Florent Malouda Bio

Frenchman Malouda was Jose Mourinho's last signing as Chelsea boss and never really got the opportunity to play for the Portugese coach after he quit the club in September 2007. His first season with the club saw him perform well below the level expected of him after a lengthy chase for his £13.5million signing from Lyon.

A poor summer showing at Euro 2008 seemed to confirm to many that he was short of the class required for a club of the aspirations of Chelsea.

A left-footed attacking midfielder who is both technically gifted and physically strong, the left-winger who can also play in the middle began his career at Châteauroux in 1996 before moving on to Guingamp in 2000.

His performances there earned the big £4.2m move to Lyon three years later where he won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles.

Malouda was a team-mate of Didier Drogba at Guingamp and the pair enjoyed a happy spell together.

The 'old boys reunion' will also feature Michael Essien, as the pair played together at Lyon for two years before the Ghana midfielder moved to the Premier League.

He became one of the highly-rated players in French football, winning his first full international cap on November 17, 2004 against Poland.

The winger was also a member of the French squad at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was an unused sub in the opening match but then started every match as France lost out on penalties to Italy in the final.

Malouda was named the Player of the Season in Ligue 1 for 2006/07 prior to his move to Chelsea.