Hugo Lloris

Lore & Background

Lloris began his career with his hometown club Nice, made his debut as a teenager in October 2005, and started as a goalkeeper during the team's run to the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue final. After excelling at the club for three seasons, he moved to Lyon. Lloris won several domestic awards in his first season with the club and, in his second campaign, earned award nominations for his performances in the UEFA Champions League, which saw Lyon reach the semi-finals for the first time.

He was also named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year three times while at Lyon. Lloris joined Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 and made over 400 appearances for the club across eleven seasons, being named captain in 2015 and helping the team reach the UEFA Champions League final in 2019. He joined Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer in 2024. Lloris represented France at under-18, under-19, and under-21 level.

He played in the team that won the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Lloris made his senior international debut in November 2008 in a friendly against Uruguay. He helped France qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was applauded by the media for his performance over two legs against the Republic of Ireland in the qualifying play-offs. He captained the national team for the first time in 2010, and became first-choice captain on 28 February 2012, leading France into the quarter-finals of both UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup, as well as runners-up at Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup, and winning the 2018 World Cup held in Russia.

He announced his retirement from international football in January 2023, having made 145 appearances and being France's most-capped player.

Reader's Guide

Lloris started playing football at the age of six at CEDAC, a local cultural center based in the neighborhood of Cimiez, Nice. He played a variety of positions at the centre, such as in the attack, before switching to the goalkeeper position after coaches noticed that he possessed impressive goalkeeping qualities. At the age of ten, Lloris joined Nice's youth academy. He spent several years in the club's youth academy and was the starting goalkeeper for the club's under-17 team that won the 2003–04 edition of the Championnat Nationaux des 18 ans.

After success with the club's under-18 team, Lloris was promoted to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France Amateur for the 2004–05 season. He was promoted to the first team squad ahead of the 2005–06 season and assigned the number 1 shirt. Lloris made his professional debut on 25 October 2005, at the age of 18, recording a clean sheet in Nice's 2–0 Coupe de la Ligue win over Châteauroux. He helped Nice reach the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue final, where they lost 2–1 to Nancy.

Lloris made his league debut on 18 March 2006 against Nancy. The following season, Lloris was given the starting job permanently. He appeared in all but one league match recording 13 clean sheets as Nice finished in 16th place. For the early part of the 2007–08 season, Lloris endured a recurring ligament injury in his left knee.

He returned to the team on 6 October 2007 but was substituted out after 71 minutes after the injury relapsed. Lloris missed a further six weeks before returning on 24 November. He appeared consistently with the team for the rest of the season as Nice finished in eighth place. Lloris conceded only 24 goals in his 30 appearances recording 13 clean sheets.

After another solid season with Nice, Lloris moved to Lyon for a transfer fee of €8.5 million. He was promptly handed the number 1 shirt and the starting goalkeeper position. Lloris made his club debut in the team's opening league match of the 2008–09 season on 10 August 2008 against Toulouse. He finished the campaign conceding only 27 goals in the league and recording 16 clean sheets.

Lloris was named the league's top goalkeeper and also named to the Team of the Year. In the 2009–10 season, Lloris remained the club's first-choice goalkeeper and opened the new campaign by recording four clean sheets in the club's first eight matches.

Did You Know?

• Lloris was born on 26 December 1986 in the Mediterranean city of Nice to an upper-class family. His French mother was a lawyer and his father is a Monte Carlo-based banker of Catalan Spanish descent.
• He has a younger brother, Gautier, who played for Nice as a central defender.
• As a youth, Lloris excelled at tennis and played the sport up until the age of 13. He was among the top players in his age group, ranking high in the country's national standings before opting to focus on football.
• Lloris studied at the Lycée Thierry Maulnier in Nice until 2004.