it was reported that Scottish Premier League club Heart of Midlothian were close to signing Le Tallec. ^[9] However, the player ended up moving to Ligue 1 team Le Mans Union Club 72, on loan for the entire season with a view to a permanent deal for approximately £1.1 million pounds. ^[10]

In July 2008, Le Mans decided to make the loan permanent, signing Le Tallec to a four-year contract. ^{[11] [12]} On 27 June 2010, following their top flight relegation, he reached an agreement with fellow league club AJ Auxerre for a four-year deal, worth €3 million. ^[13]

Atromitos

On 19 July 2015, Le Tallec signed with Atromitos F.C. for two years. ^[14] He cited the possibility of playing in the UEFA Europa League as the main reason for his signature. ^[15]

Later years

On 3 July 2017, the 32-year-old Le Tallec joined FC Astra Giurgiu in the Romanian Liga I. ^[16] He returned to his country in the following transfer window, moving to Ligue 2's US Orléans. ^[17]

In September 2019, Le Tallec signed with Annecy FC. ^[18]

He retired from professional football in May 2021 after a twenty-year career. ^[19]

Personal life

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. ^[20]

In June 2023, Le Tallec was a witness to a mass stabbing attack in an Annecy park in which four children and an adult were injured. ^[21]

Career statistics

As of match played on 6 February 2021 ^{[22] [23] [24]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Liverpool	2003–04	Premier League	13	0	4	0	2	0	4 [lower-alpha 1]	1	23	1
	2004–05		4	0	0	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 2]	0	7	0
	2005–06		0	0	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	2	0
	Total		17	0	4	0	2	0	9	1	32	1
Sunderland (loan)	2005–06	Premier League	27	4	0	0	—		—		27	4
Sochaux (loan)	2006–07	Ligue 1	12	4	0	0	—		—		12	4
Le Mans	2007–08	Ligue 1	26	5	0	0	—		—		26	5
	2008–09		34	6	0	0	—		—		34	6
	2009–10		36	8	0	0	2	1	—		38	9
	Total		96	19	0	0	2	1	0	0	98	20
Auxerre	2010–11	Ligue 1	22	1	1	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 2]	0	27	1
	2011–12		24	3	1	0	2	1	—		27	4
	2012–13	Ligue 2	6	4	0	0	2	0	—		8	4
	Total		52	8	2	0	5	1	3	0	62	9
Auxerre B	2011–12	CFA	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
Valenciennes	2012–13	Ligue 1	20	5	1	0	—		—		21	5
	2013–14		17	2	0	0	1	0	—		18	2
	2014–15	Ligue 2	34	13	2	0	1	0	—		37	13
	Total		71	20	3	0	2	0	0	0	76	20
Valenciennes B	2013–14	CFA 2	2	1	—		—		—		2	1
Atromitos	2015–16	Super League Greece	27	7	8	1	—		3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	38	8
	2016–17		26	6	4	0	—		—		30	6
	Total		53	13	12	1	0	0	3	0	68	14
Astra Giurgiu	2017–18	Liga I	18	1	2	0	—		4 [lower-alpha 1]	1	24	2
Orléans	2017–18	Ligue 2	9	1	0	0	—		—		9	1
	2018–19		26	7	3	0	4	0	—		33	7
	2019–20		2	0	0	0	—		—		2	0
	Total		37	8	3	0	4	0	0	0	44	8
Annecy	2019–20	National 2	6	1	2	1	—		—		8	2
	2020–21	National	11	1	1	1	—		—		12	2
	Total		17	2	3	2	0	0	0	0	20	4
Career total			404	80	29	3	15	2	19	2	467	87

1. Appearances in UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

Honours

Club

Liverpool

• UEFA Champions League: 2004–05

Sochaux

• Coupe de France: 2006–07

International

France U17

• FIFA U-17 World Championship: 2001

Individual

• FIFA U-17 World Championship Silver Ball: 2001

References

1. "Anthony Le Tallec". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
2. Yau Tan, Choon (24 April 2009). "Bright future ahead for rising French cousins". Bleacher Report . Retrieved 6 March 2011.
3. Anthony Le Tallec – FIFA competition record (archived)
4. "Liverpool overwhelm Olimpija". BBC Sport. 15 October 2003. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
5. "Liverpool 2–1 Juventus". BBC Sport. 5 April 2005. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
6. "Sunderland 2–1 Fulham". ESPN Soccernet. 4 May 2006. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
7. Harrold, Michael (28 May 2006). "Double celebration in Braga". UEFA. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
8. "Cissé's bid for glory thwarted by fellow red". Liverpool F.C. 12 May 2007. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
9. "Nade completes switch to Hearts". BBC Sport. 31 August 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
10. "Anthony Le Tallec signe au MUC 72" [Anthony Le Tallec signs with MUC 72] (in French). Le Mans FC. 31 August 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
11. "Le Tallec exits Reds for Le Mans". BBC Sport. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
12. "Le Tallec leaves Liverpool for Le Mans". FIFA. 2 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
13. "Le Tallec, 4 ans à Auxerre" [Le Tallec, 4 years with Auxerre]. L'Équipe (in French). 27 June 2010. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
14. "Le Tallec signs at Atromitos". SDNA. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
15. "Former prodigy Anthony Le Tallec signs for Atromitos". Gulf News . 20 July 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
16. "Anthony Le Tallec a semnat cu Astra Giurgiu! Atacantul francez a fost fotbalistul lui Liverpool, cu care a cucerit Liga Campionilor" [Anthony Le Tallec signed with Astra Giurgiu! The French forward was a Liverpool footballer, with whom he won the Champions League]. Libertatea (in Romanian). 3 July 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
17. "Anthony Le Tallec signe finalement à Orléans!" [Anthony Le Tallec signs finally with Orléans!]. L'Équipe (in French). 5 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
18. "Transferts: Anthony Le Tallec au FC Annecy en National 2" [Transfers: Anthony Le Tallec to National 2's FC Annecy]. L'Équipe (in French). 2 September 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
19. "Interview | Anthony Le Tallec: I'm so proud to have played for LFC". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
20. "La galère de Le Tallec en Ukraine" [Le Tallec's ordeal in Ukraine] (in French). Sport. 22 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
21. Sommerlad, Joe (8 June 2023). "Ex-Liverpool footballer witnessed knife attack in French Alps: 'I saw injured children on the ground'". The Independent.
22. Anthony Le Tallec at Soccerway
23. Anthony Le Tallec at ESPN FC
24. Anthony Le Tallec at FootballDatabase.eu

External links

• Anthony Le Tallec – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Anthony Le Tallec at L'Équipe Football (in French)
• Anthony Le Tallec – French league stats at LFP – also available in French
• Anthony Le Tallec at Soccerbase