Illan Meslier Explained

Illan Meslier
Fullname:Illan Meslier
Birth Date:2 March 2000
Birth Place:Lorient, France
Height:1.98 m[1]
Position:Goalkeeper
Currentclub:Leeds United
Clubnumber:1
Youthyears1:2006–2009
Youthclubs1:Merlevenez
Youthyears2:2009–2019
Youthclubs2:Lorient
Years1:2017–2018
Clubs1:Lorient II
Caps1:17
Goals1:0
Years2:2018–2019
Clubs2:Lorient
Caps2:28
Goals2:0
Years3:2019–2020
Clubs3:Leeds United (loan)
Caps3:10
Goals3:0
Years4:2020–
Clubs4:Leeds United
Caps4:152
Goals4:0
Nationalyears1:2018
Nationalteam1:France U18
Nationalcaps1:3
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2018
Nationalteam2:France U19
Nationalcaps2:5
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2019
Nationalteam3:France U20
Nationalcaps3:4
Nationalgoals3:0
Nationalyears4:2021–2023
Nationalteam4:France U21
Nationalcaps4:13
Nationalgoals4:0
Club-Update:10 August 2024 (UTC)
Nationalteam-Update:2 July 2023 (UTC)

Illan Stéphane Meslier (born 2 March 2000) is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Leeds United, where he serves as vice-captain.

Early life

Illan Stéphane Meslier[2] was born on 2 March 2000[3] in Lorient, Brittany.[4]

Club career

Lorient

Meslier began playing football with his local club Merlevenez at the age of 6, and after a successful match against FC Lorient joined their academy.[5] On 1 February 2018, he signed his first professional contract with Lorient.[6] In July 2018, Lorient rejected a €10 million bid from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco for Meslier.[7] [8] He also received interest from English Premier League side Chelsea.[9] [8]

He stayed at Lorient, and shortly made his professional debut under then manager Mickaël Landreau for Lorient in a 1–0 Coupe de la Ligue win over Valenciennes FC on 14 August 2018.[10] He kept a clean sheet consecutively in his first five games as a professional, conceding his first ever goal in his 6th game against Paris FC.[11] He saved an injury time penalty from Clermont player Manuel Perez in Lorient's 1–0 win against Clermont.[12] He solidified his place as the club's number 1 keeper during the 2018–19 season, playing 30 times in all competitions, keeping 11 clean sheets. With his form helping Lorient finish in 6th in 2018–19 Ligue 2 but narrowly missing out on the playoffs due to goal difference compared with RC Lens.[13]

Leeds United

2019–20 season

On 8 August 2019, Meslier was signed on a season-long loan by English Championship team Leeds United, with Leeds also having the option to buy Meslier on a permanent deal.[14] [15] He started the season as second choice goalkeeper behind Kiko Casilla and competing with Kamil Miazek for a place on the bench, Meslier gained a reputation as a penalty saving expert after saving three separate penalties for Leeds United under-23's by December.[16]

On 4 January 2020, head coach Marcelo Bielsa announced that Meslier would make his debut on 6 January in Leeds' FA Cup tie against Premier League side Arsenal.[17] With Meslier putting in an impressive performance against the Premier League side in a 1–0 defeat on his debut, he was praised for his distribution and his saves during the match.[18] On 29 February 2020, he made his league debut for Leeds in a 4–0 victory away at Hull City.[19]

Meslier finished the season as first choice at Leeds after an eight-game suspension to fellow goalkeeper Kiko Casilla,[20] with Meslier keeping seven clean sheets in his 10 league games to help Leeds become Champions and win promotion to the Premier League.[21] [22]

2020–21 season

On 23 July 2020, Meslier joined Leeds permanently following their promotion to the Premier League, for a reported £5m transfer fee,[23] signing a three-year contract.[24] Meslier made his 2020–21 Premier League debut in the first match of the season against Liverpool on 12 September 2020, starting in the 3–4 defeat at Anfield to the reigning champions.[25] [26] On 28 September, Meslier was named man of the match in the Yorkshire derby 1–0 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, after making a string of fine saves including a point blank reflex save at 0–0.[27]

On 23 February 2021, Meslier became the first goalkeeper under the age of 21 to record 11 clean sheets in a single Premier League season,[28] eventually finishing the season with 11.[29]

2021–22 season

On 13 August 2021, Meslier signed a new deal which extended his contract until 2026.[30]

2022–23 season

Meslier's performance against Liverpool on 29 October 2022, in which he made nine saves to give his side a 2–1 away win and take them out of the relegation zone, saw him awarded the Premier League Man of the Match award.[31] [32] He made his 100th appearance for Leeds at Elland Road on 4 January 2023, in a 2–2 draw with West Ham United.[33]

Meslier conceded 22 goals in seven games during the month of April 2023, during which time the team took just four points from a possible 21 and resulted in the dismissal of Head Coach Javi Gracia. With the arrival of Sam Allardyce in May 2023 — Leeds’ fourth manager of the 2022-23 season — Meslier saw no further action in the first team, being replaced by Joel Robles for the final four games of the season, from which the team gained a single point, consigning them to the Championship for the 2023-24 season.

2023-24 season

Meslier received a red card on 26 December 2023 after pushing Milutin Osmajic in a match against Preston North End.[34]

International career

Meslier has been capped at international level by France, all the way up to France U21s. He was also part of the France U20 squad for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup playing as the first choice goalkeeper in May 2019.[35]

In November 2019, Meslier was called up the France U21 squad and was named as an unused substitute in a 3–1 defeat against Switzerland U21's on 19 November 2019.[36] He was called up again to the France U21 squad in August 2020 for fixtures against Georgia U21 and Azerbaijan U21.[37] He made his debut for the under-21 team playing in the quarter final against the Netherlands on 31 May 2021.[38]

Style of play

Due to his appearance and physical stature, Meslier's goalkeeping style has been compared to that of Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.[39] [40]

Career statistics

Club!rowspan=2
SeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lorient II2017–18Championnat National 2160160
2018–19Championnat National 21010
Total170000000170
Lorient2018–19Ligue 22800020300
Leeds United (loan)2019–20Championship1001000110
Leeds United2020–21Premier League3500000350
2021–22Premier League3801030420
2022–23Premier League3403010380
2023–24Championship440300030500
2024–25Championship10000010
Total15207040301660
Career total20708060302240

Honours

Leeds United

2019–20[41]

Individual

2023–24 (shared)[43]

2023–24 Championship[44]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Illan Meslier: Overview . Premier League . 6 November 2022.
  2. Web site: FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019: List of Players: France . FIFA . 4 . 13 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200206013743/https://www.fifadata.com/document/FWYC/2019/pdf/FWYC_2019_SquadLists.pdf . 6 February 2020.
  3. Web site: Illan Meslier: Overview . ESPN . 23 March 2021.
  4. News: Illan Meslier . L'Équipe . Paris . 23 March 2021 . fr.
  5. Web site: Ilan Meslier, gardien malgré lui - FC Lorient. 5 December 2016.
  6. Web site: Illan Meslier signe son premier contrat professionnel - FC Lorient. 1 February 2018.
  7. Web site: Who is FC Lorient goalkeeper Illan Meslier? Leeds United's loanee profiled. YEP. 8 August 2019.
  8. Web site: Mercato. FC Lorient: Illan Meslier to Monaco. Ouest France. 9 July 2018 .
  9. Web site: FC Lorient. Chelsea also looks for Meslier. Ouest France. 24 July 2018 .
  10. Web site: Valenciennes vs. Lorient - 14 August 2018 - Soccerway. int.soccerway.com.
  11. Web site: Illan Meslier, the quiet strength of a number one caretaker. Be Soccer.
  12. Web site: Football. Metz, Brest and Lorient garner. 24 Matins. 23 February 2024 .
  13. Web site: French teenage goalkeeper Illan Meslier close to Leeds United arrival. YEP.
  14. Web site: Illan Meslier signs on loan. 8 August 2019. www.leedsunited.com. en. 8 August 2019.
  15. Web site: ILLAN MESLIER ON LOAN TO LEEDS. 8 August 2019. Lorient Official Site. fr. 8 August 2019.
  16. Web site: Leeds United fans react as Illan Meslier saves another penalty. 20 December 2019. The Boot Room. en. 4 January 2020.
  17. Web site: Marcelo Bielsa reveals four Leeds United changes for Arsenal FA Cup clash and issues Whites injury update. 4 January 2020. Yorkshire Evening Post. en. 4 January 2020.
  18. Web site: Arsenal performance shows how well Leeds' approach to the loan market is working – despite Nketiah frustration. The Athletic.
  19. News: Hull City 0-4 Leeds United: Ayling, Hernandez & Roberts give Whites victory. 29 February 2020. BBC Sport. 1 March 2020. en-gb.
  20. Web site: Leeds goalkeeper gets eight-match ban for racism. BBC Sport. 28 February 2020. 28 February 2020.
  21. News: LEEDS UNITED COMPLETE ILLAN MESLIER TRANSFER. 23 July 2020. Leeds United. 9 August 2020. en-gb.
  22. News: Championship: Leeds United promoted to Premier League after 16-year absence . 17 July 2020 . BBC Sport.
  23. Web site: Fee revealed as Leeds complete second summer transfer. Steve. Pearson. 23 July 2020. TEAMtalk.
  24. Web site: Illan Meslier: Leeds United sign Lorient keeper after loan spell. 23 July 2020. BBC Sport. en. 23 July 2020.
  25. Web site: Leeds United made a dramatic return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence as they produced a magnificent display only to lose to a late penalty in a thriller against champions Liverpool at Anfield.. BBC. 12 September 2020. 13 September 2020.
  26. News: Liverpool 4 Leeds 3 . BBC Sport . 12 September 2020 . 14 September 2020.
  27. News: 'Who is this guy?' Leeds' new star Meslier. en-GB. BBC Sport. 2020-09-29.
  28. News: Premier League. L'ancien gardien du FC Lorient Illan Meslier bat un record vieux de 14 ans. 26 February 2021. 13 March 2021. Ouest-France. French.
  29. Web site: Illan Meslier Statistics | Premier League. www.premierleague.com.
  30. News: Illan Meslier signs Leeds United contract until 2026. BBC Sport. 13 August 2021.
  31. News: Liverpool 1–2 Leeds United. Rose. Gary. BBC Sport. 29 October 2022. 30 October 2022.
  32. News: Premier League Man of the Match 2022-23 Matchweek 14. www.PremierLeague.com. 29 October 2022. 30 October 2022.
  33. News: Leeds 2-2 West Ham: Rodrigo denies West Ham with Leeds leveller. en-GB. BBC Sport. 4 January 2023. 4 January 2023.
  34. Web site: x. 5 March 2024.
  35. Web site: Mali 2 France 0. https://web.archive.org/web/20190517053737/https://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/matches/match/400010597/#mali-v-france-group-e-2019-fifa-u-20-world-cup-x7844. dead. 17 May 2019. UEFA.
  36. Web site: Switzerland 3-1 France. Sky Sports.
  37. Web site: ILLAN MESLIER NAMED IN FRANCE U21S SQUAD. Leeds United. 27 August 2020 .
  38. Web site: Netherlands 2 France 1. UEFA.
  39. Web site: Casilla starred again but soon Leeds may be without him. If the time comes, Meslier will be ready. The Athletic.
  40. Web site: EXCLUSIVE ILLAN MESLIER: "WITHOUT A BIG GUARD, YOU CAN'T GO FAR. Onze Mondial. 3 July 2019 .
  41. Web site: Leeds United are champions! . Leeds United F.C. . 18 July 2020 . 18 July 2020.
  42. Web site: LEEDS UNITED PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2021 WINNERS . Leeds United F.C. . 23 May 2021 . 24 May 2021.
  43. News: 10 May 2024 . Illan Meslier and Alex Palmer share the Sky Bet Championship Golden Glove award . 19 August 2024 . EFL.
  44. News: PFA League One Team of the Year. Professional Footballers' Association. 20 August 2024. 20 August 2024.