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.”
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.
Asked whether it was frustrating that things did not really kick on after Manchester United’s FA Cup win, with a lack of club support for the women’s side widely reported, Malard says: “Of course, it’s for that reason that I’m here. I don’t want to lose any time in my career. Football moves quickly and sometimes you need to make the choice that is best for your career. I think coming here was a good choice. At Chelsea, there are clear ambitions: to win the game, win the trophies and raise the level higher. That is where I need to be.”
Bompastor’s pursuit was a real vote of confidence in her as a player and person, because few know her better. “She knows my qualities, my energy, my personality and she knows what I need to learn and where I need to progress,” Malard says.
Bompastor wields influence. “It’s not just about Sonia as a manager,” Malard says. “Sonia is also a legendary player, [her assistant and partner] Camille Abily also. They played football, they know football and when they speak with me I can’t say anything because they know more than me. That can help you progress a lot, they set the level you know you need to be at to become a legend.”
Legacy matters to Malard. She wants to become a legend at Chelsea and the Champions League is the way she believes she can do it: “I want to write my name on a new page, but not any page, a page you remember. For me, the way to do that with Chelsea is to win something the club has never won..”
She came off the bench in the 5-2 home win over Real Sociedad in qualifying, making the difference with the score at 2-2 by scoring the first of her two goals 12 minutes later.
“It felt good, very good,” she says. “I think it’s because of my personality too. I’m not a player that is difficult to play when things aren’t going to plan. I’m the player that puts energy into every area on and off the pitch. The girls know that about me already, they know where I want to go.”
A frustrating couple of weeks out with injury followed, but she returned, and scored, in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Birmingham and featured in the 1-0 win over Austria Vienna on Wednesday.
Sitting by the Shed End sign in the royal blue Stamford Bridge seats, Malard is excited at the prospect of facing Arsenal here. “All players want to play this game,” she says, the smile still there but with an edge this time. “You train hard for these games against big teams in big stadiums with lots of fans waiting for you to play and score. I can’t wait.”
She wants to score, she wants to win, but she is winning regardless and every game, every moment, every accolade takes her back to the beginning.
“When I look at the little girl from that island today playing for Chelsea and nominated for the Ballon d’Or, it’s a lot for me to take in, and a lot for my family,” she says. “It gives me the motivation to continue this way and, I’m very proud of myself.”
