Free-scoring Modeste at home in Köln
Cologne - After earning something of a journeyman reputation down the years, Anthony Modeste appears to have made a home for himself at 1. FC Köln.
From the French Riviera to Lancashire
The 27-year-old Frenchman has scored eight times in as many games in all competitions since joining the club from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in summer 2015, and there is no indication that the goal glut is going to stop any time soon.
Born in Cannes, Modeste made his first step towards a career in football when he joined OGC Nice from local outfit Frejus in 2003. He signed professional terms four years later and went on to make 42 appearance for the club, before joining FC Girondins de Bordeaux in summer 2010 following a prolific loan spell with Angers in the preceding campaign (20 goals in 37 outings).
Modeste found the net 12 times in 40 appearances in his debut season for Les marines et blanc, but the goals dried up in 2011/12 as he was sent out on loan to English side Blackburn Rovers. The 6’1” striker’s sending off on the final day of the campaign capped a miserable goal-less chapter that culminated in the 1994/95 Premier League champions being relegated to the Championship.
Hoffenheim impact
Back in his native France, Modeste enjoyed a far more fruitful time in front of goal whilst on loan at Bastia. After notching a debut effort in a 3-2 win over FC Sochaux, the 16-time France Under-21 international added a further 14 Ligue 1 goals and two in the Coupe de la Ligue to his tally over the course of 2012/13.
With no talk of a second chance at Bordeaux, Modeste headed across the border for Sinsheim, where he penned a three-year deal with Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in July 2013. Opening with three goals in his first two Bundesliga outings in Kraichgauer colours, Modeste finished his debut Bundesliga season on 14 goals in 29 appearances.
Rhine derby hero
Modeste's second and final season at Hoffenheim was not quite as impressive (seven Bundesliga goals and two in the DFB Cup). Köln were, nevertheless, happy to take a punt on the mercurial goal-getter, whom they brought in, more or less, as a like-for-like replacement for the departed Anthony Ujah (SV Werder Bremen) on 26 June 2015.
True to form, Modeste notched debut goals in the league and cup (a hat-trick no less) and has so far had a direct say in 10 of Köln’s 14 competitive goals in 2015/16 (eight goals and two assists). With the most memorable of the bunch coming against local rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Rhine derby on 19 September, Modeste is already assured of a place in Billy Goats folklore.
