Marco Ilaimaharitra

Marco Ilaimaharitra's career has run largely along Belgian lines, though the story that opens it belongs to a night at the Africa Cup of Nations. In 2019, a free-kick against Burundi gave Madagascar its first-ever win at the tournament, earned him the Man of the Match award, and led to him being decorated as a Knight of the National Order of Madagascar.

He came through the Sochaux academy, joining in 2008 and making his professional debut in December 2013. Over four seasons he made 106 appearances for the club before leaving in 2017. The move that defined his career came that summer, when he signed for Sporting Charleroi on a free transfer. He stayed seven years, became a key player and eventually captain, and passed 200 appearances before his contract ran out in June 2024.

A period without a club followed, ending in January 2025 with a free transfer to KV Kortrijk. The contract expired at the end of that season following the club's relegation, and he was not the club's captain, with Brecht Dejaegere holding the armband instead. He joined Standard Liège on 1 July 2025 on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal with an option for a third season.

For Madagascar, he has 31 caps and three goals, with further strikes against Burkina Faso and Congo in friendlies either side of the AFCON goal. He was also part of the squad that reached the final of the African Nations Championship in 2024, having finished third in the competition two years earlier.