Le Sommer, record breaker!

In winning her 199th cap against Iceland, Eugénie Le Sommer broke the appearance record previously set by Sandrine Soubeyrand, who played international football for France between 1997 and 2013. This monumental occasion presents the perfect opportunity to walk down memory lane with the woman who is also Les Bleues’ all-time top scorer.

 First Call-Up 

Eugénie Le Sommer was only 19 years old when Bruno Bini, the then coach of Les Bleues, decided to call her up to the French senior team.

"It was in February 2009 for a match against Ireland. I knew about it before the list was made official. The coach (Bruno Bini) had told my coach at Saint-Brieuc. It was a very nice surprise that I wasn't expecting. I had participated in the U20 World Cup two months earlier. I thought I still had to work and improve to join the French team. It happened sooner than expected. I was super happy."

Eugénie Le Sommer was first called up to the French national team in February 2009. She was only 19 years old (FFF archive photo).

Eugénie Le Sommer Player Profile

 First Training Session 

Eugénie Le Sommer took part in in her first training session on February 9th 2009 in Clairefontaine. But not without some apprehension...

"I remember my first training session very well. It was on the indoor synthetic pitch at Clairefontaine. I found myself surrounded by great players, and I was a little intimidated because I had just come from a small club, Saint-Brieuc. Today, the girls know each other much better. I didn't know the other players, so I was intimidated and a little shy."

It was on the covered synthetic pitch at Clairefontaine, in February 2009, that Le Sommer took her first steps with the French team (FFF archive photo).

 First Match 

On February 12th 2009, in Blois, she celebrated her first international appearance by coming on against Ireland in the 75th minute, replacing Élodie Thomis.

"I remember the Blois stadium. Just being on the team sheet was already huge. But coming on... I wasn't necessarily expecting it either. I didn't make an incredible entrance (smiles). I remember my first ball very well. It went under my foot and went out of play (laughs). It remains a great memory. Of course, I kept that first jersey."

 First Goal 

At the Ammochostos Stadion in Larnaca, Cyprus, Les Bleues got their friendly tournament off to a perfect start, beating Scotland 2-0. Coming on at half time, Eugénie Le Sommer took advantage to score her first international goal.

"We were playing in a tournament in Cyprus. This first goal came early in my international career, in my second appearance. A shot from the edge of the box. It's not the best goal of my career, but it's definitely a goal that resonates. At half time, I came on for Sandrine Soubeyrand. It's a symbolic moment."

 First Major Competition 

Euro 2009, which ended in a quarter-final defeat against the Netherlands on penalties (0-0 AET, 4-5 on penalties).

"I was in the national team in February, and the Euros the following summer logically became a goal. This Euros were a mixture of joy and frustration. I was happy to play in this competition, but being knocked out in the quarter-finals on penalties is always difficult. I would have liked to have contributed a little more. I was frustrated because we had the team to go further. I gained experience, and it made me want to work even harder. In fact, I didn't take a vacation afterward. I continued with my club. I needed that."

The striker, seen here against Germany on August 27th 2009, took part in Euro 2009, her first major international competition (FFF archive photo).

 First World Cup 

Eugénie Le Sommer was selected for the 2011 World Cup in Germany. Les Bleues reached the semi-finals to face the USA, eventually losing 1-3, following a quarter-final victory against England (1-1 AET, 4-3 on penalties).

"I'm still among the youngest, but I play every match, starting or coming on as a substitute. I don't feel settled, but I'm here and I have room for improvement. At the same time, with my club, I'm performing well, and we won the Champions League. I have incredible memories of seeing my name on the list of selected players. Playing in a World Cup was a dream come true for me. And we were told that in Germany, the stadiums would be large and full. It was one of the first top-notch organizations for women's football, with many tickets sold before the competition. This competition marks a kind of starting point for women's football in France. We're emerging from obscurity thanks to our journey. In the quarter-finals, I scored my penalty against England. It was one of my greatest emotions with the French team. We made it to the semi-finals against a very strong team. I remember us running towards our goalkeeper at the end.”

Eugénie Le Sommer takes on the Nigerian defence (1-0), June 26th 2011 during the first group match of that year’s World Cup (photo ICON SPORT).

 First Olympics: 2012 

France qualified for the Olympics for the first time in their history, and Eugénie Le Sommer was part of the adventure in London.

"I had never dreamed or thought about making it to the Olympics because I had simply never seen the French women's team take part. In fact, they had never taken part before. To qualify, you had to have a very good run at the World Cup a year earlier and be among the top three European teams. That 2011 semi-final qualified us for the Olympics. In London, we rode the wave that had started a year earlier in Germany. Those Olympics, when I think back on them, were crazy. The Olympic prize, with the rings on the equipment, is something special when, like me, you love sports in general. We were able to go to the Olympic Village from the semi-finals onwards. It was unique. A city with only athletes. We tried to recognize them. The competition went well until the semi-final against Japan (1-2) where I was lucky enough to score but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough in the end. The big disappointment was losing the match for third place (0-1 against Canada). There was a medal to be won. We didn't achieve it, unfortunately.”

 First Finals Goal 

Eugénie Le Sommer scored her first goal in the finals against Japan at the 2012 Olympics, in the semi-finals.

"I came on a little earlier, and my goal brought us back to 2-1. It put us back in the game, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. We then had a penalty that I won but didn't convert. It's true that I've found the net in all the major competitions I've participated in, except for the Paris Olympics last summer. I have mixed memories of those Olympic Games in France. My knee was fine, but I picked up a muscle injury during the preparation. I only felt 100% in the last match, but I didn't play much, and then we were eliminated. My competition was just beginning. I didn't perform as well as I wanted, and we didn't go as far as we wanted to. It's frustrating. I lost a bit of time."

 First Steps at Clairefontaine 

"I don't remember. It was with Bruno Bini, before 2013. What's certain is that it was incredible to come to the château, to feel truly recognized. At the time, the myth of the 1998 French national team was very present. Setting foot in the château was exceptional, especially for me, having been to Clairefontaine (at the INF in 2005) and having only seen it from the outside."

(Photo Archives FFF).

 First Memorable Atmosphere 

On July 19th 2012, France defeated Japan, the reigning world champions, at Stade Charléty (2-0) in front of a packed stadium.

"In France, I remember the last match before the Olympics, in 2012. We played at the Stade Charléty. The stadium was full, we faced Japan, and we won 2-0 in a magnificent atmosphere. But a year earlier, we had experienced the fervour of the crowd at the World Cup. Especially against the host country, Germany, in Mönchengladbach, for our last group match. We were lucky enough to experience the 2019 World Cup. It was even more powerful because it was on our home turf."

 First Record Broken 

In Skopje, on September 22nd 2020, the French national team won 7-0 against Macedonia. Eugénie Le Sommer scored twice, her 81st and 82nd goals for the national team, breaking the record previously held by Marinette Pichon.

"That too is crazy. When I joined the national team and scored my first goal, I never thought I would score as many. As the years went by and the goals I scored went in, people talked to me more and more about Marinette Pichon's record. At first, it wasn't a goal. It was unattainable. The goal was to be in the national team, to stay there, to play as many matches as possible, to score because a striker has to score. The record came with my performances, but I've always only tried to be as consistent as possible, as effective as possible for the team."

(Photo Guillaume Bigot / FFF).

France-England, November 20th 2012. With Sandrine Soubeyrand (with the armband) and Eugénie Le Sommer (bottom row 2nd left) (Photo FFF Archives)