| Fabien Mercadal | |
| Birth Date: | 29 February 1972 |
| Birth Place: | Manosque, France |
| Position: | Defender |
| Years1: | 1989–1991 |
| Clubs1: | AC Digne |
| Years2: | 1991–1994 |
| Clubs2: | Marseille B |
| Years3: | 1994–1995 |
| Clubs3: | Gap |
| Years4: | 1995–1997 |
| Clubs4: | Évry FC |
| Years5: | 1997–1999 |
| Clubs5: | Saint-Georges |
| Years6: | 1999–2000 |
| Clubs6: | Gap |
| Years7: | 2000–2002 |
| Clubs7: | Manosque |
| Years8: | 2002–2004 |
| Clubs8: | Gap |
| Manageryears1: | 2004–2005 |
| Managerclubs1: | Gap (assistant) |
| Manageryears2: | 2005–2008 |
| Managerclubs2: | Gap |
| Manageryears3: | 2008–2012 |
| Managerclubs3: | Amiens (assistant) |
| Manageryears4: | 2012–2016 |
| Managerclubs4: | Dunkerque |
| Manageryears5: | 2016–2017 |
| Managerclubs5: | Tours |
| Manageryears6: | 2017–2018 |
| Managerclubs6: | Paris FC |
| Manageryears7: | 2018–2019 |
| Managerclubs7: | Caen |
| Manageryears8: | 2019 |
| Managerclubs8: | Cercle Brugge |
| Manageryears9: | 2020–2021 |
| Managerclubs9: | Dunkerque |
| Manageryears10: | 2022 |
| Managerclubs10: | Quevilly-Rouen |
Fabien Mercadal (born 29 February 1972) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a defender.
After an amateur playing career, he began managing in the fourth tier with Gap, going on to spend one season in Ligue 1 with Caen in 2018–19. He also led Tours, Paris FC, Dunkerque and Quevilly-Rouen in Ligue 2 and had a brief spell in the Belgian First Division A with Cercle Brugge.
Mercadal was born in Manosque, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, to a Corsican father who had played in Division 3 for AJ Auxerre. Mercadal himself was in the youth ranks of Olympique de Marseille but suffered an injury that limited him to playing in the third and fourth divisions.[1]
Mercadal began his managerial career as an assistant at his final playing club, Gap FC, before being their head coach between 2005 and 2008 in the fourth-tier Championnat de France Amateur. For the next four years he was assistant at Amiens SC in Ligue 2 and the Championnat National;[2] he was interim manager on 23 October 2009 in a 1–0 loss at ES Troyes AC. Known for his passion, he vomited after defeat in his early career.[3]
In June 2012, Mercadal was hired at fourth-tier USL Dunkerque, winning promotion in his first season.[4] After coming 5th, 6th and 6th in the third tier, he was appointed at Tours FC in Ligue 2 in June 2016.[5] He drew 0–0 at home to Ajaccio on his professional career debut on 29 July, and was dismissed on 18 February 2017 with his team in last.[6]
Mercadal found another job in Ligue 2 in June 2017, being hired by Paris FC, who had been restored to the division after the administrative relegation of SC Bastia.[7] He came 8th in his one season at the Stade Charléty, and was eliminated from the eighth round of the Coupe de France 3–2 at third-tier Entente SSG.[8]
On 8 June 2018, Mercadal was announced as the manager of Ligue 1 side Stade Malherbe Caen on a three-year deal, with Paris FC being compensated for the last year of his contract.[9] His top-flight debut on 12 August was a 3–0 loss at reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain FC.[10] His team reached the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France via a 7–5 win at Bastia on 5 February 2019.[11] He left by mutual consent on 25 May, after a 1–0 home loss to FC Girondins de Bordeaux on the final day and relegation to Ligue 2.[12]
In July 2019, Mercadal was hired in the first foreign job of his career, at Cercle Brugge K.S.V. in the Belgian First Division A.[13] He was fired on 7 October after losing nine of ten league games and losing 1–0 at home to fourth-tier R.U.S. Rebecquoise in the sixth round of the Belgian Cup.[14]
On 16 May 2020, Mercadal returned to Dunkerque on a two-year contract, with the team newly promoted to Ligue 2.[15] Having avoided the relegation play-off on goal difference in his one season back at the Stade Marcel-Tribut, he left by mutual consent.[16]
Mercadal returned to work in Ligue 2 on 4 January 2022 at Quevilly-Rouen, signing an 18-month deal at the 11th-placed club.[17] In May he received a four-match ban, of which two were suspended, for an obscene gesture on his return to Caen.[18] He left for personal reasons at the end of the month.[19]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap | 1 July 2005 | 1 July 2008 | |||||||||
| Dunkerque | 3 June 2012 | 7 June 2016 | |||||||||
| Tours | 13 June 2016 | 18 February 2017 | |||||||||
| Paris FC | 21 June 2017 | 2 June 2018 | |||||||||
| Caen | 8 June 2018 | 25 May 2019 | |||||||||
| Cercle Brugge | 19 June 2019 | 7 October 2019 | |||||||||
| Total | |||||||||||