Marcus Thuram
Marcus Thuram | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marcus Lilian Thuram-Ulien August 6, 1997 Parma, Italy |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 2015– |
| Known for | Playing as a forward for Inter Milan and the France national team |
Marcus Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 6 August 1997) is a French professional footballer who operates as a forward for Serie A side Inter Milan and represents the France national team.
Thuram launched his professional journey with Sochaux in 2015, where he featured across three Ligue 2 campaigns before moving to Guingamp in 2017. During his two seasons in Ligue 1 with Guingamp, he established himself before transferring to Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he played for four years in the Bundesliga. In 2023, he joined Inter Milan on a free transfer and secured the Serie A championship in his inaugural season.
On the international stage, Thuram earned his first cap for France in 2020 and has competed in the UEFA European Championship tournaments of both 2020 and 2024, as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where France finished as runners-up.
Sochaux
Thuram progressed through the youth ranks at Sochaux, making his professional debut in Ligue 2 on 20 March 2015 against Châteauroux. Over his tenure at Sochaux, he appeared in 43 matches and scored once, netting during a 3–1 loss to Tours on 14 April 2017.
Guingamp
On 5 July 2017, Thuram completed a transfer to Ligue 1 outfit Guingamp for an undisclosed sum. In August 2018, he drew attention during a match against Paris Saint-Germain by challenging goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who had previously been a teammate of Thuram's father. A highlight came on 9 January 2019 when Thuram converted a late penalty to eliminate defending champions PSG from the quarter-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue, despite missing an earlier spot-kick in the same game, which ended in a 2–1 victory at the Parc des Princes. Later that month, he scored the equalizer in a 2–2 draw versus Monaco during the semi-finals; although his penalty was saved in the shootout, Guingamp progressed.
2019–20: Debut season
On 22 July 2019, Borussia Mönchengladbach secured Thuram’s signature on a four-year deal reportedly worth €12 million from Guingamp. He inherited the number 10 jersey following Thorgan Hazard’s departure and made his debut on 9 August in the DFB-Pokal first round against 2. Bundesliga side SV Sandhausen, scoring the decisive goal. Thuram recorded his first Bundesliga goals on 22 September by netting twice in a 2–1 victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf.
On 31 May 2020, he scored a brace during a commanding 4–1 win against Union Berlin, dedicating his opening goal to the protests unfolding across the United States after the murder of George Floyd by taking a knee.
2021–2023: Later seasons and Champions League qualification
Thuram delivered two goals on 27 October 2020 in a UEFA Champions League group stage match that ended in a 2–2 draw against Real Madrid. However, on 19 December, he was dismissed for spitting at opponent Stefan Posch during a 2–1 defeat to Hoffenheim, which led to a six-match suspension and a €40,000 fine.
The beginning of the 2021–22 Bundesliga campaign proved challenging for Thuram as he failed to score in his initial fifteen appearances, concluding the season with just three goals against Wolfsburg, Stuttgart, and Greuther Fürth. By November 2022, his form had markedly improved; he had tallied ten goals in fifteen Bundesliga fixtures, equalling his highest seasonal total since debuting.
In April 2023, Gladbach’s sporting director Roland Virkus confirmed that Thuram would depart at season’s end after opting not to extend his contract.
Inter Milan
On 1 July 2023, Thuram transferred to Serie A side Inter Milan on a free transfer, signing a contract valid until June 2028. He opened his scoring account for Inter on 3 September during a 4–0 triumph over Fiorentina. Later, on 3 October, he registered his inaugural Champions League goal for the club in a 1–0 group stage win against Benfica, marking him as the third French player to score for Inter in this tournament after Youri Djorkaeff and Patrick Vieira.
In his first season with Inter, Thuram played a key role by delivering 13 goals and 13 assists, helping the team clinch the Serie A championship.
International career
Thuram was included in the France U19 squad that triumphed at the 2016 UEFA European Championship. His initial call-up to the senior team came in November 2020 for fixtures against Finland, Portugal, and Sweden. He made his senior debut on 11 November in a friendly defeat to Finland held at the Stade de France. In May 2021, Thuram was selected for the postponed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament squad.
On 14 November 2022, he was added late to France's 26-player roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. During the final against Argentina, Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani came on as substitutes for Ousmane Dembélé and Olivier Giroud after 41 minutes. He provided an assist for Kylian Mbappé to equalize at 2–2 by full time and received a yellow card for simulation in the penalty area. Ultimately, France was defeated in the penalty shootout following a thrilling 3–3 draw. Thuram netted his first goal for the national team on 7 September 2023 in a 2–0 win over Ireland during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Personal life
Thuram is the son of former French international footballer Lilian Thuram and elder sibling to professional footballer Khéphren Thuram. He was born in Parma while his father was playing for the local club and was named after Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey. Despite his father's affiliations with clubs like Juventus and Barcelona, Thuram supported both AC Milan and Real Madrid during his childhood. He has Guadeloupean heritage through his father.
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||||||||
| Sochaux II | 2013–14 | CFA | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2014–15 | CFA | 19 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2015–16 | CFA | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2016–17 | CFA 2 | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 38 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 38 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Sochaux | 2014–15 | Ligue 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2015–16 | Ligue 2 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2016–17 | Ligue 2 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Total | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 43 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Guingamp | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 38 | 13 | ||||||||||
| Total | 64 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 72 | 17 | |||||||||||
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 31 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6[lower-alpha 3] | 39 | 14 | ||||||||||||
| 2020-21 | Bundesliga | 29 | 8 | 3 | 1 | colspan = "0" | colspan = "0" | 8 [lower-alpha 4] | 40 | 11 | |||||||||||
| 2021-22 | Bundesliga | 21 | 3 | 23 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022-23 | Bundesliga | 30 | 13 | 32 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 111 | 34 | 9 | 6 | — | 14 | 4 | 134 | 44 | ||||||||||||
| Inter Milan | 2023-24 | Serie A | 35 | 13 | 1 | 0 | colspan = "0" | colspan = "0" | 8 [lower-alpha 4] | 46 | 15 | ||||||||||
| 2024-25 | Serie A | 32 | 14 | 1 | 0 | colspan = "0" | colspan = "0" | 14 [lower-alpha 4] | 50 | 18 | |||||||||||
| Total | 67 | 27 | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 5 | 96 | 33 | ||||||||||||
| Career total | 317 | 80 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 36 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 383 | 101 | |||||||||
International
| National team | Year | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2020 | 3 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Overall | 30 | 2 | |
- Scores list France first; the score column shows the match score immediately following each Thuram goal.
| No. | Date | Location | Cap number | Opponent | Score after goal | Final score | Tournament | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 September 2023 | Parc des Princes, Paris, France | 11 | Template:Fb | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | |
| 2 | 18 November 2023 | Allianz Riviera, Nice, France | 15 | Template:Fb | 2–0 | 14–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Honours
Guingamp
- Runner-up in the Coupe de la Ligue: 2018–19 Coupe de la Ligue
Inter Milan
- Serie A Champion: 2023–24 Serie A
- Winner of the Supercoppa Italiana: 2023
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2024–25 UEFA Champions League
France U19
- Champion of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2016
France
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2022
- Third place in the UEFA Nations League: 2024–25 UEFA Nations League
Individual Achievements
- Bundesliga Rookie of the Month: September 2019, October 2019, November 2019
- Serie A Goal of the Month: September 2023
- Serie A Player of the Month: August 2024
- Named in Serie A Team of the Year: 2023–24 season
- Awarded Serie A Goal of the Year at Gran Galà del Calcio: 2024
- Included in Serie A Team of the Season: 2024–25
External links
- Official profile on Inter Milan's website
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- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1997 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Parma
- French men's footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- AC Boulogne-Billancourt (football) players
- FC Sochaux-Montbéliard players
- En Avant Guingamp players
- Borussia Mönchengladbach players
- Inter Milan players
- Ligue 2 players
- Ligue 1 players
- Bundesliga players
- Serie A players
- France men's youth international footballers
- France men's under-21 international footballers
- France men's international footballers
- UEFA Euro 2020 players
- 2022 FIFA World Cup players
- UEFA Euro 2024 players
- Black French sportspeople
- French expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
- Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
- French expatriate sportspeople in Germany
- French expatriate sportspeople in Italy
- French people of Guadeloupean descent
- Thuram family
- Pages with reference errors