Florent Mollet (born 19 November 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nantes.

Florent Mollet
Mollet with Montpellier in 2020
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-11-19) 19 November 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Fontaine-lès-Dijon, France
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Nantes
Number 25
Youth career
1998–2010 Dijon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2015 Dijon B 35 (6)
2012–2015 Dijon 75 (4)
2015–2016 Créteil 36 (11)
2016–2018 Metz 47 (7)
2018–2022 Montpellier 126 (21)
2022–2023 Schalke 04 9 (1)
2023– Nantes 25 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 July 2023

He made his professional debut for Dijon in Ligue 2 in 2012, and three years later joined fellow league team Créteil. In his only season for the latter, he scored 11 goals, but the team suffered relegation and he moved on to Metz in Ligue 1. Two years later, after his club was again relegated, he moved to Montpellier. In summer 2022, Mollet signed for Schalke 04 before moving to Nantes only half a year later.

Career

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Dijon

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Born in Fontaine-lès-Dijon, Côte-d'Or, Mollet began his career at local team Dijon. His first senior call-up was as an unused substitute on 20 May 2012, as his team concluded the Ligue 2 season with a 5–0 loss at Rennes.

He made his first appearance on 27 July, as the subsequent campaign began with a 1–0 win over Guingamp at the Stade Gaston Gérard. As a substitute, he scored in a penalty shootout on 7 August, as Dijon won at Châteauroux in the first round of the Coupe de la Ligue. On 11 January 2013, he scored his first goal, opening a 3–0 home win over Le Mans.[2]

Mollet totalled four goals in 36 games in his first season, but did not scored in 39 league games for the rest of his time at the club. However, he scored seven goals in four games of the 2014–15 Coupe de France, including hat-tricks in consecutive away wins at Vichy[3] (9–0) and 3 Rivières (6–1).[4] On 4 January 2015, in the last 64 of the competition away to Ligue 1 team Caen, he scored the extra-time winner in a 3–2 victory.[5]

Creteil

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On 17 June 2015, Mollet and fellow midfielder Guillaume Loriot joined fellow Ligue 2 team Créteil.[6] He made his debut on 31 July, starting as they began the season with a 1–0 win at fellow Île-de-France team Red Star. He scored a career-best 11 goals in 36 games for Les Béliers who were nonetheless relegated.[7]

Metz

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On 27 June 2016, Mollet was the seventh player signed by Metz ahead of their return to Ligue 1, signing a three-year deal with the club from Lorraine.[8] He made his top-flight debut on 13 August, starting and playing 70 minutes of a 3–2 home win over Lille before being substituted for Ismaïla Sarr, having a 100% pass completion rate.[9] On 14 December, he scored his first goal for the club to open a 1–1 home draw against Toulouse in the last 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue, as his team advanced 11–10 on penalties.[10]

Having not scored at all in his first season at the Stade Saint-Symphorien, Mollet recorded his first top flight goal on 9 December 2017, opening a 1–1 home draw with Rennes.[11] He added six more over the campaign, including two in a 6–3 loss at Marseille on 2 February 2018,[12] as his team were relegated in last place.

Montpellier

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On 11 July 2018, Mollet signed with Ligue 1 side Montpellier.[13] He scored on his debut on 18 August away to Amiens, opening a 2–1 win.[14] On 6 October, he was sent off in the first half of a 1–1 draw at Guingamp for sarcastically applauding the referee for booking him for a foul.[15] Having achieved six goals in his first season, his initial three-year contract was extended by an undisclosed length.[16]

In 2019–20, Mollet scored home and away against Dijon, taking four points from his hometown club.[17][18] On 29 August 2020, he was sent off on video assistant referee review just before half time in a 2–1 loss at Rennes, for a boot to Faitout Maouassa's head.[19]

On 7 April 2021, Mollet scored the only goal of a win at fourth-tier Voltigeurs de Châteaubriant to put Montpellier into the Coupe de France quarter-finals for the first time in nine years.[20] He was sent off again on 16 May in a goalless draw at home to Brest, for a 39th-minute foul on Steve Mounie.[21]

Schalke 04

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On 8 June 2022, Mollet agreed to join Schalke 04, newly promoted to the Bundesliga, signing a three-year contract.[22] The transfer fee paid to Montpellier was a reported €700,000, with an additional €800,000 in potential bonuses.[23] He made his debut as a 58th-minute substitute for Alex Král on 31 July in a 5–0 win away to fourth-tier Bremer SV in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, and scored his first goal on 23 October by coming on and equalising in a 2–1 loss at Hertha BSC.[24]

Nantes

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On 17 January 2023, Mollet signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Nantes.[25] On 22 January 2023 he made his debut with canaries in a penalties away win against ES Thaon in Coupe de France.[26][27] Seven days later, Mollet made his debut in Ligue 1 as a substitute of Ludovic Blas against Clermont Foot.[28]

Career statistics

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As of 29 January 2023[29][30]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dijon B 2013–14 CFA 2 6 0 6 0
2014–15 CFA 2 6 3 6 3
Total 12 3 12 3
Dijon 2012–13 Ligue 2 36 4 0 0 1 0 37 4
2013–14 Ligue 2 22 0 1 0 1 0 24 0
2014–15 Ligue 2 17 0 3 4 2 0 22 4
Total 75 4 4 4 4 0 83 8
Créteil 2015–16 Ligue 2 36 11 0 0 0 0 36 11
Metz 2016–17 Ligue 1 25 0 1 0 2 1 28 1
2017–18 Ligue 1 22 7 2 0 2 0 26 7
Total 47 7 3 0 4 1 54 8
Montpellier 2018–19 Ligue 1 32 6 0 0 1 0 33 6
2019–20 Ligue 1 25 6 2 1 2 1 29 8
2020–21 Ligue 1 34 3 5 1 39 4
2021–22 Ligue 1 35 6 3 0 38 6
Total 126 21 10 2 3 1 139 24
Schalke 04 2022–23 Bundesliga 9 1 2 0 11 1
Nantes 2022–23 Ligue 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
Career total 306 47 20 6 11 2 0 0 337 55

References

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  1. ^ "Florent Mollet". FC Schalke 04. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Dijon débute 2013 en écrasant Le Mans !" [Dijon start 2013 by crushing Le Mans!] (in French). Dijon Sport News. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  3. ^ "LE DFCO SE QUALIFIE POUR LE 8ÈME TOUR" [DIJON QUALIFY FOR THE 8TH ROUND] (in French). Dijon FCO. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  4. ^ Tarrisse, Christophe (7 December 2014). "Coupe de France : le DFCO élimine MOS, 6-1 (revoir les buts !)" [Coupe de France: DFCO eliminate MOS, 6–1 (see the goals again!)] (in French). Sports Bourgogne. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Résumé de match, Caen-Dijon (2-3 a.p.)" (in French). Goal.com. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Mollet (Dijon) et Loriot (Orléans) signent à Créteil" [Mollet (Dijon) and Loriot (Orléans) sign for Créteil] (in French). France Football. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Florent Mollet sur les tablettes d'Angers SCO" [Florent Mollet on Angers SCO's shortlist] (in French). Angers Info. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Transfert : Florent Mollet trois ans à Metz" [Transfer: Florent Mollet to Metz for three years]. L'Equipe (in French). 27 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  9. ^ "METZ ENFONCE UN PEU PLUS LILLE DANS SES DOUTES" [METZ SINK LILLE FURTHER INTO DOUBT] (in French). Football 365. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Metz élimine Toulouse de la Coupe de la Ligue au terme d'une séance de tirs au but interminable" [Metz eliminate Toulouse from the Coupe de la Ligue after a never-ending penalty shootout]. L'Equipe (in French). 14 December 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Ligue 1. Rennes arrache le nul à Metz" [Ligue 1. Rennes snatch draw at Metz]. Ouest-France (in French). 9 December 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Marseille 6-3 Metz". ESPN FC. PA Sport. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Florent Mollet à Montpellier (officiel)" [Florent Mollet to Montpellier (official)]. L'Equipe (in French). 11 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Skhiri strike seals points for Montpellier". Ligue 1. 18 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Football news - Jonathan Bamba brace lifts Lille closer to PSG at Ligue 1 summit". Eurosport. Reuters. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  16. ^ "Florent Mollet prolonge à Montpellier" [Florent Mollet extends at Montpellier]. L'Équipe (in French). 5 August 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Ligue 1 (J16) : Dijon se contente du nul contre Montpellier (2-2)" [Ligue 1 (matchday 16): Dijon settle for a win against Montpellier (2-2)] (in French). France Bleu. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Ligue 1 (J21) : Dijon repart frustré de Montpellier" [Ligue 1 (matchday 21): Dijon leave frustrated from Montpellier] (in French). France Bleu. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Ligue 1 : Rennes domine Montpellier grâce à Raphinha et Eduardo Camavinga" [Ligue 1: Rennes dominate Montpellier thanks to Raphinha and Eduardo Camavinga]. L'Équipe (in French). 29 August 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  20. ^ Olivès-Berthet, Cyril (7 April 2021). "Florent Mollet délivre Montpellier à Châteaubriant en Coupe de France" [Florent Mollet relieves Montpellier from Châteaubriant in the Coupe de France]. L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Ligue 1 : Montpellier, à court de fraicheur et d'idées, concède le nul face à Brest" [Ligue 1: Montpellier, short of freshness and ideas, concede a draw against Brest] (in French). France Bleu. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  22. ^ "Florent Mollet joins FC Schalke 04". FC Schalke 04. 8 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Un fan de Schalke ironise sur le montant de Florent Mollet" [A Schalke fan quips about the Florent Mollet amount]. AllezPaillade (in French). 12 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  24. ^ "Hertha BSC gelingt erster Heimsieg gegen Schalke" [Hertha BSC managed first home victory against Schalke] (in German). Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  25. ^ "Florent Mollet est Nantais!". FC Nantes (in French). 17 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  26. ^ "LE FC NANTES SE SORT DU PIÈGE THAONNAIS" (in French). 22 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  27. ^ "PREMIÈRE EN JAUNE ET VERT POUR HADJAM ET MOLLET" (in French). 22 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  28. ^ Pierre-Arnaud Bard (29 January 2023). "FC Nantes. Première en Ligue 1 pour Hadjam, Mollet et Joao Victor sur le banc" (in French). Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  29. ^ "F. Mollet". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  30. ^ Florent Mollet at WorldFootball.net
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