BORN OTD: YANN M'VILA
- BY BEN THIRKELL
- Jun 29
- 2 min read
Born on this day in 1990, former midfielder Yann M’Vila. The Frenchman spent the 2015/16 on loan at the Black Cats.
Having first came through at Rennes, he joined Russian side Rubin Kazan in January 2013. After a decent start in Kazan, he ended up falling out with manager Rinat Bilyaletdinov during the winter break of the 13/14 season after he went AWOL. M’Vila would spend the 14/15 season on loan at Inter Milan but would once again have a dispute with his manager, this time Roberto Mancini.
Then came the summer of 2015 where M’Vila made the move to Wearside on a season-long loan. He played his first game
in Red and White for the under 21’s against Norwich City, in which he was sent off for violent conduct. Strong start.
Luckily this was not a sign of things to come as Yann became a fan favourite very quickly, scoring his first and only goal for the club with a free kick away at Aston Villa. He won man of the match in the first Wear-Tyne derby of the season playing a key part in one of the many 3-0 victories against the visitors.
M’Vila spoke openly about his desire to stay at the Stadium of Light should the club survive relegation. Not only did Sunderland stay up, but also sent Newcastle down thanks to a 3-0 victory over Everton.
The saying ‘never fall in love with a loan player’ was never truer when M’Vila’s return to Wearside never materialised. He even posted on Instagram in September 2016, expressing his frustration that a move never materialised.
He would return to play for Rubin Kazan until 2018 before spells at Saint-Etienne and Olympiacos.
However, in 2024 he was linked with a surprise return to the club, but the interest was never concrete and he would eventually sign for West Bromwich Albion. He currently plies his trade for Caen in Ligue 3 (formerly known as Championnat National).
