| Marlee Francois | |
| Fullname: | Marlee Jean Francois |
| Birth Date: | 29 December 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Sydney, Australia |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Youthclubs1: | Camden Tigers |
| Youthyears2: | 2013–2019 |
| Youthclubs2: | Fulham |
| Youthyears3: | 2019–2021 |
| Youthclubs3: | Bristol City |
| Years1: | 2021–2024 |
| Clubs1: | Bristol City |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2021 |
| Clubs2: | → Bath City (loan) |
| Caps2: | 4 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2021–2023 |
| Nationalteam1: | Australia U23 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 17:30 2 July 2023 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 12:30 10 March 2024 (UTC) |
Marlee Francois (born 29 December 2002) is an Australian professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Bristol City.
Francois was born and raised in Campbelltown, New South Wales, to a Mauritian father and an English mother.[1] His family moved to England in 2013 after he and his brother, Tyrese Francois, signed for Fulham Academy. Francois left Fulham in February 2019 to join Bristol City.[2] [3]
Francois signed a professional contract with Bristol City in March 2021.[4] On 20 July 2021, Francois scored against Bristol City in a friendly match for Portsmouth after he was granted permission to feature for the opposition due to the low numbers in Portsmouth's match squad. It was dubbed the "Shortest loan in history."[5] The next month Francois joined Bath City F.C. on a short-term loan.[6]
Francois signed a two-year contract extension with the option of a further year with Bristol City in August 2022.[7] After 14-months sidelined with injury, Francois made his first-team debut, appearing as a substitute, in a FA Cup tie against West Brom on 28 January 2023.[8] He was released by Bristol City at the end of the 2023–24 season.[9]
Francois is eligible to represent England, Australia or Mauritius.[10] He made his debut for the Australian under-23 team as a substitute on 2 June 2021 against Ireland under-21s.[11] He scored his only goal for Australia U-23s in June 2023 against Mexico U-23s.[12]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Bristol City | 2021–22 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Bath City (loan) | 2021–22[13] | National League South | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||