Marco Ilaimaharitra

Marco Ilaimaharitra is a right-footed defensive midfielder born in Mulhouse, France, on 26 July 1995. He developed with AS Coteaux Mulhouse and FC Mulhouse before joining FC Sochaux-Montbéliard’s academy in 2008. Ilaimaharitra made his professional debut for Sochaux against Nice in Ligue 1 in December 2013 and spent four seasons with the club, making 91 league appearances. In 2017, he moved to Charleroi, where he became a dependable midfield shield and later wore the captain’s armband. During seven years with Charleroi, he made more than 230 appearances and scored 15 goals. After representing France at under-19 and under-20 level, he chose Madagascar for senior international football in 2017. Ilaimaharitra scored the winning free-kick against Burundi at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, giving Madagascar their first victory in the tournament, and later continued his career at Standard Liège.