Understudy of Hugo Lloris for several years, Steve Mandanda has fallen in the hierarchy for several months, but could make a resounding comeback.
Another big international competition for Steve Mandanda? While the presence of captain Hugo Lloris is beyond doubt, who will accompany him as an understudy and third goalkeeper. If the physical condition of Mike Maignan is uncertain, that of Mandanda has been in good shape since he left Marseille to sign for Rennes.
“We’re going to watch TV quiet, quiet. We know that the list is at 8:00 p.m. but honestly we’ll see, I don’t know at all. Even if I knew it, I would say the same thing. And I don’t know. J I hope to be there, that’s all I can say,” launched the international goalkeeper this weekend.
Born on March 28, 1985 in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Steve Mandanda moved to France with his family when he was only 2 years old. In Evreux where he lives, he first practiced boxing before changing his type of gloves to become a goalkeeper at the ALM Evreux club at the age of 9. Between 1994 and 2000, Steve Mandanda kept the cages of the Evreux team where he was regularly outclassed, before joining the training center in the neighboring town of Le Havre at the age of 15.
A member of Le Havre’s professional squad from 2004, Steve Mandanda played his first pro game on December 11 against US Quevilly in French Cup (loss 1-2). Becoming goalkeeper of the HAC in 2005, his talent and his performances earned him to join the France U23 team the same year, with a victory in the Toulon tournament and the title of best goalkeeper in the competition. Steve Mandanda was then spotted by Olympique de Marseille, who obtained his loan for the 2007-2008 season to compensate for the injury of incumbent goalkeeper Cédric Carrasso. He was named best goalkeeper of the Ligue 1 season by the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP), and his excellent performances led theOM to exercise the option to purchase the loan for 3 million euros. At the same time, coach Raymond Domenech offered him his first selection with the Blues in March 2008.
Holder in the France team during the 2008-2009 season, he became in June 2009 the understudy of Hugo Lloris, who has remained the number 1 goalkeeper since. With Olympique de Marseille and under the orders of Didier Deschamps, Steve Mandanda won a French championship title in 2010 and three consecutive League Cups from 2010 to 2012. He remained at OM until 2016, when the club fails in the final of the Coupe de France (4-2 defeat against PSG).
Wishing to have an experience abroad, Steve Mandanda signed in the summer of 2016 in England, at Crystal Palace, but the Welsh international goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey retained the favor of coach Sam Allardyce. Playing little with the London club (9 Premier League games, 12 in all competitions), Steve Mandanda is not going to the end of his 3-year contract and returns to OM as soon as the season is over.
In the summer of 2017, he again became OM’s starting goalkeeper, with whom he reached the Europa League final in 2018 and 2nd place in Ligue 1 in 2020. OM and having won numerous titles within this team, Steve Mandanda won the World Cup with the Blues team in 2018 and was selected by Didier Deschamps for Euro 2020 to be played in 2021, as the second goalkeeper of the Blues.
Steve Mandanda arrived on loan from Le Havre in 2007. He took advantage of Carrasso’s injury to occupy the OM cage. He will no longer give way. In 2010, the Frenchman won his first two trophies with the Coupe de la Ligue and Ligue 1. The following season, he was named team captain, following the departure of Niang. In July 2016, he left Marseille to join Crystal Palace, where he only played 10 matches. Mandanda returned to OM in 2017 and broke the record for matches played with OM. In 2018, he played in the Europa League final against Atlético de Madrid.
At club level, Steve Mandanda has won all his titles in the jersey of OM, with whom he notably achieved a national hat-trick during the 2009-2010 season (Ligue 1, Coupe de la Ligue, Trophée des Champions). He was also vice-champion of France four times in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2020, and managed to win the Coupe de la Ligue again in 2011 and 2012 (3 titles in all) and the Trophée des Champions in 2011 ( 2 titles). To this list, we must add a place as a finalist in the Coupe de France in 2016 and the Europa League in 2018. Steve Mandanda was voted best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 five times at the UNFP trophies in 2008, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
At international level, Steve Mandanda won the 2018 World Cup against Croatia and was a Euro 2016 finalist with France against Portugal. In youth selections, he won the Toulon tournament in 2005 (International Espoirs Festival), of which he was voted best goalkeeper.
Steve Mandanda’s salary would amount to 260,000 euros per month (3.1 million annually). Having been extended by Olympique de Marseille in August 2020 with a contract which now runs until June 2024, the goalkeeper has seen his salary reduced due to the restrictive budgetary policy carried out by the Marseille leaders since 2019. During the 2019-2020 season, Steve Mandanda had an estimated salary of 350,000 euros per month (4.2 million annually). Steve Mandanda would have known his best remuneration at Crystal Palace (380,000 euros monthly / 4.6 million annually), during his only season played in the Premier League where the average salary level is higher than that of Ligue 1.
Steve Mandanda’s wife is Sandra Mandanda. The couple have known each other for many years and have a son, Sacha, born in 2009. Sandra Mandanda’s public appearances are very rare. Born to Franck Mandanda (electrician) and Brigitte Mandanda (caregiver), Steve Mandanda has three younger brothers, all of whom are footballers and goalkeepers. Perfect Mandanda, born in 1989, plays in Charleroi (Jupiler Pro League). Riffi Mandanda, born in 1992, is currently without a club after playing forAC Ajaccio and at Stade Rennais. Over Mandanda, born in 1998, is the third goalkeeper for the Girondins de Bordeaux.