Mickaël Landreau
From Tekken City
| Mickaël Landreau | |
|---|---|
| |
| Birthplace | Machecoul, France 
|
| Playing for | Lille OSC |
| Birth Date | May 14, 1979 (28) |
| Position | Goalkeeper |
| Previous Clubs | FC Nantes Atlantique (FRA) Tekken City (ENG) Lille OSC (FRA) |
| W.A.G | Unknown |
Mickaël Landreau (born May 14, 1979 in Machecoul) is a French professional football player in the position of goalkeeper, who played for Tekken City in the English FA Premier League between August 2005 and September 2009. Landreau now plays for French club Lille OSC
Landreau has a good reflex, safe hands and a character that made him team captain of childhood club FC Nantes Atlantique. Such qualities allow him to turn unfavourable conditions in his favour vis-a-vis dangerous attackers. Landreau is best known for his performances at saving penalty kicks. He has stopped more than 30 penalties in his career.
Biography
FC Nantes (1993-2005)
Landreau graduated from the FC Nantes Atlantique "Centre of Excellence" in La Jonelière. His first professional match for Nantes was a 0-0 draw against SC Bastia in 1996. Since 1996, he remained a mainstay in the Nantes starting line-up, and consistently produced excellent performances. He was selected to represent the France youth national team at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.
Having won two consecutive Coupe de France trophies in 1999 and 2000, Landreau and Nantes were crowned 2001 Ligue 1 champions. In the semi-final of the 2004 French Cup, Landreau produced several saves, but to no avail as the team could not score and were eliminated from the competition.
Tekken City (2005-2009)
At the end of the 2004-05 Ligue 1 season, Landreau's contract with Nantes was set to expire. He gave a press conference and announced that after twelve years, he would leave FC Nantes to meet new challenges in a more important team. He then joined Tekken City for a £5 million signing a four-years contract on August 31, 2005, the very last day of the summer transfer window.
Landreau was ever present in his first season as Tekken City's first choice keeper, making a total of 37 appearances in the FA Barclays Premiership, and 6 appearances in the FA Cup, and 12 appearances in the UEFA Champions League. His performances in goal for the Buzzards did not go un-noticed, and he became notibly regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the country, alongside the likes of Chelsea's Petr Cech, Liverpool's Jose Manuel Reina, and Manchester United's Edwin Van der Sar.
The 2007-2008 season has proved to be even more successful for Landreau. At the beginning of November he managed to go a string of nine consecutive games in all competitions without conceding a goal. The record was then broken at the hands of Manchester United striker, Carlos Tevez, who scored the only goal as Tekken City lost 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Lille OSC (2009-present)
On transfer deadline day, September 2009, Landreau completed a £7m return to France with Lille OSC, a transfer which paved the way for Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev to complete his move from CSKA Moscow.
Leg injury
The following season however, was not as successful for Landreau. On October 14, 2006, Landreau suffered a horrific leg injury during a Premiership match with Sheffield United, to which the Buzzards won 2-0. In the very first minute of the game, he collided with Rob Hulse in a tussle with the ball. He was rushed to hospital with immediate effect. The x-ray scans revealed that there was a clean break in the left Tibia (the bigger bone). Landreau was ruled out for 4 months on the sidelines.
Landreau made his long-awaited return against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on January 20, 2007. Tekken City however were humiliatedly beaten 3-0.
International Level
Landreau was called up to the French squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup by French national team manager Raymond Domenech. He wore the number 1 shirt for France at the tournament, despite being third-choice keeper behind Fabien Barthez and Grégory Coupet. Landreau is now second choice behind Coupet even though Barthez, who had retired after the World Cup, returned to professional football (ironically, with Nantes) in December 2006.
Personal Life
Landreau dated RnB singer Christina Milian for a short spell in 2006. They had split up because they had no time to see each other due to their respective professions.
Landreau lives in Stannington with his dog.
Honours
- French champion: 2001
- Coupe de France: 1999 and 2000
- Trophée Des Champions: 1999 and 2001
- 2006 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up
