Damien Le Tallec

Damien Le Tallec
Damien Le Tallec
Born	April 19, 1990 (age 36); Poissy, France
Occupation(s)	Football executive (advisor), former professional footballer
Years active	2008–2023 (footballer)
Known for	Professional football career as centre-back and midfielder; advisor for Zenit St. Petersburg

Damien Le Tallec (born 19 April 1990) is a French former centre-back turned football executive, currently acting as an advisor for Russian outfit Zenit St. Petersburg.

Having represented France at youth levels, Le Tallec featured for the under-17, under-18, and under-19 squads. While he initially operated mainly as a second striker and winger, his role evolved over time to focus on defensive midfield and central defense positions.

Early stages

Originating from Poissy, Le Tallec embarked on his football development at Le Havre when he was just five years old. After spending ten years honing his skills there, he attracted attention from various Ligue 1 teams and ultimately transferred to Stade Rennais.

Rennes

During his tenure at Rennes, Le Tallec quickly distinguished himself among a cohort of emerging talents such as Yann M'Vila, Yohann Lasimant, Abdoul Camara, and Yacine Brahimi. Together, this group achieved several youth-level triumphs including the 2006 under-16 Tournoi Carisport title, the 2006–07 under-18 championship, and the 2008 Coupe Gambardella. In that latter tournament, Le Tallec was prolific, scoring eight goals across seven games and netting the decisive goal in a 3–0 final win against Bordeaux. Following the conclusion of the 2006–07 season, he secured his first professional deal with Rennes on 11 August, committing to a three-year term. He then spent the subsequent season with the reserve squad before earning promotion to the senior team for the 2008–09 campaign, donning jersey number 22.

Starting out with Rennes’ Championnat de France amateur side, Le Tallec took part in 22 fixtures and found the net four times. His contributions helped the team finish atop their group against other professional reserve teams and advance to the playoffs, where they were ultimately eliminated by Lyon in the semi-final stage.

Borussia Dortmund

Seeking more consistent first-team action after limited opportunities at Rennes, Le Tallec aimed to progress his career abroad. Although linked with a move to Spanish outfit Valencia, that transfer fell through due to administrative changes within their management. Subsequently, German clubs including Hertha BSC and VfB Stuttgart expressed interest. On 8 August 2009, Borussia Dortmund finalized a three-year contract with Le Tallec, intending to gradually integrate him into their senior squad.

Nantes

Le Tallec returned to French football on 31 January 2012 by signing with Nantes, competing in Ligue 2 at the time.

Hoverla

The following two seasons saw Le Tallec playing for newly promoted Ukrainian Premier League side FC Hoverla Uzhhorod. Despite Hoverla’s finishes in the lower half of the table, he was a regular starter and attracted attention from other clubs seeking reinforcements.

Mordovia

In mid-2014, Le Tallec transferred to Russia’s FC Mordovia Saransk, newly promoted to the Russian Premier League after winning the second division. He established himself as a consistent presence in Mordovia’s lineup. By winter 2015–16, Serbian coach Miodrag Božović, then at Red Star Belgrade, prioritized acquiring Le Tallec along with teammate Mitchell Donald as part of efforts to assemble a championship-caliber squad.

Red Star Belgrade

Le Tallec committed to a two-and-a-half-year deal with Red Star Belgrade on 29 January 2016. Within less than a month, he found the net in his league debut against FK Mladost Lučani. That campaign concluded with Red Star securing the Serbian league title and earning a spot in the Champions League qualifying rounds.

Initially positioned as a central midfielder alongside Mitchell Donald, from the 2016–17 season onward, under coach Božović, he was frequently assigned to a central defensive role. Across three seasons with the club, Le Tallec accumulated 104 appearances, contributed seven goals, and helped secure two Serbian SuperLiga championships (2016–2018). In May 2018, he declared his intention to depart Red Star after his contract ended that summer.

Montpellier

Le Tallec made his return to France on 20 June 2018 by signing with Ligue 1 side Montpellier.

AEK Athens

On 9 July 2021, Le Tallec agreed to a two-year contract with Greek Super League outfit AEK Athens, which included an option for an additional year. He opened his scoring account for the club on 12 September by netting the first goal in a 3–0 victory over Ionikos.

Torpedo Moscow

Le Tallec rejoined Russian football on 30 August 2022 when he signed for Torpedo Moscow. The contract was mutually dissolved on 13 January 2023.

Sochaux

On 31 January 2023, Le Tallec inked a deal with Sochaux-Montbéliard valid until June 2024.

Hanoi FC

Le Tallec joined Vietnamese club Hanoi FC on a short-term basis on 8 September 2023. He made his debut in a 4–2 defeat against Pohang Steelers on 20 September.

International career

Beginning with France's under-15 squad in March 2006, Le Tallec represented his country at every youth level. He featured prominently in the under-17 team that advanced to the semi-finals of both the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, scoring fourteen goals across eighteen appearances at this level. Progressing to the under-19 side, he played fifteen matches and scored six goals, aiding France's journey to the semi-finals of the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

In 2019, Le Tallec initiated the process for Russian citizenship and expressed his desire to play for Russia's national team. He secured permanent residency in April 2020 and was granted Russian citizenship by October of that year. Nevertheless, due to previous official youth caps for France, he was ruled ineligible to represent Russia internationally.

Post-playing career

On 24 April 2024, Le Tallec was appointed as an advisor to the chairman of Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg, tasked with managing partnerships and scouting activities across Europe, Africa, and the Near East.

Personal life

Le Tallec is the younger sibling of Anthony Le Tallec and is related as cousin to Florent Sinama Pongolle.

Career statistics

! Total 87 5 8 -- -- -- -- [AEK Athens F.C.|AEK Athens] [2021-22 AEK Athens F.C. season] Super League Greece 24 1 4 -- -- [FC Torpedo Moscow] [20222-23 Russian Premier League] Premier League 9 -- [FC Sochaux-Montbéliard] [20222-23 FC Sochaux-Montbéliard season] Ligue 22 -- Hanoi FC [20232-24 V.League] V.League -- Career total --

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rennes	2008–09	Ligue 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Borussia Dortmund	2009–10	Bundesliga	4	0	1	0	—		—		5	0
	2010–11		0	0	1	0	2	0	—		3	0
	2011–12		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		4	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	8	0
Borussia Dortmund II	2009–10	3. Liga	8	2	—		—		—		8	2
	2010–11	Regionalliga West	24	11	—		—		—		24	11
	2011–12	Regionalliga West	11	1	—		—		—		11	1
	Total		43	14	—		—		—		43	14
Nantes	2011–12	Ligue 2	8	0						8
Hoverla	2012–13	Ukrainian Premier League		20	5	2	0				22	5
	2013–14	Ukrainian Premier League	21	2	1	0	—		—		22	2
	Total		— ! colspan= " 2 " \| — !44 !7
Mordovia	2014-15	Russian Premier League	29	1	2	0	—		—		31	1
	2015-16	Russian Premier League	15	1	0	0	—		—		15	1
	Total		— ! colspan= " 2 " \| — !46 ! 2
Red Star Belgrade	2015-16	Serbian SuperLiga	14	2	—		—		—		14	2
	2016-17		36	3	6	1	6	0	—		48	4
	2017-18		26	1	1	0	15	0	—		42	1
	Total		— !104 !7
Montpellier HSC	2018-19	Ligue 1	36	3	1	0	—		0	0	37	3
	2019-20		28	2	3	0	—		2	0	33	2
	2020-21 23 -- -- -- 27 --

Honours

Rennes

Coupe Gambardella: 2008

Borussia Dortmund

Bundesliga: 2010–11

Red Star Belgrade

Serbian SuperLiga: 2015–16, 2017–18

External links