Striker, Marcus Thuram made a name for himself in the shadow of his illustrious father, Lilian.
He was the first to speak. Due to the delicate political context, Marcus Thuram spoke out to block the extremes and in particular the far right. “As a citizen, we must fight so that the RN does not pass” he said at a press conference. A strong position which also confirms the new status of the Inter player. He is now no longer just Lilian’s son, but number 9 of the Blues and his word counts.
If he starts this Euro in the shoes of a starter, the attacker still paid tribute to Olivier Giroud. Of course, I feel ready to be number nine in the France team, but I am not going to say that I am Giroud’s successor. I signed for Inter last summer to enter a new dimension and open a new chapter. I have taken responsibility this season and I feel ready to be the French number 9.”
Marcus Thuram Short Biography Marcus Lilian Thuram-Ulien was born on August 6, 1997 in Parma, Italy. He is the son of Lilian Thuram, former player of the French team, 1998 world champion and 2000 European champion. Following in his father’s footsteps, Marcus played club football, first at Olympique de Neuilly-sur-Seine then at AC Boulogne-Billancourt. He then entered the Clairefontaine National Football Institute before joining the FC Sochaux-Montbéliard training center in 2012. Turning professional in 2015, Marcus Thuram played his first match in Ligue 2 against La Berrichonne de Châteauroux. He won the Gambardella Cup in 2015 and distinguished himself by scoring one of the two goals in the final.
If Marcus Thuram is indeed the son of Lilian, world and European champion with France, his destiny as a footballer was not obvious. In an interview with L’Equipe, the former Parma defender explained that he would have preferred to see his children follow another path. “I wanted them to do other sports,” he explains about his sons, the youngest Khephren also being
young professional footballer. I knew very well that if I put him in football, he was going to become Thuram’s son. At his age, it would have been too complicated for him. So he only played at home or in the park with his friends. It was only in Barcelona, in a more manageable setting, that he made his club debut. Lilian Thuram will go even further, refusing to allow her son to join the prestigious INF Clairefontaine training school, judging him not yet mature enough. He will accept a year later, “a blessing in disguise” according to Marcus. “when I joined Clairefontaine, the following year, I was among the strongest” A few years later, Marcus Thuram therefore found Clairefontaine, base camp of the Blues for this Euro, and is preparing to play his first major international competition.
Marcus Thuram is the son of famous French footballer Lilian Thuram and Sandra Thuram, who met during their childhood. He has a brother, Khéphren, born in 2001, also a footballer. His parents separated a few years after the birth of his little brother. Lilian Thuram then dated television host Karine Le Marchand, then journalist Kareen Guiock. Closely following her son’s career, Lilian Thuram advised Marcus not to sign with a club after his first year at the Clairefontaine National Football Institute. Despite everything, the young man decided to sign with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. In his family, Marcus Thuram has another professional footballer, his big cousin Yohann Thuram-Ulien, who plays as a goalkeeper for Amiens SC.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Marcus played club football, first at Olympique de Neuilly-sur-Seine then at AC Boulogne-Billancourt. He then entered the Clairefontaine National Football Institute before joining the FC Sochaux-Montbéliard training center in 2012. Turning professional in 2015, Marcus Thuram played his first match in Ligue 2 against La Berrichonne de Châteauroux. He won the Gambardella Cup in 2015 and distinguished himself by scoring one of the two goals in the final.
In 2017, Marcus Thuram left FC Sochaux-Montbéliard to join EA Guingamp. During the quarter-finals of the 2018-2019 League Cup, he missed a penalty, but scored in stoppage time, which allowed his team to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain and reach the semi-finals. final against AS Monaco. The young striker distinguished himself during this semi-final by scoring a goal in the 55th minute.
In 2019, the footballer signed with Borussia Monchengladbach and scored 14 goals during the 2019-2020 season. However, his season ended in June due to an ankle injury. During the following season, he scored 11 goals in 43 matches, including a double against Real Madrid in the Champions League. On December 19, 2020, Marcus Thuram created controversy by spitting in the face of Stefan Posch during a match against Hoffenheim. Condemned by the German Football Federation, this action earned him a suspension for 5 matches and a fine of 40,000 euros.
If he dragged this incident like a ball and chain all season, the former Guingamp player took advantage of last summer to put his mind straight and his performances on the field attest to this. Since the start of the school year, repositioned at the forefront, he has been a hit and has already scored 10 goals in just 15 matches, as many as his Bundesliga record established in 2020 but in 31 matches. At 25, the attacker seems to have further matured and is making the most of his percussion and finishing qualities. Since his departure from Germany, Marcus Thuram has become the striker of Inter Milan and has had a string of high-level performances which makes him one of the leaders of the Italian championship.
In 2015, Marcus Thuram won the Gambardella Cup with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard by winning against Olympique Lyonnais (2-0). While wearing the jersey of the French under-19 team, he was crowned European champion in 2016 by winning against Italy. In the colors of EA Guingamp, Marcus Thuram faces RC Strasbourg in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, March 30, 2019. During the semi-final against Monaco, he scored a goal in the 55th minute, but missed a penalty during the penalty shootout. After joining Borussia Mönchengladbach, he was voted best youngster of the month in the German Championship for three months in a row. At the end of the 2019-2020 season, Marcus Thuram was voted best player by the club’s supporters. He also won the Italian league title in 2024 with his Inter Milan team.
At Borussia Mönchengladbach, one of the famous clubs in Germany, Marcus Thuram is paid 337,000 euros per month, which represents 79,000 euros per week, 11,000 euros per day, and an annual salary of 4 million euros. The German club paid 9 million euros to EA Guingamp for his transfer. In 2017, the transfer of Marcus Thuram from FC Sochaux to EA Guingamp cost the Breton club 600,000 euros. The market value of Lilian Thuram’s son has only increased since the start of his career and is currently around 35 million euros.
In the national team, Marcus Thuram is selected for the under-17s. In 2016, he won against Italy (4-0) in the European Under-19 Football Championship. The following year, he participated in the Under-20 World Cup. He distinguished himself during the match against Vietnam by scoring a goal and providing an assist. Despite everything, France lost in the round of 16 against Italy. He joined the French senior team in 2020 and played his first match against Finland on November 11. Two other selections follow 6 days apart as part of the Nations League group matches, the opportunity to deliver his first assist in Blue against Sweden (4-2). Absent from the spring gatherings, he is one of the 26 players selected for the France team for Euro 2021, revealed by Didier Deschamps. A surprise from which he will benefit little since he will only play a measly 9 minutes against Switzerland in the round of 16 (3-3, 4 tab 5).
Since then Marcus Thuram has disappeared from the blue radars, going through the 2021-2022 season like a ghost. His rebirth since the start of the school year is all the more remarkable and convinces the coach, who had never stopped observing him, to call him back to play in the World Cup in Qatar. During this 2022 World Cup, he becomes the replacement for Olivier Giroud after the packages of Benzema and Nkunku. Marcus Thuram came on several times and notably decisively during the semi-final against Morocco where he will do a lot of good on the left side. He will also play the World Cup final, like his father, after entering in the 41st minute of play in place of Olivier Giroud. He is now considered the starting striker in place of Olivier Giroud.