Malo Gusto

Club career Lyon

Malo Gusto started playing at the ASVF, later joining Bourgoin-Jallieu on a one-year spell, before entering the Lyon academy as an under-14, in a move resembling the one of his elder academy fellow Amine Gouiri. At that point he had already made a few appearance on the team sheet for Ligue 1 games under Rudi Garcia's management, while already having shown his talent in the Youth League and National 2, with the reserve. Having made another short Ligue 1 appearance at the end of the season, the young defender signed a new contract with Lyon in June, tying him to the club until 2024.

Gusto started his first game during Lyon's opening match against Brest on 7 August. By doing so he became the youngest defender to start a Ligue 1 game for OL since Samuel Umtiti.

While still appearing to be behind Léo Dubois in the right back hierarchy, Gusto still took the spotlight on several occasions under Bosz's direction, as he started games such as the 2–0 Europa League away win against Rangers or the 2–1 Ligue 1 away loss against Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea On 29 January 2023, Chelsea announced the signing of Malo Gusto on a deal until 2030. He was loaned back to Lyon until the end of the 2022–23 season. On 13 August, he made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool in Chelsea's opening match of the 2023–24 season. On 24 September, he was shown his first red card in his career after Jarred Gillett went to the VAR monitor to review a late challenge he made on Lucas Digne in their home defeat to Aston Villa.

The 2024–25 season saw Gusto deployed, alongside Reece James, as a midfielder as well as a full-back as Chelsea won both the Conference League and Club World Cup. On 8 November 2025, Gusto scored his first goal for Chelsea against Wolverhampton Wanderers, ending a run of 165 games without a goal. Gusto also scored and assisted Cole Palmer in a 2–0 victory over Everton on 13 December.

International career Born in France, Gusto is of Portuguese descent through his father, and Martiniquais descent through his mother. He is a youth international for France: he first played as a midfielder for the under-16, but was later selected as a fullback with the U17 and U18. However, he did not play any official game with the latter, as the COVID-19 pandemic did not allow most youth international encounters or competitions to go on as planned during 2020–2021.

In September 2021, as the pandemic was slowing down, the young defender eventually gained his next French cap, this time playing with the under-19. There he started and played every minute of all three games, even ending up wearing the captain's armband.

However only a month later both he and Cherki were directly promoted to the under-21 team, by Sylvain Ripoll. The two of them made their debut coming off the bench with the espoirs on 8 October 2021, helping their team to an important 5–0 win against Ukraine in the Euro qualifying.

On 9 October 2023, Gusto received his first call-up to the France national team for matches against the Netherlands and Scotland, replacing the injured Jules Koundé. On 13 October 2023, he made his international debut in the European Championship qualifier match against the Netherlands, coming off the bench in the 80th minute, helping France to a 2–1 victory, clinching the qualification as a result.

Gusto was selected as a member of the France squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Gusto and the rest of the team finished in fourth-place as England national football team proceeded to win the third-place match 6-4.

Style of play Gusto is seen as an agile and offensively minded player, ever since playing eight-a-side football at Villefontaine, and he first played as an attacking midfielder or a forward. While he was at the Lyon academy he played in several different positions, including wide midfielder, advanced playmaker, and right winger. He eventually settled as a right back, where he took full advantage of his speed and athleticism.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Chelsea UEFA Conference League: 2024–25 FIFA Club World Cup: 2025 EFL Cup runner-up: 2023–24 FA Cup runner-up: 2025–26

France UEFA Nations League third place: 2024–25