Thomas Didillon

Thomas Didillon-Hödl (born 28 November 1995) is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Willem II.

Club career Metz Didillon-Hödl is a youth exponent from Metz who signed with the first team in 2013. He made his Ligue 2 debut in Metz's title-winning season on 16 May 2014 against Laval in a 0–0 away draw.

After spending a year on loan to Seraing, Didillon-Hödl returned to Metz for the 2015–16 Ligue 2 season and helped the club re-gain promotion to Ligue 1.

On 13 August 2016, Didillon-Hödl made his Ligue 1 debut in a 3–2 victory against Lille. It was the club's first first division win since securing promotion. The following season, Didillon-Hödl lost his role as starting goalkeeper to Japan national team player, Eiji Kawashima.

Seraing (loan) Didillon-Hödl made his league debut against Antwerp on 2 August 2014. During the 2014–15 season, he played 31 competitive games on loan for Belgian second division side Seraing, where he had moved alongside fellow Metz-players Saliu Popoola and Samy Kehli.

Anderlecht After ten years with Metz, Didillon-Hödl signed with Belgian champions, Anderlecht of the First Division A in June 2018. Didillon-Hödl made his league debut against Kortrijk on 28 July 2018. On 20 September, he made his UEFA Europa League debut in a 1–0 loss against Slovak club, Spartak Trnava.

Didillon-Hödl quickly established himself as the starter in the Anderlecht goal: in his first season he did not miss a single league match and was only replaced by backup Frank Boeckx in the cup match against Union Saint-Gilloise and the final Europa League group match against Dinamo Zagreb. Didillon-Hödl was praised in the regular competition for his strong reflexes and leadership, and was even called a bright spot in an otherwise meagre season for Anderlecht. However, in the first two days of the play-offs he made mistakes against Genk and Club Brugge after bad footwork, which changed the perception around him.

During the 2019–20 pre-season, Didillon-Hödl made mistakes on return balls in the friendlies against Ajax and AZ. Because manager Vincent Kompany's system required a sweeper keeper and Didillon-Hödl's footwork was not considered good enough for that, Anderlecht started looking for a new goalkeeper in the summer of 2019. On the opening day against Oostende he was the starter in goal, but he was since replaced by Hendrik Van Crombrugge. From the second matchday, Didillon-Hödl alternated between the bench and reserves.

Genk (loan) In January 2020, Didillon-Hödl was loaned by league rivals Genk until the end of the season with an option to purchase. Genk had a shortage of available goalkeepers at that time. He made his league debut against Sporting Charleroi on 1 February 2020. At the end of the season, the purchase option was not used and Didillon-Hödl returned to Anderlecht.

Cercle Brugge In August 2020, Didillon-Hödl signed a four-year contract with Cercle Brugge. He made his league debut against Antwerp on 16 August 2020.

Monaco (loan) On 20 July 2022, Didillon-Hödl joined Monaco on a season-long loan. He made his debut in a Coupe de France match against Rodez on 7 January 2023. He was mainly Alexander Nübel's backup in goal that season.

Willem II In the summer of 2024, Didillon-Hödl signed a two-year contract with recently promoted Eredivisie club Willem II.

International career Didillon-Hödl has represented France at U16 through to U21 level. In 2015, Didillon-Hödl participated in the Toulon Tournament, leading France to a victory over Morocco in the final.

Personal life Didillon-Hödl is married to Julia Hödl, a professional volleyball player in the Netherlands when he signed with Dutch club Willem II in 2024. He added his wife's surname, Hödl, to his own upon their marriage.

Career statistics

Eredivisie Team of the Month: October 2024