André-Pierre Gignac

Lore & Background

Gignac's time at Marseille began with a transfer fee reported to be within the region of €16–18 million. He scored his first goal for the club two months after his debut in a 1–1 draw with Saint-Étienne. On 3 November 2010, Gignac scored a hat-trick in the 7–0 away win against Slovak club MŠK Žilina in a UEFA Champions League group stage match. He endured a rough patch for the majority of the season, which led to criticism from local media, club supporters and former club players, most notably Jean-Pierre Papin, who said Gignac's game was lacking. Despite this, Gignac finished his Marseille career with 77 goals in 186 matches across all competitions, winning two consecutive Coupe de la Ligue titles and the 2011 Trophée des Champions.

Reader's Guide

Gignac joined Marseille in August 2010 as the defending champions' new striker. His most notable performance came on 3 November 2010, when he scored a hat-trick in the 7–0 away win against MŠK Žilina in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Gignac endured a rough patch for the majority of the season, drawing criticism from local media, club supporters and former club players, most notably Jean-Pierre Papin. Despite this, he finished his Marseille career with 77 goals in 186 matches across all competitions, winning two consecutive Coupe de la Ligue titles and the 2011 Trophée des Champions.

Did You Know?

• Gignac scored a hat-trick in 27 minutes for Lorient against Nantes in a 3–1 victory.
• He scored his first professional goal within seconds of coming on as a substitute, saying he 'thought he was Ronaldo'.
• Gignac was awarded the UNFP Player of the Month award twice for September and March during the 2008–09 season.
• He scored a goal with his left foot after his coach challenged him to do so, and the coach kissed his left foot in front of everyone.
• Gignac is the cousin of former defender Jacques Abardonado and winger Yohan Mollo.