Modeste finally at home with Hoffenheim
Anthony Modeste has enjoyed a rather nomadic career to date, representing no fewer than five clubs since becoming a professional.
Fast learner
At TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, however, the athletic, powerful striker looks to found an altogether more permanent home.
Born in the southern French city of Cannes on 14 April 1988, Modeste’s first step on the path to becoming a professional footballer came when he joined Etoile Frejus in 2001, before being picked up by regional powerhouse OGC Nice in 2003.
Rising through the youth ranks, he eventually broke into the first team at the age of 18, appearing 20 times and scoring once for the club in the 2007/08 Ligue 1 season. He would spend two more seasons at the club, the latter out on loan with Angers SCO, before taking the decision to move again, this time to Girondins de Bordeaux in 2010.
Homes away from home
He found his playing time limited at the Stade Chaban-Delmas and again opted to go out on loan, linking up with English side Blackburn Rovers in 2012. His spell in the Premier League wasn’t the greatest of successes, as he played just a handful of games without scoring. It did give him a taste of playing abroad, however, one that he was eager to satisfy.
After another season in Ligue 1 with SC Bastia, where he scored 14 goals, his career took him eastwards to Germany in the summer of 2013. Having narrowly avoided relegation, Hoffenheim were ready and willing to build a new squad and Modeste's large frame was the perfect fit.
Drogba's disciple
A proven finisher, as his goals in Europe testify, the frontman models himself on Didier Drogba, but also bears a huge similarity to former Hoffenheim favourite Demba Ba. Similarly to Ba, he has fitted into the Sinsheim club’s system with ease, so much so that life in Germany began with three goals in his first two Bundesliga games.
Spearheading a new generation of young and exciting Hoffenheim attackers, Modeste has started in a manner befitting someone certain to be a healthy investment on the club’s part, and something of a fixture in Bundesliga seasons to come.
