Quentin Merlin
 Merlin with Nantes in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 May 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Nantes, France | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back, left wing-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Marseille | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2012 | FC Goélands Samaritains | ||
| 2012–2013 | Nantes | ||
| 2013–2015 | Pornic Foot | ||
| 2015–2021 | Nantes | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2023 | Nantes B | 10 | (1) |
| 2021–2024 | Nantes | 68 | (3) |
| 2024– | Marseille | 18 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017–2018 | France U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | France U17 | 6 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | France U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2021 | France U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2022– | France U21 | 9 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 December 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 October 2023 | |||
Quentin Merlin (born 16 May 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back or left wing-back for Ligue 1 club Marseille.[2]
Early life
[edit]Born in Nantes, Merlin grew up in Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer, in a family with Méricourtois origins. Football-wise, he was formed in Brittany, between the towns of Nantes and Pornic.[3][4][5]
Club career
[edit]Nantes
[edit]In January 2021, Merlin was selected by Nantes manager Raymond Domenech several times in the professional squad.[3][6][7] He eventually made his professional debut for Nantes on 10 February 2021, coming on as a half-time substitute for Ludovic Blas in a 4–2 Coupe de France loss to Lens.[8]
The manager who selected Merlin for the game was not on the bench as the young player entered the field, Domenech having been tested positive for COVID-19, and eventually learning he had been fired right after the Lens game.[9] Antoine Kombouaré succeeded him in the manager position.[10]
On 19 March 2021, Merlin signed his first professional contract with Nantes.[11] On 19 February 2022, he scored his first goal in a 3–1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.[12] He achieved his first title with the club by winning the Coupe de France.[13]
Marseille
[edit]On 26 January 2024, Merlin moved to fellow Ligue 1 side Marseille, having agreed a contract until 2028.[14] The transfer fee paid to Nantes was reported as €12 million.[14] In the latter stages of the 2023–24 season, he became part of the team which reached the Europa League semi-finals.[15]
International career
[edit]Merlin is a youth international for France.[4][5]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played 14 December 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Nantes B | 2020–21 | National 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | National 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2022–23 | National 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||||
| Nantes | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
| 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| Total | 68 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 0 | ||
| Marseille | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 10 | 0 | — | 7[a] | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| Total | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 25 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 96 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 116 | 5 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
Honours
[edit]Nantes
- Coupe de France: 2021–22[13]
- Trophée des Champions runner-up: 2022
References
[edit]- ^ "Quentin Merlin". FC Nantes. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022.
- ^ Quentin Merlin at Soccerway
- ^ a b "FC Nantes - RC Lens. Quentin Merlin s'invite en Coupe de France". Ouest-France (in French). 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ a b Brochet, Guillaume (24 September 2018). "Equipe de France U17 : avec Quentin Merlin ancien du Pôle Espoirs !". Ligue de Football des Pays de la Loire (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Quentin Merlin". Fédération Française de Football (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Aubert, Bastien (10 February 2021). "FC Nantes : qui est Quentin Merlin, la pépite sur qui craque Raymond Domenech ?". But! Football Club (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Nantes : premier groupe professionnel pour Quentin Merlin et Abdoulaye Sylla". Actufoot (in French). 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Buet, Christopher (10 February 2021). "Résultat et résumé Nantes - Lens, Coupe de France, 32es de finale". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Léger-Moëc, Aurélien (10 February 2021). "Nantes : Raymond Domenech a appris son éviction à 17h15". Foot Mercato (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Kombouaré replaces Domenech at Nantes". Ligue1. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ^ "Premier contrat professionnel pour Quentin Merlin". FC Nantes. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Merlin conjures the magic for Nantes against PSG". Ligue 1. 19 February 2022.
- ^ a b "COUPE DE FRANCE 2021 - 2022 - FINALE". fff.fr. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Mercato : Quentin Merlin transféré officiellement de Nantes à l'OM" [Mercato: Quentin Merlin officially transferred from Nantes to OM] (in French). L'Équipe. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Atalanta 3-0 Marseille (agg: 4-1): Italian side reach first European final". UEFA. 9 May 2024.
External links
[edit]
- Profile at the Olympique de Marseille website
- Quentin Merlin at the French Football Federation (in French)
- Quentin Merlin – UEFA competition record (archive)
- 2002 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Nantes
- French men's footballers
- France men's youth international footballers
- France men's under-21 international footballers
- Men's association football fullbacks
- Championnat National 2 players
- Ligue 1 players
- FC Nantes players
- Olympique de Marseille players
- 21st-century French sportsmen