Marco Ilaimaharitra

Marco Ilaimaharitra (born 26 July 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Standard Liège. Born in France, he is a former member of its under-19 and under-20 national teams but represents Madagascar at senior international level.

Club career Born in Mulhouse, Ilaimaharitra started his career with his hometown club, AS Coteaux Mulhouse. Later, he joined FC Mulhouse. In 2008, he joined the youth team of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. His professional debut came on 14 December 2013, in a 1–0 away defeat against OGC Nice. Four days later, he featured in the Coupe de la Ligue against OGC Nice.

On 15 January 2025, Ilaimaharitra signed a contract with Kortrijk until the end of the 2024–25 season, with an option to extend for 2025–26. However, he instead joined Standard Liège.

International career Ilaimaharitra was born in France, and is of Malagasy and Réunionnais descent. Previously a youth international for France, he made his debut for Madagascar in a friendly match against Comoros on 11 November 2017.

On 27 June 2019, Ilaimaharitra scored a late 76th minute free-kick against Burundi to secure a 1–0 win and historic first ever win for Madagascar in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Career statistics Club

International goals Scores and results list Madagascar's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ilaimaharitra goal. Knight Order of Madagascar: 2019