Marinette Pichon

About Marinette Pichon

Marinette Pichon is a former French football player who played as a forward. As an international player, she competed in France and abroad, participating in numerous competitions and international matches. Notably, she was the first French female football player to move to the United States to play in the world’s best league.

Marinette began her career at Saint-Memmie Olympique, where she played for nearly 7 years. She participated in three European Championships and one World Cup with the French National Team. In 2001, she signed with the American professional league, the “Women’s United Soccer Association” (WUSA), with the Philadelphia Chargers. After a year of competition in the United States, during which she was named the best player of the WUSA (2003) and led her team to the playoffs, she returned to France to her former club in 2004.

From 2004 to 2007, Marinette Pichon played for Juvisy FCF, the club where she would end her career. She was named vice-champion of France in 2005, winner of the Challenge de France 2005, and Champion of France 2006. She was the top scorer in the French championship in 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2006, and was twice voted the best player of the championship in 2003 and 2005; she has 112 caps with the French National Team, scoring 81 goals in all competitions.

At the end of her career, Marinette had won everything, becoming a true reference and pioneer for professional women’s football, and she also earned the respect of her peers. Today, she offers her expertise and shares her experience in her new role at the General Council of Essonne, where she is the head of the Event and Communication Department within the Directorate of Sports, Youth, and Community Life. She is also a consultant for France Télévisions.