‘Island girl’ Malard aims to become a legend with Bompastor at Chelsea

It is rare to see Melvine Malard without a grin and she has a mountain of reasons to keep it that way. A wedding in June, a big-money move to Chelsea, a Ballon d’Or nomination and a first taste of a fiery London derby against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The French forward is loving life and the personality behind the smile that instantly connects her to teammates is infectious.

“Goals,” says Malard, with a laugh, when asked what keeps her happy. “Seriously though, it’s seeing the kids, the families, my family, in the stands. It is crazy. I love my life, I love my job, I’m happy with my wife and everything is good. I smile because of those things, because I’m happy.”

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You cannot help but feel the childlike wonder emanating from the 26-year-old at football being her job and this being her life. The little girl who started playing football later than most, at six or seven, after she had tried out “literally every other sport”, retains the deep appreciation for the joy it has brought her from the first moment.

The love of the game was instant, “partly because it’s a team sport and I loved that you get to enjoy it with everyone in your team and then I also found I felt both strong and free when I play football. I have to play with a lot of energy and a lot of smiles. It’s also important for me that the fans get to know me and get to enjoy the football with me.”

Malard grew up on Réunion, a small island east of Madagascar that has a population of less than one million, was formerly a French colony and is now an overseas department of France.

“It’s a little island with a lot of people smiling, good life and good food,” she says. Girls did not really play football, but Malard paved the way: “I’m very proud of that; it’s a good feeling.”

At 14 she caught the eye of Sonia Bompastor at an under-15s match at France’s national football centre in Clairefontaine. The now-Chelsea manager was in charge of Lyon’s academy.

Bompastor persuaded Malard’s mother to allow the 14-year-old to move more than 5,600 miles and Malard hasn’t looked back, though home is far from forgotten. “Everywhere I go and wherever I think about where I’m from, I want to show where I’m from and I want to give back and just make everyone proud of me.”

Signing for Chelsea from Manchester United this summer was a full circle moment, reuniting her with the manager who plucked her from her island life and gave her the chance to pursue her dream at one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

“I will never forget Manchester United,” Malard says. “They helped me make a change in my life when I really needed change.”

She has a lot of love for many people at the club. However, she wanted to be somewhere that matched her ambitions. She loves life, but life is short.