Top facts about Wendie Renard, the female Van Dijk

Wéndèleine Thérèse Renard (born July 20, 1990) is a French pro soccer player who leads Olympique Lyonnais in Division 1 Féminine and also plays for the France national squad.

Wendie Renard’s age

is 31. Here you can find out the most important facts about Wendie Renard, the legendary French soccer player.

is a goal-scoring defender who has won many awards in contemporary women's club football. She has a total of 14 French League championships and seven European Cups to her credit. In 2019, the New York Times called her an "icon" at Lyon, the most accomplished women's football team in Europe.

Renard didn't get into Clairefontaine, but she quickly won a spot in France's young system, appearing in the finals of the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship in 2008 and 2009, as well as the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Renard had been one of 11 players nominated for the 2020 Best FIFA Women's Player of the Year Award, alongside Manchester City's

who finally won the award.

The defender earned comparisons to the Liverpool man after her headed goals in the Women's World Cup opener, but people believe that it's Van Dijk who should be flattered!

Top facts about Wendie Renard:

The important

fact about Wendie Renard

is that she is the youngest of four girls from Martinique, a French Caribbean island.

Renard went to mainland France as a teenager for a tryout at the national team academy in Clairefontaine; she was not selected, but she boarded a train to Lyon and was offered a contract there ("It was fate," she later said), joining when she was 16 years old in 2006.

Wendie Renard early life

Wendie Renard was born in the French island of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles. Speaking about

Wendie Renard parents

, it should be mentioned that her father died of pulmonary illness when she was 8 years old, and she is the last of 4 daughters. Renard competed for Essor-Préchotain on her native island of Martinique before transferring to the mainland.

Regarding

Wendie Renard childhood

, it is worth mentioning that she went to Clairefontaine, France, for a tryout, but was not admitted into the national training program.

"It was rare for girls to play football in Martinique, so it was even rarer that it was the women in my family who pushed me to play.

They were the ones who loved football as much as me. My aunt was a referee on the island. My mum played a little and watched matches all the time. So when my sisters and I got into fights about the TV, I always had the judge on my side."

She then boarded the train to Lyon, where she won a place with Olympique Lyonnais following a more successful tryout. At the age of sixteen, she left Martinique to live permanently in Lyon.

Wendie Renard personal life

Wendie, like other female players, has been tight-lipped about her personal life in order to maintain her concentration on her profession.

An important fact about Wendie Renard is that she began learning the fundamentals of football while playing alongside males, since it was unusual for girls to play football in her small town. It's unclear if she's still single or married, and she hasn't been linked to any partnerships as of now.

Wendie Renard professional career

Wendie Renard joined

in 2006 and quickly established herself in the squad, appearing twice in their first French title-winning season of 2006/07 and then became a regular the following season, appearing in OL's first UEFA Women's Cup match against Slovan Duslo aala on August 9, 2007.

Since taking over as captain in 2013, Renard has been the fulcrum of Lyon's ascent from ambitious French league hopes to the dominating club in European football over the past decade.

A notable

fact about Wendie Renard

is that she holds the club's appearance record and is sixth in all-time goalscoring, mostly as an aerial threat at set pieces, as shown by Lyon's first-ever goal in a Women's Champions League final in London in 2011, when they beat Turbine Potsdam 2-0.

During Renard's tenure at Lyon, they have won 14 consecutive French league championships, nine French Cups, and many additional invitational tournaments, in addition to their seven Women's Champions League wins.

She's been captain for the most of them, including the current run of five Champions League final victories in a row (she's also been named to the official UEFA squad of the season on each of those five times and the inaugural UEFA Women's Champions League Defender of the Season in 2020/21).

An important fact about Wendie Renard is that she started off 2021 on a high note, scoring nine goals in nine games for club and country with her penalty in the 1-0 Women's Champions League quarter-final first-leg victory in Paris.

Despite possessing a wealth of talent, including Renard and her Lyon teammates, France has yet to reach a major final. Her next opportunities are the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 in England and the 2023 World Cup in Australia.

Renard made her senior debut against Switzerland in the Cyprus Women's Cup on March 2, 2011, and by the following summer's FIFA Women's World Cup, when they reached the semi-finals, she had established herself as a regular in center defense, a position she still holds. From 2013 to 2017, she served as the leader of her nation.

Renard was selected to the tournament squads for both the 2013 UEFA Women's EURO and the 2015 World Cup.

Renard scored three goals for France in the 2019 World Cup, and despite not being among France's top ten appearance makers, she is the defender's all-time leading scorer.

Marinette Pichon appeared on the screen as she was viewing the French women's side compete on TV in Martinique. "One day, you'll see me on TV wearing that jersey," Renard assured her mother.

When questioned what she intended to do for a job in high school, she said she wanted to be a professional football player or a flight attendant. "That job doesn't exist," the instructor said as she crossed out the term professional.

Renard was the highest-ranked center defender in the first two women's Ballon d'Or’s voting rounds in 2018 and 2019, finishing seventh and sixth respectively.

Despite the international tragedies that have transpired over the years, Renard has almost 30 times hit the net for France. In reality, the defender was almost single-handedly responsible for the wins in recent games against Switzerland.

Renard started the scoring for France in the 2-0 opening encounter on February 20th, then netting both goals three days later in a 2-0 victory.

Renard had scored at least once in each of her previous eight games for club and country, and the goals continued her excellent run.

Renard, a Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award candidate, will be aiming for additional silverware on the field as OL Groupe prepares for their first-leg game against

in the Champions League's last 16 this week.

Wendie Renard grew up in Martinique, a French Caribbean territory where she was constantly playing soccer with the boys, kicking everything that would roll, from balls to plastic bottles, with goal posts made of shoes.

Renard's family, mainly the ladies, encouraged her to pursue soccer when her father died of illness when she was eight years old. Her aunt was a referee, and her mother never missed a chance to see a game.

It's tough to be recognized as a female footballer in France. It's virtually difficult to do so in Martinique, which is thousands of kilometers from the continent. Renard, on the other hand, had been determined since he was a child.

At the age of 14, she was offered a tryout at the prestigious Clairefontaine academy, which has produced players such as

,

, and William Gallas. She, however, did not make the final cut.

Olympique Lyon, Europe's most dominating power in women's football, stepped in. Another opportunity, another try. She made the squad this time, despite the fact that she was just 16 years old.

She worked her way into Lyon's starting lineup, then the French national squad. With four Champions League titles under her belt, she is probably the greatest defense in the world.

The 30-year-old skipper has created history by becoming the sixth player to win the major European title in a succession, including the famous Real Madrid of Puskas in the 1950s.

Wendie Renard club career

A notable fact about Wendie Renard is that she joined Lyon in 2006 and has been a fixture in the starting eleven since the 2007–08 campaign, earning fourteen straight league championships and several Challenge de France medals between 2006 and 2020.

Renard appeared in the 2010 UEFA Women's Champions League final and assisted Lyon win the tournament in the 2010–11 season. In the final, she netted the game's first goal in a 2–0 victory against Turbine Potsdam.

She netted the game-winning goal in the 2019–20 UEFA Women's Champions League semi-finals against

on August 26, 2020, to claim the tournament for the seventh time in her career.

Wendie Renard international career

Renard was a former women's young international who represented her country at the under-19 and under-20 levels. She made her France women's national team debut in a game versus Switzerland at the 2011 Cyprus Cup.

Renard has subsequently served France in two FIFA Women's World Cups and two Olympic Games, and served as captain of the team from September 2013 to September 2014. After the Euro 2017 competition, she was removed of her leadership and replaced by Amandine Henry.

An important fact about Wendie Renard is that she scored 3 goals in the group stage of the 2019 World Cup, including a double versus South Korea and a penalty versus

. Against Norway, she also netted an own goal.

In France's 2–1 quarter-final loss to the United States, Renard netted a goal back. The defender, who was 6 feet 1 inch tall, was the tallest player at that World Cup.

Wendie Renard style of play

A notable fact about Wendie Renard is that she is a physically powerful player with excellent speed, skill, and ability to take set-pieces. She was the captain of Lyon, who won the UEFA Women's Champions League for the fifth time in a row and the seventh time in 10 years.

She has appeared in all of them, scoring five goals in their 2019/20 triumph, including the game-winning goal against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals. She has appeared in 122 games for

, scoring 25 goals in the process, an impressive number for a defender.

Wendie Renard, who is over six feet tall, has all of the natural qualities associated with playing centre-back. The intangibles that the defender offers to the teams she plays for, on the other hand, allow her to stand head and shoulders above her opponents, both physically and metaphorically.

Renard's leadership skills were highlighted ahead of the 2013-14 season when she was named captain of Lyon, despite the fact that she was just 23 years old. Renard was also given the armband for the national squad by then-France coach Philippe Bergeroo, who had just been promoted to the post.

Renard lost his captaincy for France, despite the fact that he was still captain at club level. Coach Corinne Diacre chose Amandine Henry, who would shortly become Renard's Lyon teammate, after her hiring in August 2017.

Although mainly on the pitch to prevent opponents from scoring, the defender has also managed to score crucial goals for Lyon at the opposite end of the field. Renard has scored over 100 goals in her club career because to her ability to get on the end of set-pieces and be clinical from the penalty spot.

Wendie Renard legacy

The picture of the tall Wendie Renard holding the UEFA Women's Champions League trophy best captures the decade since its inception.

An important

fact about Wendie Renard

is that since the rebranding of the UEFA Women's Cup in 2009/10, she has done it five times as Lyon captain, appearing in nine finals and winning seven championships.

Renard's long-time club and country teammate Sarah Bouhaddi is the only other individual who can equal the second or third of those achievements in Europe's top women's or men's club tournaments.

Renard was also awarded the inaugural UEFA Women's Champions League Defender of the Season in 2020, after being chosen in the top ten of the UEFA Women's Player of the Year award for a record seventh time and finally making the shortlist of three.

She is a player who has appeared in more UEFA women's club competitions than anyone else, as well as a defender who ranks in the top 20 for goals scored – along with her late goal in Lyon's 1-0 quarter-final first-leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain, a team Renard also scored against in the semi-finals last spring.

Lyon coach, Jean-Luc Vasseur has said about her, "Wendie Renard is a fantastic athlete. Wendie is impossible to categorize or replace." Also,

's Maren Mjelde has praised the French soccer player: "I don't believe there's anybody in the women's game that compares to her."

Former Lyon coach Gérard Prêcheur also highlights her abilities, "I don't believe the general public or the media are fully aware of the effect that Wendie Renard's level of play, leadership skills, and professionalism can have on a game." I relied on Wendie, which wasn't easy since she has a fiery personality and we didn't always agree on everything, but we had a similar objective."

As president of Lyon, Jean-Michel Aulas has said, "She is a young lady who endured a lot as a child, losing her father when she was eight years old.

When she arrived in Lyon, she was a bit confused. With excellent physical abilities and a lot of charisma, she was able to climb the ladder and win her spot. She is, in my opinion, the greatest defender in the world now."

FIFA indicated that Wendie Renard, the leader of Olympique Lyonnais, is one of the top three in this year's vote, along with Chelsea's Pernille Harder and Bronze, now playing for Manchester City, so is this the year that the Lyon participant is voted the best in the world?

No, according to history. Renard is the first female central defender to ever reach the top three in the award's history.

of Italy is the only center back to be named FIFA's finest men's player in the 30 years since the award was established. Renard finished eleven points behind Harder in the UEFA Women's Player of the Year vote this year.

A notable fact about Wendie Renard is that she earned a record-tying seventh Champions League championship in August, more than any other male player. She has led the team to five consecutive victories, which is an all-time high in the sport.

Because to her consistency, she is the only player in the world to be named to every FIFPro Women's World XI and to be named to every IFFHS Women's World Team of the Year, with teammate Marozsán.

Lotta Schelin, one of ten "FIFA Legends" who chose the initial eleven-player shortlist for the award, thinks her old teammate should win this year. "Wendie Renard, in my opinion, is the most deserving. She's a defender, and winning accolades like this is usually difficult for defenders ".

Wendie Renard quotes

She has declared about joining Lyon and having a winning mentality: "I joined [Lyon] when I was very young, and I encountered players that had that [winning] DNA naturally, so you gradually learn. Training sessions are like battles; you compete in a little training match and strive to win.

You advance by rubbing shoulders with great athletes, guys who despise losing, and even coaches who instill it in you. You can't think about losing, losing, losing when your coach is urging you to win, win, win, win."

About breaking records with her club, she has said, “We've tied [Real Madrid's five consecutive European championships], but now we have to go for the sixth to break it. You can rely on me to be there next year since I'm never full."

"As a kid, I wanted to win championships, but more significantly, I wanted to excel in mainland France. I'm enjoying the moment, but I'm also aware that I need to maintain my self-discipline, since it may all be lost if I make a mistake.

I'm conscious of my progress, but it was accomplished as part of a team and with individuals who were completely dedicated. We worked together on this, and it's not done yet. "I'm going to keep writing history."

Wendie has said about her hometown, “It's a region in Martinique known as Le Prêcheur. It's approximately an hour's drive from any sort of hamlet or town on the island's northern shore. Mount Pelée looms behind you as you stand on the beach.

There are miles and miles of Caribbean Sea in front of you as you gaze out the window. The light glints off the warm, blue sea.”

She continued, “And then there's the sun... the SUN! I'm going to sound like a true island girl right now, but in Martinique, the sun is everything. Anyone from the Caribbean will tell you the same thing. We're similar to plants.

The sun makes you feel wonderful. When the light shines on you, it brings a grin to your face. It provides you with pleasure and happiness. You're doing well. It's a nice life. Le Prêcheur has a population of less than 2,000 people.

To begin with, this isn't much. However, standing out there as the sun rises may make you feel as if you're the only one on the island.”

About learning and playing football in her hometown, she has said, “In Martinique, it was all about the sea and football. At least, it was the case for me, since I was different from the other females. I was a bit of a tomboy and a football fanatic when I was little.

At the end of the day, the guys and I would skip school and go to the beach to swim and then play football. But I understood even back then that in order to get respect, I needed to play twice as hard and twice as clever.”

She continued, “We'd build up goals out of a pair of shoes, and if we didn't have a ball, we'd kick a plastic bottle about. We'd also play in the carpark of our housing complex if we weren't at the beach.

It was unusual for females to play football in Martinique, and it was even more unusual that my family's ladies encouraged me to do so. They were the ones who shared my passion for football.”

"It was unusual for females to play football in Martinique, and it was even more unusual for my family's ladies to encourage me to do so." They were the ones who shared my passion for football. On the island, my aunt worked as a referee.

My mother did a little bit of playing and was always watching competitions. So, I always had the judge on my side when my sisters and I got into disputes over the TV."

She has said about the problems in women’s football, “In certain places, it's more difficult because of society," she replied when asked what has to be changed for women's football.” It is unacceptable in certain minds and ways of thinking to watch a woman playing football or participating in sports.”

"Now it's a cultural issue. Again, you can't accomplish anything without money, but once you get it, you must be able to invest it wisely. It's the same vicious cycle every time."

With the publication of the documentary "Les joueuses, pas là pour danser," Renard is now in the limelight in French film (Women football players are not here for dancing).

She believes the film has some powerful moments that demonstrate that there is still much work to be done.

"We don't want to take the guys' or anybody else's place." And we don't want to hear "yeah, it's simple for them... or it hurts" when we win championships. That’s enough. Everyone has the right to believe whatever they want, but a little respect goes a long way," she added.

Wendie Renard body measurements

Regarding

Wendie Renard body measurements

, it should be mentioned that she is 187 cm or 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 70 kg.

Contrary to popular belief, her height and physical appearance have no bearing on her endurance or soccer abilities.

She is undeniably beautiful and appealing. With her dark hair and black eyes, she maintains a distinctive afro hairdo.

Wendie Renard social media

Wendie Renard has an active Instagram page (

) with 205k followers. In her page we can see various pictures of her play and family life.

Regarding

Wendie Renard social media

, it should be mentioned that she has an active Twitter account (

) with more than 111k followers. She often posts new stuff on her twitter page.

Wendie Renard net worth and salary

Wendie is a priceless footballer whose value cannot be measured, as shown by her career statistics. This suggests that she is on a large payroll, but her precise income is unknown.

That said,

Wendie Renard’s net worth

has been estimated to be in the range of $1 to $2 million, and it is expected that, given her current rate of growth, her net worth would increase slightly in the near future. Wendie Renard’s salary is approximately £283 million per year.

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