Marc-Antoine Fortuné
Encyclopedia
Marc-Antoine Fortuné is a French
footballer who plays for Premier League club West Bromwich Albion
.
, but gave the latter up at aged 12 due to scheduling conflicts.
. He broke into the Angoulême side in the 1999/2000 season and had a successful start scoring three goals in ten appearances before the end of the seasons. At the end of the 2000–01 campaign, Fortuné propelled the club out of the Championnat de France amateur and into the Championnat National
, the third tier of French football. His continued goalscoring form and overall performance during this and the following season caused much speculation over his future with media speculation constantly linking him with many Ligue 1
clubs. In the following summer, Fortuné joined Ligue 1 side Lille
. In all Fortuné made a total of 63 league appearances for Angoulême, scoring 18 goals.
club Rouen
on loan, in the summer of 2003 with an option to make the move permanent. With this fresh start for the young player, Fortuné saw a return to form. Playing from right-midfield he managed to score goals in his first three appearances which earned him a role back to his preferred role of striker. A successful season at Rouen ended with 10 Ligue 2 goals in 34 appearances. His good form for Rouen earned him a move to Stade Brest
.
ending in the quarter-final stage. He scored 10 goals in 33 Ligue 2 appearances and started to draw attention from bigger clubs around Europe including Eredivisie
side FC Utrecht.
Eredivisie. Finding himself back in the winger role he enjoyed a successful time at the club but struggled after the death of his friend, neighbour and team mate David Di Tommaso
. During his time at Utrecht, Fortuné scored a total of 13 goals making 56 appearances in both league and cup for Utrecht. During the January transfer window of the following season he looked for a move back to France after an unsettling period in the Netherlands. He secured a move back before the transfer deadline and was signed by Coupe de la Ligue
winners and Ligue 1 side Nancy
.
club AS Nancy. He started off his first season back in France well, scoring 6 goals in 17 Ligue 1 appearances. The 2007–08 season saw Fortuné struggling for form and to score goals. This caused him to take on the role of a substitute for most of the season. He finished the 2007–08 campaign with just 7 goals in 38 appearances, with most of them being from the bench. His third season back in France with Nancy saw much of the same as the previous. Fortuné made just 24 appearances with most of them as a second-half subsititute. This season was even less successful as Fortuné netted only two goals during the Ligue 1 season. He became unsettled at Nancy but was unable to secure a move away from the Stade Marcel Picot
during the summer transfer window
. During the first half of the 2008–09
he was once again used by Uruguayan
coach Pablo Correa
mainly as a substitute with several clubs from England tracking his progress.
in the January 2009 transfer window, joining on loan for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. He made his debut for West Bromwich Albion in their 3–0 Premier League home win over Middlesbrough
and scored by deflecting team mate Robert Koren
's shot into the net. In just five months with the club, he became a fan favourite of the supporters, scoring five goals in eighteen appearances as well as creating other goals. He won the West Bromwich Albion Supporters' Player of the Year despite only joining the club in January.
in the Translink Cup
, and his competitive debut on 29 July 2009 against Dynamo Moscow
, a Champions League qualifier which Celtic lost 1–0. He scored his first Celtic goals in his home league debut on 22 August in a 5–2 win against St. Johnstone at Celtic Park
and started in Celtic's next game at the Emirates Stadium
against Arsenal, setting up a goal for strike partner Scott McDonald
, which was disallowed for offside.
On 12 December, in a game against Motherwell
at Fir Park
, Fortuné came off the bench and moments later crashed a right-footed effort into the top corner of the net to clinch a 3–2 victory for Celtic. He then scored his first European goals for the Hoops five days later, a brace in a 3–3 draw against Rapid Vienna
in the Europa League.
On 3 January 2010, Fortuné had a goal controversially disallowed in a home game against Rangers
after referee Steve Conroy
had judged him to have fouled the Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor
while challenging for a header.
On 24 January, Fortuné scored twice in a 4–1 victory over St. Johnstone. One where he got the ball on the angle of the box and hammered it into the far top corner. On 27 January, Fortuné scored in Celtic's shock 2–1 defeat at home to Hibernian
. Then on 30 January Fortuné missed a last-minute penalty in their 1–0 win over Hamilton Academical. On 10 February, Fortuné added another to his tally with a 50th minute near post strike from just inside the penalty box during a 2–0 victory against Hearts
to help close the gap on Rangers
to eight points. Fortuné continued to add to his tally three days later, netting the second in a 4–4 draw at Aberdeen
after linking up well with strike partner Robbie Keane
.
On 4 May 2010, Fortuné headed home Celtic's winner against Rangers
at Celtic Park
in a 2–1 victory to help make up for his disappointment at the ruled out effort against the same side earlier in the season.
He made his last appearance for the club against his former side FC Utrecht in the Europa League, which they lost 4–0 away.
on a permanent basis after the striker joined West Bromwich Albion from Celtic for an undisclosed fee. He scored the first goal of his second spell with the club on 23 October 2010 in a 2-1 win over Fulham
. Fortuné also scored the equalising goal, in a 2-2 draw at home, against Wigan Athletic
on 1 February 2011.
DJ Boys Noize
. He likes sitcoms and movies, often making his own amateur films at school and would like to become an actor upon retiring from football.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
footballer who plays for Premier League club West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
.
Early life
As a child Fortuné played both football and basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, but gave the latter up at aged 12 due to scheduling conflicts.
Angoulême
At age 16 Fortuné was given a trial by French side, Rennes. He was not offered a contract, but instead signed for lower-league team AngoulêmeAngoulême CFC
Angoulême CFC is a French association football club from the city of Angoulême, currently playing in Division d'honneur of the Ligue du Centre-Ouest...
. He broke into the Angoulême side in the 1999/2000 season and had a successful start scoring three goals in ten appearances before the end of the seasons. At the end of the 2000–01 campaign, Fortuné propelled the club out of the Championnat de France amateur and into the Championnat National
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National, commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2...
, the third tier of French football. His continued goalscoring form and overall performance during this and the following season caused much speculation over his future with media speculation constantly linking him with many Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
clubs. In the following summer, Fortuné joined Ligue 1 side Lille
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
. In all Fortuné made a total of 63 league appearances for Angoulême, scoring 18 goals.
Lille OSC
Upon joining Lille, the then 21-year old struggled, finding himself playing on the left of midfield. This coupled with a constant series of injuries lead to dips in form and a poor time in Fortuné's career. He was injured on his second appearance for the club and was ruled out for a month, upon his return to action, he again picked up an injury. This new injury caused Fortuné to be out of action for a further six weeks. In his first and only season for Lille, he made started just 7 times and only made a further 9 appearances from the substitutes bench. During this season he was unable to score a single goal.Rouen
Fortuné joined Ligue 2Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
club Rouen
FC Rouen
Football Club de Rouen 1899 is a French association football club based in Rouen. The club was formed in 1899 and currently play in the Championnat National, the third level of French football. Rouen plays its home matches at the Stade Robert Diochon; named after Robert Diochon, a historic player...
on loan, in the summer of 2003 with an option to make the move permanent. With this fresh start for the young player, Fortuné saw a return to form. Playing from right-midfield he managed to score goals in his first three appearances which earned him a role back to his preferred role of striker. A successful season at Rouen ended with 10 Ligue 2 goals in 34 appearances. His good form for Rouen earned him a move to Stade Brest
Stade Brestois 29
Stade Brestois 29 is a French football club based in Brest. The club was founded in 1903 under the name Armoricaine de Brest and adopted its current name in 1950...
.
Stade Brest
Fortuné signed for Ligue 2 side Stade Brest in July 2004, making it his third new club in three successive seasons. It turned out to be another successful move for Fortuné. He started out the season playing wide on the right side of a front three. This led to a league position of 9th and a good run in the Coupe de FranceCoupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
ending in the quarter-final stage. He scored 10 goals in 33 Ligue 2 appearances and started to draw attention from bigger clubs around Europe including Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
side FC Utrecht.
Utrecht
In 2005 Fortuné moved to FC Utrecht in the DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Eredivisie. Finding himself back in the winger role he enjoyed a successful time at the club but struggled after the death of his friend, neighbour and team mate David Di Tommaso
David di Tommaso
David di Tommaso was a French football player.-Early life:Di Tommaso was born in Échirolles, Isère. His father Pascal Di Tommaso and uncle Louis Di Tommaso both played in Ligue 2 for Grenoble Foot 38 in the 1980s...
. During his time at Utrecht, Fortuné scored a total of 13 goals making 56 appearances in both league and cup for Utrecht. During the January transfer window of the following season he looked for a move back to France after an unsettling period in the Netherlands. He secured a move back before the transfer deadline and was signed by Coupe de la Ligue
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue , known outside of France as the French League Cup, is a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel...
winners and Ligue 1 side Nancy
AS Nancy
Association Sportive Nancy-Lorraine is a French association football club based in Nancy. The club was founded in 1967 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Nancy plays its home matches at the Stade Marcel Picot in Tomblaine, a commune located in the Arrondissement of...
.
Nancy
Fortuné returned to France in January 2007, this becoming his fifth move in as many years, with TomblaineTomblaine
Tomblaine is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine...
club AS Nancy. He started off his first season back in France well, scoring 6 goals in 17 Ligue 1 appearances. The 2007–08 season saw Fortuné struggling for form and to score goals. This caused him to take on the role of a substitute for most of the season. He finished the 2007–08 campaign with just 7 goals in 38 appearances, with most of them being from the bench. His third season back in France with Nancy saw much of the same as the previous. Fortuné made just 24 appearances with most of them as a second-half subsititute. This season was even less successful as Fortuné netted only two goals during the Ligue 1 season. He became unsettled at Nancy but was unable to secure a move away from the Stade Marcel Picot
Stade Marcel Picot
Stade Marcel Picot is a football stadium located in Tomblaine, France, near the city of Nancy. Built in 1926, it is used by Ligue 1 soccer team AS Nancy.The stadium was completely rebuilt and inaugurated in its new configuration in 2003...
during the summer transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
. During the first half of the 2008–09
Ligue 1 2008-09
The 2008–09 Ligue 1 season was the 71st since its establishment. Bordeaux became champions for the sixth time on the last weekend of the season. The fixtures were announced on 23 May 2008. The season began on 9 August 2008 and ended on 30 May 2009...
he was once again used by Uruguayan
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
coach Pablo Correa
Pablo Correa
Pablo Correa is a Uruguayan former footballer and current manager.-Club career:Correa started his footballing career as a player in Uruguay, where he played for Nacional, Rentistas, Peñarol and Defensor Sporting....
mainly as a substitute with several clubs from England tracking his progress.
West Bromwich Albion
Fortuné moved to West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
in the January 2009 transfer window, joining on loan for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. He made his debut for West Bromwich Albion in their 3–0 Premier League home win over Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
and scored by deflecting team mate Robert Koren
Robert Koren
Robert Koren is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hull City and as the captain for the Slovenian national team.-Early career:...
's shot into the net. In just five months with the club, he became a fan favourite of the supporters, scoring five goals in eighteen appearances as well as creating other goals. He won the West Bromwich Albion Supporters' Player of the Year despite only joining the club in January.
Celtic
On 9 July Fortuné signed for Celtic in a deal worth £3.8 million. He made his debut for Celtic against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp StadiumSuncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
in the Translink Cup
Translink Cup
The Translink Cup also known as the Roar against Racism trophy is an Australian association football invitational trophy contested in an annual charity friendly match hosted by Brisbane Roar of the Hyundai A-League and is held at Suncorp Stadium, often used as a pre-season match for both teams to...
, and his competitive debut on 29 July 2009 against Dynamo Moscow
FC Dynamo Moscow
Dynamo Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow, currently playing in the Russian Premier League. Dynamo's traditional kit colours are blue and white...
, a Champions League qualifier which Celtic lost 1–0. He scored his first Celtic goals in his home league debut on 22 August in a 5–2 win against St. Johnstone at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
and started in Celtic's next game at the Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
against Arsenal, setting up a goal for strike partner Scott McDonald
Scott McDonald
Scott Douglas McDonald is an Australian football player who currently plays as a striker for English Championship side Middlesbrough and the Australian national team. Scott McDonald is of Scottish heritage.-Early career:...
, which was disallowed for offside.
On 12 December, in a game against Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
at Fir Park
Fir Park
Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League club Motherwell.- History :...
, Fortuné came off the bench and moments later crashed a right-footed effort into the top corner of the net to clinch a 3–2 victory for Celtic. He then scored his first European goals for the Hoops five days later, a brace in a 3–3 draw against Rapid Vienna
SK Rapid Wien
The Sportklub Rapid Wien is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid is the most popular club in Austria and also record title holder having won the Austrian national football title 32 times...
in the Europa League.
On 3 January 2010, Fortuné had a goal controversially disallowed in a home game against Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
after referee Steve Conroy
Steve Conroy (referee)
Dr. Steve Conroy is a Scottish football referee.-Refereeing career:Conroy became a referee in 1993 and was admitted to the SFA list five years later. He is a regular referee in the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League.On 10 March 2007, Conroy was the official for a SPL match...
had judged him to have fouled the Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor
Allan McGregor
Allan James McGregor is a Scottish association footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Rangers and the Scotland national team...
while challenging for a header.
On 24 January, Fortuné scored twice in a 4–1 victory over St. Johnstone. One where he got the ball on the angle of the box and hammered it into the far top corner. On 27 January, Fortuné scored in Celtic's shock 2–1 defeat at home to Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
. Then on 30 January Fortuné missed a last-minute penalty in their 1–0 win over Hamilton Academical. On 10 February, Fortuné added another to his tally with a 50th minute near post strike from just inside the penalty box during a 2–0 victory against Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
to help close the gap on Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
to eight points. Fortuné continued to add to his tally three days later, netting the second in a 4–4 draw at Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
after linking up well with strike partner Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
.
On 4 May 2010, Fortuné headed home Celtic's winner against Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
in a 2–1 victory to help make up for his disappointment at the ruled out effort against the same side earlier in the season.
He made his last appearance for the club against his former side FC Utrecht in the Europa League, which they lost 4–0 away.
Return to West Bromwich Albion
On 27 August 2010, Fortuné completed a whirlwind return to The HawthornsThe Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...
on a permanent basis after the striker joined West Bromwich Albion from Celtic for an undisclosed fee. He scored the first goal of his second spell with the club on 23 October 2010 in a 2-1 win over Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
. Fortuné also scored the equalising goal, in a 2-2 draw at home, against Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
on 1 February 2011.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | Assists | App | Goals | Assists | App | Goals | Assists | App | Goals | Assists | App | Goals | Assists | ||
| Celtic Celtic F.C. Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the... |
2009–10 | 30 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 0 | |1 | |||||||||
| 7 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 12 | 10 | |||||||||||
| 2010–11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| Total | 32 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 12 | 13 | |
| Career total | 32 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 12 | 13 | |
Personal
Fortuné grew up supporting French club Marseille and cites them as his favourite team. In his spare time he likes to DJ and is a close friend of the GermanGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
DJ Boys Noize
Boys Noize
Boys Noize is the stage name of Alexander Ridha, a German electronic music producer and DJ. It is similar to the name of Ridha's label, Boysnoize Records, which he established in 2005...
. He likes sitcoms and movies, often making his own amateur films at school and would like to become an actor upon retiring from football.
External links
- Profile – Marc-Antoine Fortuné West Bromwich Albion FC
- BBC profile