French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris joins LAFC after 11 1/2 seasons with Tottenham
Sat, Dec 30, 2023
Soccer News (AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Former World Cup champion Hugo Lloris became the latest 35-year-old-plus player to join Major League Soccer when the goalkeeper agreed to a one-year contract with Los Angeles FC and left Tottenham after 11 1/2 seasons.
LA announced the deal Saturday and said the agreement with the 37-year-old included options for 2025 and 2026, though it did not say whether the options belong to the team or the player.
Lloris, who has made a French-record 145 international appearances, joins a league that since last summer has added Miami's Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez (both 36) and Sergio Busquets (35).
Lloris won the 2018 World Cup with France and was Tottenham's first-choice goalkeeper from 2012-13, when he took over from Brad Friedel, through last season. Lloris made his last appearance on April 23 at Newcastle, where he allowed five goals in the first 21 minutes and was replaced by Fraser Forster at the start of the second half. The team said on May 5 that Lloris was missing the rest of the season because of a thigh injury.
Guglielmo Vicario has been Spurs' starter this season.
"Hugo is arguably the most successful goalkeeper of his generation and a proven winner. We are incredibly excited that Hugo has chosen LAFC for the next phase of his illustrious career," LA general manager John Thorrington said in a statement. "He brings unprecedented leadership experience at the highest levels of football."
Lloris played for Nice (2005-08) and Lyon (2008-13) before joining Spurs. He had appeared in four World Cups and his 20 World Cup matches are a record among goalkeepers.
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