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Andy Delort may have turned 30 but he is leading OGC Nice's return to the Champions League. The Algerian forward moved to Nice at the start of the season after enjoying one of his better seasons last term with Montpellier.
Christophe Galtier, who won Ligue 1 with LOSC Lille in 2020/21, made Delort one of his first few signings since joining the south-east French outfit.
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Delort is a French veteran
Delort is one of the most traveled footballers in the world despite spending the majority of his professional career in France's top two tiers.
He had a loan spell at Wigan in addition to a year out with Mexican outfit Tigres UANL.
He has spent six years in Ligue 2 with outfits like AC Ajaccio and SM Caen. Since 2015, he has played his trade in France's top division.
Breakthrough for Delort under Der Zakarian
The Algerian's real breakthrough came last season at Montpellier when former boss, Michel Der Zakarian, chose him to lead the line over Gaetan Laborde.
Delport made full use of the opportunity. The forward, who has already made his name for his brute headers, struck as many as seven headed goals across competitions last term.
He was pivotal to Montpellier rescuing draws against Marseille and Lille. He was instrumental in the club finishing in the top-eight last term and contributed more than a quarter of Montpellier's goals in the league.
Flourishing under Galtier
Interestingly, both Montpellier forwards left the club at the end of last season. Delort's arrival at Nice was welcomed with pomp given his rising prominence in France's top-tier.
Galtier has deployed a phenomenal combination of Delort and Kasper Dolberg since his arrival at Nice.
The forward's ability to hold the ball and play with his back to goal has allowed Dolberg and playmaker Justin Kluivert to flourish under this new regime. No wonder the club sits second in the table, just behind Paris Saint-Germain.
Such has been the Algerian's reliability up front that he has played as many as eighteen of Nice's twenty games this season. He has slammed nine goals and a couple of assists across competitions.
He scored the winner against Olympique Lyon and salvaged a point for the club against AS Monaco.
It is safe to say that the Algerian is enjoying a fantastic spell in France and is quickly rising through the ranks.
