Born on this day is midfielder Yann M’Vila. The Frenchman joined the lads on loan from Rubin Kazan, quickly endearing himself to Sunderland fans. He made his debut in a 3-1 defeat to Norwich City under Dick Advocaat. M’Vila then scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw to Aston Villa, with an inch-perfect free kick from 20 yards.
The former loanee was named Man of the Match in Sunderland’s first win of the season, a fantastic 3-0 win over bitter rivals Newcastle. He ran the midfield and technically got an assist, as his effort was redirected goalward by Billy Jones. After the match, M’Vila spoke about the Tyne-Wear derby, and compared it to his time in Milan. “The atmosphere was electric. It was unique; I’d never experienced anything like it. I’d played in the Milan derby and it was great but not quite to the North East level”.
The former France international was a key player in Sunderland’s survival that season, with Sam Allardyce making no secret of the fact he wanted to make the deal permanent. M’Vila was also open to contract negotiations, however when David Moyes replaced Big Sam, the Scottish manager opted to go for Didier Ndong instead for a lot more money, which was extremely successful as we all know! M’Vila took to Instagram to air his frustrations, claiming Sunderland refused to pick up the phone when he called.
Since his return to Rubin Kazan, M’Vila was released from the club and joined Saint-Etienne. After two seasons in Ligue 1, he joined Greek side Olympiakos where he continues to play his football.
