Alban Lafont

Alban Marc Lafont (born 23 January 1999) is a French professional footballer who plays as goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Nantes on loan from Serie A side Fiorentina.

Alban Lafont
Lafont with Toulouse in April 2018
Personal information
Full name Alban Marc Lafont[1]
Date of birth (1999-01-23) 23 January 1999[2]
Place of birth Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[3]
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Nantes (on loan from Fiorentina)
Number 1
Youth career
2008–2014 AS Lattoise
2014–2015 Toulouse
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Toulouse 98 (0)
2018– Fiorentina 34 (0)
2019– → Nantes (loan) 27 (0)
National team‡
2015 France U16 5 (0)
2015 France U17 2 (0)
2016 France U18 4 (0)
2017–2018 France U19 5 (0)
2017–2019 France U20 7 (0)
2019– France U21 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11:55, 8 July 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2019

Having progressed through the academy of AS Lattoise, Lafont signed for Toulouse in 2014 where he became the youngest goalkeeper ever to play in Ligue 1 upon making his debut the following year. He went on to make over 100 appearances for the club across all competitions before joining Fiorentina in 2018.

Lafont has also represented France at various youth levels and featured for the nation at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Early life

Lafont was born in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, to a French father and Burkinabe mother.[4] His parents separated when he was nine years old and Lafont moved to France to live with his father in Herault. His mother remained in Burkina Faso, where she later became a Member of Parliament for the People's Movement for Progress in the Burkina Faso National Assembly.[5][6] Lafont comes from a sporting family. His maternal grandfather played football for ten years and later served as president of Ouagadougou Shooting Star while his mother was a member of the national handball team.[5][6] His father also played tennis.[7]

Club career

Toulouse

Lafont started his career at amateur side AS Lattoise where he initially began playing as an attacking midfielder, before converting to a goalkeeper.[8] He spent six years with Lattoise before signing with Ligue 1 side Toulouse in 2014.[9]

2015–16 season

Lafont spent little more than a year in the academy at Toulouse before club manager Dominique Arribagé handed him his Ligue 1 debut on 28 November 2015 against OGC Nice.[10][11] Upon doing so, he became the youngest ever goalkeeper to play in Ligue 1 at the age of 16 years and 310 days, surpassing the record previously held by Mickaël Landreau.[12] Having replaced Ali Ahamada and Mauro Goicoechea as Toulouse's starting goalkeeper, Lafont kept clean sheets in his first two competitive fixtures before finally conceding in a 3–2 loss against Lorient on 5 December 2015. In January 2016, Lafont was named as the 34th best U-20 player in the world by Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport and featured as one of only two goalkeepers on the list alongside A.C. Milan's Gianluigi Donnarumma.[13] Having been 10 points adrift of safety at the time of Lafont's introduction into the first team, Toulouse managed to avoid relegation on the final day of the season, thanks in part to the eight clean sheets he kept in his 24 appearances for the campaign.[14] He was rewarded for his form on 30 June 2016 when he signed a new contract with Toulouse, extending his stay with the club until 2020.[15]

2016–17 season
Lafont became the youngest goalkeeper to play in Ligue 1 upon making his debut for Toulouse in 2015.

Lafont retained the number one spot for Toulouse in the following season and started the campaign by keeping a clean sheet against Marseille on the opening weekend.[16] On 22 October he was named as the man of the match for his performance in Toulouse's 0–0 draw with Angers, with his form in goal earning him his fourth clean sheet in only his tenth league appearance for the campaign.[17] Lafont's previous three clean sheets had come against esteemed opposition in the form of Marseille, Saint-Étienne and defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain.[18] Four days later, Lafont made his Coupe de la Ligue debut and kept another clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Ligue 2 side Auxerre.[19] He then made his first ever appearance in the Coupe de France on 8 January 2017, starting in a 2–1 extra-time defeat to Marseille.[20] The following month, he became the youngest goalkeeper in 30 years to reach 50 Ligue 1 appearances, achieving the milestone in a 0–0 draw with PSG.[21] He ended the campaign with 38 appearances to his name across all competitions, and having kept 11 clean sheets, as Toulouse ended the Ligue 1 season in 13th position.[22]

2017–18 season

In February 2018, having continued to impress in goal for Toulouse, Lafont was named by the CIES Football Observatory as the world's second-most promising footballer under the age of 20. Gianluigi Donnarumma was the only player rated higher than him while countryman and Golden Boy winner Kylian Mbappé was ranked third.[23] He made his 100th appearance for the club on 29 April 2018, starting in a 2–1 league defeat to Rennes. He kept 12 clean sheets for the season and featured in Toulouse's play-off victory over Ajaccio to help the club avoid relegation.[24]

Fiorentina

On 2 July 2018, Lafont signed a five year deal with Italian side Fiorentina for a reported fee €7 million plus bonuses.[25] His debut followed on 26 August when he started in a 6–1 win over ChievoVerona on the day of Fiorentina's 92nd anniversary.[26][27] He ultimately made 38 appearances for the season but the campaign was one of indifference, with Lafont's impressive repertoire of saves matched by a string of high profile errors.[28]

Loan to Nantes

On 29 June 2019, having lost his place to Bartłomiej Drągowski, Lafont returned to France where he joined Nantes on a two-season-long loan as a replacement for the departing Ciprian Tătărușanu. Nantes also secured an option to sign Lafont permanently for a €7 million transfer fee.[29][30]

International career

French national youth teams

Lafont has represented France at various youth levels. He made six appearances for the France U16 team and captained the side on three separate occasions.[12] He then made his debut for France U17 on 20 October 2015 against Northern Ireland, keeping a clean sheet in the process. Lafont was, however, not selected for France's 2016 European Under-17 Championship squad after Toulouse lobbied for him to remain with the club for their last two games of the season to aid their relegation battle.[31]

In September 2016, Lafont was named in the 20-man France U18 squad by manager Bernard Diomède for the 2016 Limoges Tournament.[32] He was an ever-present as France ended the tournament on top of the standings having won 2 out of their 3 matches and drawn the other.[33] He was promoted to the U20 side the following year and made his debut against England on 25 March.[34] In May the same year, he was named in the France squad for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea.[35] Throughout the tournament, he alternated with Paul Bernardoni as France's starting 'keeper before the nation was eliminated by Italy in the Round of 16.[36]

Personal life

In January 2016, relatives of Lafont were among the 30 people killed in the Ouagadougou attacks when a group of armed gunmen opened fire in a Cappuccino restaurant.[5]

On 25 September 2016, Lafont became the youngest ever footballer to be invited as a guest on French football programme, Téléfoot.[37][38]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 7 March 2020[3]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe Other Total
LeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Toulouse 2015–16 Ligue 1 2400000——240
2016–17 Ligue 1 3601010——380
2017–18 Ligue 1 3801030—2[lower-alpha 3]0440
Total 980204000201060
Fiorentina 2018–19 Serie A 34040———380
Nantes (loan) 2019–20 Ligue 1 2702000––290
Career total 1590804000201730
  1. Includes Coupe de France, Coppa Italia
  2. Includes Coupe de la Ligue
  3. Appearance in relegation play-offs

Honours

Individual

Records
  • Youngest goalkeeper to play in Ligue 1: 16 years and 310 days in 2015[12]
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References
  1. "Comunicato Ufficiale N. 59" [Official Press Release No. 59] (PDF) (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 2 October 2018. p. 4. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  2. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017: List of Players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2017. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  3. "A. Lafont: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  4. Jaquin, Alexandre (1 December 2015). "Toulouse: cinq choses à savoir sur le prodige Alban Lafont". RMC Sport (in French). Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  5. Raynaud, Claire (3 April 2016). "Les confidences de la mère d'Alban Lafont, députée du Burkina Faso". La Depeche (in French). Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  6. Kallenbrunn, Phillipe (13 November 2016). "Alban Lafont, 17 ans, de Ouagadougou à la Ligue 1". Le Journal du Dimanche (in French). Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  7. Yokhin, Michael (13 October 2016). "Toulouse's Alban Lafont is Ligue 1's answer to Gianluigi Donnarumma". ESPN. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  8. Steines, Geoffrey (15 January 2016). "Alban Lafont, ce Gamin qui n'en est pas un". Football365 (in French). Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  9. May, Sam (8 April 2017). "Alban Lafont: Meet the sensational shot stopper lighting up Ligue 1". Back of the Net Football. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  10. "Toulouse vs. Nice – 28 November 2015 – Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  11. Bekker, Liam (26 December 2016). "100 Best Young Players to Watch in 2017 Part 1 – Goalkeepers". Outside of the Boot. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  12. Bayol, Marie-Océane (5 December 2015). "UEFA.com's weekly wonderkid: Alban Lafont". UEFA.com. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  13. Flanagan, Aaron (28 January 2016). "Dele Alli ranked No.8 on a list of the world's best under-20 stars – but who ranks above him?". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  14. Scott, Andrew (14 May 2016). "Toulouse Pull off Great Escape". Ligue 1. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  15. "Alban Lafont et Issa Diop signent pros au TFC". L'Equip (in French). 30 June 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  16. "Frustration for Gomis and OM". Ligue 1. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  17. "Lafont Keeps Angers at Bay". Ligue 1. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  18. Bajaj, Abhisek (13 October 2016). "Transfer Rumour: Arsenal FC to Rival Juventus and Porto for 17-year old French Goalkeeping Prodigy Alban LAfont". The Hard Tackle. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  19. Crossan, D (28 October 2016). "Testing Toulouse Trip for Troubled OL". Ligue 1. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  20. Scott, Andrew (8 January 2017). "Marseille Through in Extra-Time". Ligue 1. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  21. Watson, Jack (20 February 2017). "Toulouse starlet becomes youngest goalie to hit 50 Ligue 1 appearances for three decades". Squawka. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  22. "Lafont-Football Statistics-Form Guide". Squawka. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  23. Margueritte, Henri (19 February 2018). "Alban Lafont, ce Français qui devance Mbappé au classement des footballeurs les plus prometteurs". Huffington Post (in French). Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  24. Burton, Chris (30 May 2018). "Liverpool goalkeeper targets: Donnarumma, Alisson & 10 options who can replace calamitous Karius". Goal. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  25. "Alban Lafont signe à la Fiorentina jusqu'en 2023 (officiel)" (in French). L'Équipe. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  26. "Serie A, Fiorentina dilaga all'esordio: Chievo travolto 6-1" (in Italian). LaPresse. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  27. Beresford, Chloe (26 August 2018). "Birthday Boys Fiorentina Go For The Win". Euro Fantasy League. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  28. "OFFICIAL: Lafont loaned to Nantes". Viola Nation. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  29. "UFFICIALE: Fiorentina, Lafont ceduto in prestito biennale al Nantes" (in Italian). Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  30. "Transferts : Alban Lafont (Fiorentina) prêté deux ans à Nantes (officiel)" (in French). Le Equipe. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  31. Stival, Nicolas (3 May 2016). "Ligue 1: Pressenti en Azerbaïdjan, Alban Lafont finira la saison avec le TFC". 20 Minutes (in French). Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  32. "Équipe de France, Alban Lafont et Malang Sarr avec les U18 pour le Tournoi de Limoges". Goal (in French). 28 September 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  33. "Lafarge Foot Avenir 2016". Jeunesse Sportive Lafarge Limoges (in French). 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  34. Trésarrieu, Flavien (25 March 2017). "Alban Lafont sur sa première convocation en U20 : "Il n'y a pas de gêne à avoir"". L'Equipe. Retrieved 25 March 2017.(in French)
  35. Holyman, Ian (9 May 2017). "Kylian Mbappe not included in France's Under-20 World Cup squad". ESPN. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  36. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017". FIFA. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  37. "Alban Lafont, le gardien que le monde entier envie au TFC". LaDepeche (in French). 19 October 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  38. "Alban Lafont : "L'Equipe de France, c'est un objectif" Pour sa première télévis". Téléfoot (in French). 25 September 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
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