Thomas Benoît Lemar (born 12 November 1995) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Atlético Madrid. He is known for his versatility, being able to play on both wings and through the centre.
 Lemar with France in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Benoît Lemar[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 12 November 1995[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Baie-Mahault, Guadeloupe, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, winger | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Atlético Madrid | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Solidarité Scolaire | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Caen | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Caen II | 55 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Caen | 32 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Monaco | 90 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Atlético Madrid | 135 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | France U17 | 13 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | France U18 | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | France U19 | 8 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | France U20 | 9 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | France U21 | 9 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | France | 27 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:13, 27 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 September 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
Lemar began his senior career at Caen in 2013. He played 32 times for the club, before moving to Monaco for £3.4 million in 2015, where he would win the 2016–17 Ligue 1 title.[4] In 2018, he signed for La Liga club Atlético Madrid, winning the UEFA Super Cup in his debut season.
Lemar represented France at every level from under-17 to under-21, and made his senior international debut in 2016 against the Ivory Coast.[5] He was a member of the team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, also featuring at UEFA Euro 2020.
Club career
editCaen
editLemar made his Ligue 2 debut in the opening game of the 2013–14 season on 2 August 2013, replacing Jérôme Rothen after 78 minutes in Caen's 3–1 home win over Dijon.[6]
Monaco
edit2015–16 season
editOn 1 July 2015, Lemar officially joined Monaco for an undisclosed fee.[7] He scored his first goal for the club on 22 August 2015, scoring in a 1–1 draw with Toulouse.[8] On 20 September, he scored in the club's 2–3 home loss to Lorient.[9] Four days later, Lemar scored in Monaco's 3–2 win over Montpellier at the Stade de la Mosson.[10] On 17 January 2016, Lemar scored in Monaco's 2–0 away win over Lorient.[11] On 4 March, Lemar scored the opening goal in Monaco's 2–2 draw with his former club Caen.[12][4]
2016–17 season
edit
On 14 September 2016, Lemar scored his first goal of the season in Monaco's 2–1 away win over English club Tottenham Hotspur.[13] Three days later, he scored twice in Monaco's 3–0 win over Rennes.[14] On 1 October, he scored the opening goal in Monaco's 7–0 away win over Metz.[15] On 21 October, he scored the fifth of six goals in Monaco's 6–2 win over Montpellier, and on 18 November, he scored in Monaco's 3–0 win over Lorient.[16][17] On 22 November, Lemar scored the winning goal in Monaco's 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, scoring in the 53rd minute with his goal coming one minute after Tottenham had equalized through Harry Kane in the 52nd minute.[18]
On 15 January 2017, Lemar scored in Monaco's 4–1 win over Marseille, which moved Monaco to the top of the table.[19] On 1 February, Lemar scored in Monaco's 5–4 win over Championnat National club Chambly.[20] On 1 March, Lemar scored the winning goal in a 4–3 extra-time away win over Marseille in a 2016–17 Coupe de France round of 16 match.[21] On 1 April, Lemar scored in the Coupe de la Ligue Final against Paris Saint-Germain, scoring the equalizer in the 27th minute, but Monaco eventually would lose the final 4–1.[22] Lemar finished the season with 14 goals in all competitions.[23]
2017–18 season
editIn the 2017 summer transfer window, Lemar was linked to Premier League clubs Liverpool and Arsenal, though an agreement was never reached. On 29 June, Monaco rejected a £31m bid from Arsenal, and in late August, Liverpool had a bid of £65m rejected.[24][25] On the final day of the transfer window, Arsenal made a final offer of €100m, contingent on Alexis Sanchez moving to Manchester City for €65m but the move collapsed as Lemar was informed on extremely short notice, just hours before a crucial World Cup qualification fixture against the Netherlands.[26]
On 28 October 2017, Lemar scored his first goal of the season in Monaco's 2–0 win over Bordeaux.[27] On 15 December, Lemar scored the second goal in Monaco's 4–0 win over AS Saint-Étienne.[28] On 9 January 2018, Lemar scored in Monaco's 2–1 away win over Nice in the 2017–18 Coupe de la Ligue quarter-finals.[29]
Atlético Madrid
editOn 18 June 2018, La Liga club Atlético Madrid confirmed that an agreement had been reached with Monaco for the transfer of Lemar.[30] On 27 July, Lemar successfully passed his medical, joining for a reported fee of €70 million.[31] On 22 September, Lemar scored his first league goal for Atletico against Getafe in a 2–0 away win, where he also hit the shot that resulted in an own goal for Getafe keeper David Soria.[32] He ended the 2018–19 season with three goals in all competitions.
In the 2019–20 season, Lemar featured in 29 matches in all competitions, yet he finished the season with no goals and no assists.[33] On 5 December 2020, Lemar scored his side's opening goal against Valladolid in a 2–0 win, ending a run of 45 matches at club level without scoring dating back to April 2019.[34]
In the 2020–21 season, as manager Diego Simeone began experimenting with the 3–5–2 formation, Lemar surprisingly became a starter in the position of a left-sided central midfielder despite fierce competition from Saúl Ñíguez. During the 2021–22 season, he managed to score four goals in La Liga to achieve his personal best record at the club, in which two of them came in victories against Espanyol,[35] and Barcelona.[36]
On 18 March 2023, he scored a goal in a 3–0 win over Valencia,[37] which was his only goal in the 2022–23 season. On 16 September 2023, he suffered from an Achilles tendon rupture in a 3–0 defeat against Valencia, which required surgery and would sideline him for several months.[38]
International career
editLemar was called up to the senior France squad to face Sweden and Ivory Coast in November 2016 after Kingsley Coman withdrew through injury.[39] He made his debut on 15 November against the latter, replacing Adrien Rabiot for the final 12 minutes of a home friendly match that ended in 0–0 draw.[40] His first international goals for the senior team came in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match against the Netherlands, scoring twice as France won 4–0.[41]
On 17 May 2018, he was called up by manager Didier Deschamps to the 23-man French squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[42] He made his only appearance of the tournament in France's final group match against Denmark on 26 June, which ended in a 0–0 draw.[43] On 15 July, France won the World Cup for the second time in their history after defeating Croatia 4–2 in the final of the tournament.[44]
Style of play
editLemar is a versatile midfielder able to play on both wings as well as through the centre and in a free role.[45] He is predominantly left footed, but is also competent with his right foot.[45] He is noted for his excellent dribbling skills, strong passing ability and free kicks.[45] He has said he prefers to link-up with teammates, rather than taking on defenders: "I am trying to avoid duels and concentrate on passing as much as possible."[45] He will often attempt to score from long range.[45]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 31 October 2024[46]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Caen II | 2011–12 | CFA | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 22 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 0 | ||||||
| 2013–14 | CFA 2 | 15 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 3 | |||||
| 2014–15 | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 55 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 55 | 4 | ||||||
| Caen | 2013–14 | Ligue 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| Total | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 | ||||
| Monaco | 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | — | 34 | 5 | |
| 2016–17 | 34 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 16[d] | 2 | — | 55 | 14 | |||
| 2017–18 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 38 | 3 | ||
| Total | 90 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 127 | 22 | ||
| Atlético Madrid | 2018–19 | La Liga | 31 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 7[d] | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 43 | 4 | |
| 2019–20 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 8[d] | 0 | — | 36 | 2 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[d] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 35 | 4 | |||
| 2022–23 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 0 | — | 32 | 1 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 135 | 8 | 11 | 2 | — | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 180 | 11 | |||
| Career total | 312 | 29 | 17 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 56 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 398 | 38 | ||
- ^ Includes Coupe de France, Copa del Rey
- ^ Includes Coupe de la Ligue
- ^ One appearance in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ a b c d e f g Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance in Trophée des Champions
- ^ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
- ^ Appearance in Supercopa de España
International
edit- As of match played 1 September 2021[47]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2016 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 27 | 4 | |
- As of match played 1 September 2021. France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Lemar goal.[47]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 August 2017 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 6 |  Netherlands |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | [48] |
| 2 | 3–0 | |||||||
| 3 | 23 March 2018 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 9 |  Colombia |
2–0 | 2–3 | Friendly | [49] |
| 4 | 2 June 2019 | Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France | 17 |  Bolivia |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [50] |
Honours
editMonaco
Atlético Madrid
France
Individual
- UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2016[55]
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: November 2016[56]
Orders
References
edit- ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 18 de mayo de 2019, en Valencia" [Minutes of the Match held on 18 May 2019, in Valencia] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
- ^ "Thomas Lemar". Atlético Madrid. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Ligue1.com – Player profile Thomas LEMAR (AS Monaco)". Ligue 1. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
- ^ "Lemar gets maiden France call". Ligue 1. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Caen vs. Dijon FCO – Football Match Line-Ups – August 2, 2013 – ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
- ^ "AS Monaco and Caen agree deal for Thomas Lemar | News | AS Monaco FC". www.asmonaco.com. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2015/2016 – Week 3 – Toulouse FC / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2015/2016 – Week 6 – AS Monaco / FC Lorient". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2015/2016 – Week 7 – Montpellier Hérault SC / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2015/2016 – Week 21 – FC Lorient / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2015/2016 – Week 29 – SM Caen / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League – Tottenham-Monaco". UEFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2016/2017 – Week 5 – AS Monaco / Stade Rennais FC". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2016/2017 – Week 8 – FC Metz / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2016/2017 – Week 10 – AS Monaco / Montpellier Hérault SC". Ligue 1. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2016/2017 – Week 13 – FC Lorient / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League – Monaco-Tottenham". UEFA. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2016/2017 – Week 20 – Olympique de Marseille / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Chambly vs. Monaco 4–5". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Big two reach Coupe quarters". Ligue 1. 1 March 2017.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Coupe de la Ligue – Season 2016/2017 – Final – AS Monaco / Paris Saint-Germain". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Thomas Lemar Football Statistics | WhoScored.com". www.whoscored.com. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ hermesauto (29 June 2017). "Football: Monaco reject £31m Arsenal bid for Thomas Lemar". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Liverpool fail with two bids for Monaco's Thomas Lemar". Sky Sports. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Wenger confirms Arsenal offered 100 million euros for Thomas Lemar". Marca. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2017/2018 – Week 11 – Girondins de Bordeaux / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Ligue 1 Conforama – Season 2017/2018 – Week 18 – AS Saint-Etienne / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Ligue1.com – French Football League – Coupe de la Ligue – Season 2017/2018 – Quarter-finals – OGC Nice / AS Monaco". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Lemar & Lucas Hernandez sign Atletico Madrid deals". BBC Sport. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ "Thomas Lemar: Atletico Madrid newcomer 'very happy' to complete move". BBC Sport. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^ Walker, Joseph. "Atletico Madrid's Thomas Lemar a 9/10 as new arrival makes his mark". ESPN. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ "No goals and no assists in 21 games - What has happened to Lemar at Atletico Madrid?". Goal.com. 9 January 2020.
- ^ "Diego Simeone Hopeful Thomas Lemar Will Grow In Confidence After Rare Strike". beIN Sports. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ "Last-minute Lemar winner fires Atleti to epic victory at Espanyol". Atlético de Madrid. 12 September 2021.
- ^ "Atleti beat Barcelona after fantastic performance". Atlético de Madrid. 2 October 2021.
- ^ "Big night against Valencia". Atlético de Madrid. 18 March 2023.
- ^ "Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Lemar ruptures Achilles tendon and will need surgery". AP News. 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Coman forfait, Lemar le remplace". sport24.com. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
- ^ "France vs. Côte d'Ivoire 0–0". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "France v. Netherlands". FIFA. 31 August 2017. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ Andy Charles (21 May 2018). "Alexandre Lacazette and Anthony Martial on standby for France World Cup squad and Dimitri Payet out". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ "Denmark vs. France 0 - 0". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (15 July 2018). "France 4–2 Croatia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Yokhin, Michael (18 January 2017). "Monaco's Lemar out to emulate Iniesta". ESPN. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ "T. Lemar: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Lemar, Thomas". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ "Holland's World Cup hopes on brink after Thomas Lemar double for France". The Guardian. London. Reuters. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "France 2 Colombia 3: Hosts waste two-goal lead as Colombia fight back after David Ospina clanger". London Evening Standard. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "France ease to routine friendly win against Bolivia". ESPN. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ "Monaco end PSG dominance to win Ligue 1 title". Diario AS. Madrid. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Atlético de Madrid 2020–21: Statistics". BDFutbol. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Sanders, Emma (15 August 2018). "Real Madrid 2–4 Atlético Madrid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "France 4–2 Croatia: Line-ups". FIFA. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "Our Champions League breakthrough team of 2016". UEFA. 24 December 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "TJM: Lemar et Douchez au sommet..." UNFP. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ "Décret du 31 décembre 2018 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 31 December 2018 on promotion and appointment]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 2019 (1). 1 January 2019. PRER1835394D. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
External links
edit
- Profile at the Atlético Madrid website
- Thomas Lemar at the French Football Federation (in French)
- Thomas Lemar at the French Football Federation (archived) (in French)
- Thomas Lemar – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Thomas Lemar – UEFA competition record (archive)
