Wendie Renard


Wéndèleine Thérèse Renard is a French footballer who plays as a central defender for and captains Division 1 Féminine club Olympique Lyonnais and represents the France women's national team.

Early life

Renard was born in Martinique, a French island in the Lesser Antilles. She is the youngest of four daughters, and her father died of lung cancer when she was eight years old. Prior to moving to the mainland, Renard played for Essor-Préchotain on her home island of Martinique.
When she was 15, Renard flew to France for a trial at Clairefontaine but was not accepted into the national training program. She subsequently took the train to Lyon and, after a more successful trial, landed a spot with Olympique Lyonnais. She left Martinique to permanently live in Lyon at the age of sixteen.

Club career

Renard joined Lyon in 2006 and, since the 2007–08 season, has been a regular within the starting eleven winning five consecutive league titles from 2006–2011, as well as the Challenge de France in 2008. In 2010, Renard featured in the final match of the UEFA Women's Champions League and, in the 2010–11 edition, helped Lyon win the competition. She scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win over Turbine Potsdam in the final.

International career

Renard is a former women's youth international having played at under-19 and under-20 level. She made her debut for the France women's national team at the 2011 Cyprus Cup in a match against Switzerland. Renard has since represented France in two FIFA Women's World Cups and two Olympics, and was the team captain from September 2013. She was stripped of the captaincy after the Euro 2017 tournament and was ultimately succeeded by Amandine Henry.
In the 2019 World Cup, Renard registered three goals in the group stage: a brace against South Korea and a penalty against Nigeria. She also scored an own goal against Norway. Renard scored a consolation goal in France's 2-1 quarter-final defeat to the United States.

Style of play

Renard is physically strong, gifted with pace, good technique and is an effective set-piece taker. Her style of play is compared with the Dutch and Liverpool FC defender Virgil Van Dijk.

Career statistics

Club

Statistics accurate as of 9 June 2019

International

International goals

Honours

Club

;Lyon
;France