Andy Delort
Andy Delort | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 9, 1991 Sète, France |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Known for | Striker for Ajaccio and Algeria national team |
Andy Delort (; born 9 October 1991) is a professional football player who operates as a striker for Régional 2 side Ajaccio.
Originally from France, Delort played for the France under-20 squad before opting to represent the senior Algeria team. Additionally, he has competed for the France beach soccer squad.
Early career
Born in Sète, France, Delort is of mixed heritage, with a Romani father and an Algerian mother. His football journey started at Sète, and after finishing as the top scorer in the France U19 league with 30 goals, he moved to Ajaccio in 2008. His performances attracted attention from clubs such as Bordeaux and Borussia Dortmund. Following a trial period at Dortmund where he trained alongside Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa, he received a contract offer. Nevertheless, influenced by manager Jean-Michel Cavalli's advice, Delort chose to sign with Nîmes, remarking that players who rush their progress risk "burning their wings."
Delort made his debut in Ligue 2 for Nîmes on 30 August 2009 but saw limited playing time, appearing only three times off the bench throughout that season.
Ajaccio and loan to Metz
In June 2010, Delort returned to AC Ajaccio. He opened his professional goal-scoring account in the French League Cup on 15 September 2010 and later scored in both the Coupe de France and Ligue 2 fixtures, helping secure victories over Angers and Istres. In January 2011, he signed his first professional contract with Ajaccio for a duration of three and a half years. During a March 2011 match against Nantes, Delort was involved in an on-field brawl leading to a four-match suspension alongside teammate Carl Medjani. He played a role in Ajaccio’s promotion to Ligue 1 by contributing to their second-place finish in the 2010–11 Ligue 2 season.
On 31 January 2012, Delort was loaned out to Ligue 2 club Metz for six months, where he scored once across 13 appearances. Returning to Ajaccio for the following season (2012–13), he netted his first Ligue 1 goal on 27 April 2013 during a victory against Montpellier. That campaign included 16 appearances in Ligue 1 and an impressive tally of 12 goals from 16 matches with Ajaccio's reserve team.
Tours
During the summer of 2013, Delort signed with Ligue 2 outfit Tours. He ended the 2013–14 season as joint top scorer by registering 24 goals in 36 games. His outstanding performances earned him a place in the Ligue 2 Team of the Year, and he finished as runner-up for the Ligue 2 Player of the Year award behind Diafra Sakho of Metz.
Wigan Athletic
On the final day of the summer transfer window in 2014, Delort completed a move to Championship side Wigan Athletic for a fee reported to be below £3 million. He was assigned shirt number 49 but encountered challenges adapting to English football, making just eleven league appearances without scoring. In an interview, he admitted facing difficulties settling following his transition from France.
Return to Tours on loan
Unable to establish himself in England, Delort returned to Tours on loan for the remainder of the 2015 season, agreeing to a 50% reduction in salary to gain consistent playing opportunities.
Caen
On 2 July 2015, Delort moved to Caen. He marked his debut by scoring the only goal in a 1–0 victory against Marseille on 8 August. The next season commenced amid a transfer controversy involving Liga MX club Tigres UANL, during which Delort refused to participate in training sessions.
Tigres UANL
Delort joined Tigres on 2 September 2016, becoming the second Frenchman to play for the club after André-Pierre Gignac. He inked a four-year deal, with the transfer fee reportedly €8 million paid to Caen. He netted his first Liga MX goal on 22 October 2016 in a 3–1 triumph over UNAM. After less than half a year and scoring three goals in 14 matches, Delort returned to France by signing with Toulouse.
Toulouse
On 26 January 2017, Delort rejoined French football by signing a four-year contract with Toulouse, with an estimated transfer fee of €6 million. He scored in his first appearance on 2 February during a 4–0 win against Angers, followed by goals in his subsequent two fixtures versus Lorient and Bastia.
Montpellier
Delort was loaned to Montpellier for the 2018–19 season on 24 July 2018, including an option for permanent transfer. He secured a permanent move on 12 June 2019. Over his tenure, he scored 41 goals across all competitions, surpassing Olivier Giroud's record and ranking as Montpellier’s third most prolific striker of the 21st century.
Nice
Delort committed to Ligue 1 side Nice on a four-year contract signed on 28 August 2021. On 21 May 2022, he achieved his first Ligue 1 hat-trick during a 3–2 victory against Reims.
Nantes
On 30 January 2023, Delort joined Nantes on a six-month loan deal that included an obligation to purchase. He registered his initial goals for Nantes by scoring twice in the Coupe de France quarterfinal match against RC Lens on 1 March 2023.
Umm Salal
Delort signed a two-year contract with Qatari club Umm Salal on 7 July 2023, with an option for an additional year. The transfer fee was estimated at €2.5 million. He ended his contract with Umm Salal on 12 February 2024.
MC Alger
On 11 September 2024, Delort agreed to a two-year deal with Algerian club MC Alger, which also included an option for a one-year extension.
Loan Return to Montpellier
Delort returned to Montpellier on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season on 29 January 2025, with an option to make the move permanent.
Return to Ajaccio
On 10 September 2025, Delort re-signed with his former club Ajaccio, supporting them following their administrative relegation to the seventh tier of French football.
International career
In 2009, Delort represented the France national beach soccer team under coach Eric Cantona, scoring five goals during World Cup qualifiers after being scouted by Laurent Castro.
He was called up by Francis Smerecki to the France Under-20 squad in 2011 for a match against the United States and selected for the Toulon Tournament but withdrew due to injury.
Eligible for Algerian nationality through his mother, Delort expressed interest in playing for Algeria in April 2019. Subsequently, he was named in Algeria’s final squad for the Africa Cup of Nations on 13 June that year. Making his debut three days later against Mali, he scored the winning goal coming off the bench.
In October 2021, following his signing with OGC Nice, Delort declined further national team call-ups and announced a one-year hiatus from international football to concentrate on his club career.
Personal life
Delort is a father to two children, a boy and a girl. In January 2021, he was honored with a medal from his birthplace, Sète, awarded by the mayor François Commeinhes.
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajaccio | 2010–11 | Ligue 2 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | 29 | 6 | |
| 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Total | 47 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | 56 | 7 | |||
| Metz (loan) | 2011–12 | Ligue 2 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 1 | |
| Tours | 2013–14 | Ligue 2 | 36 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 39 | 25 | |
| 2014–15 | Ligue 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 38 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 41 | 25 | |||
| Wigan Athletic | 2014–15 | Championship | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| Tours (loan) | 2014–15 | Ligue 2 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 2 | |
| Caen | 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 38 | 13 | |
| Tigres UANL | 2016–17 | Liga MX | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 16 | 4 | |
| Toulouse FC | 2016–17 Toulouse FC season | Ligue 1 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 5 | |
| 2017–18 Toulouse FC season | Ligue 1 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 5 | ||
| Total | 47 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 51 | 10 | |||
| Montpellier HSC (loan) | 2018–19 Montpellier HSC season | Ligue 1 | 36 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 38 | 14 | |
| Montpellier | 2019–20 Montpellier HSC season | Ligue 1 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 31 | 12 | |
| 2020–21 Montpellier HSC season | Ligue 1 | 30 | 15 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 34 | 19 | |||
| 2021–22 Montpellier HSC season | Ligue 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 2 | |||
| Total | 95 | 40 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 106 | 47 | |||
| OGC Nice | 2021–22 OGC Nice season | Ligue 1 | — !! colspan= "2" | — !!37 !!18 | |||||||||
| 2022–23 OGC Nice season | Ligue 1 | — !!4 !!1 !!18 !!7 | ||||||||||
| Total | 46 | 22 | 5 | 2 | — | 4 | 1 | 55 | 25 | |||
| FC Nantes (loan) | 2022–23 FC Nantes season | Ligue 1 | — !!1 !! 0 !!17 !! 2 | |||||||||
| Umm Salal SC | 2023–24 Qatar Stars League | Qatar Stars League | — !!19 !!13 | |||||||||
| MC Alger | 2024–25 MC Alger season | Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 | — !!5 !! 0 !!15 !!3 | |||||||||
| Montpellier HSC (loan) | 2024–25 Montpellier HSC season | Ligue 1 | 9 !!!!!! colspans as before !!!!!!9 !!!!!! colspans as before !!!!!!9 !!!!!! colspans as before !!!!!!9 !!!!!! colspans as before !!!!!!9 !!!!!! colspans as before !!!!!!9 !!!!!! colspans as before !!!!!!9 !!!!!! colspans as before !!!!!!9 !!!!!! colspans as before !!!!!!9 !!!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!9 !!!! colspans as before !!!!!! | |||||||||
| Career total | 390 | 125 | 24 | 10 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 447 | 150 | ||
International Career
| Team | Year | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 2019 | 7 | 1 |
| 2020 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| Overall Total | 15 | 2 | |
- Note: Algeria's score is listed first in the results.
| No. | Date | Location | Opponent | Score at Time | Final Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 16 June 2019 | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Template:Fb | 3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly match |
| 2. | 16 November 2020 | National Sports Stadium, Harare, Zimbabwe | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers |
Achievements
Tigres UANL
- Liga MX: Apertura 2016 Champion
Nice
- Coupe de France finalist: 2021–22 Coupe de France
Algeria
Personal Accolades
- Top Scorer in Ligue 2: 2013–14 Ligue 2 season with 24 goals
- Selected for the UNFP Ligue 2 Team of the Year in 2013–14 Ligue 2
- Awarded UNFP Ligue 2 Player of the Month: March 2014
- Recognized as UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: November 2020
External links
- 1991 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Sète
- Men's association football forwards
- Algerian men's footballers
- Algeria men's international footballers
- French men's footballers
- France men's youth international footballers
- French people of Romani descent
- French expatriate men's footballers
- 2019 Africa Cup of Nations players
- Ligue 1 players
- Ligue 2 players
- English Football League players
- Liga MX players
- Qatar Stars League players
- Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 players
- Nîmes Olympique players
- AC Ajaccio players
- FC Metz players
- Tours FC players
- Wigan Athletic F.C. players
- Stade Malherbe Caen players
- Tigres UANL footballers
- Toulouse FC players
- Montpellier HSC players
- OGC Nice players
- FC Nantes players
- Umm Salal SC players
- MC Alger players
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico
- Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar
- Expatriate men's footballers in Algeria
- French beach soccer players
- Algerian expatriate sportspeople in England
- Algerian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico
- Algerian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
- French expatriate sportspeople in England
- French expatriate sportspeople in Mexico
- French expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
- French expatriate sportspeople in Algeria
- Algerian people of French descent
- 21st-century French sportsmen