Defender · #27
Malo Gusto
France · 5'10" · 23
His role
Gusto provides the width on the right. He pushes high when Chelsea have the ball, then recovers into a five-man defensive line when possession turns over.
His story
- 01Drama
VAR turned his first yellow into a three-match ban
Gusto was initially booked for a tackle on Lucas Digne against Aston Villa in September 2023. VAR sent the referee to the monitor, the yellow became a red and Chelsea had to play the final half-hour with ten men. They had been level and lost 1-0; Gusto's first Premier League dismissal also carried a three-match ban.
- 02Record
165 games without a goal
Gusto reached his 166th senior appearance without ever scoring a goal. Then, against Wolves in November 2025, the wait finally ended. Five weeks later he scored again against Everton and set up Cole Palmer in the same match, as though the goals had been waiting together all along.
- 03Off the pitch
His dad made him play rugby
Gusto's father wanted him to play rugby, but his son kept choosing football. At fourteen he entered Lyon's academy, in the city where he had grown up, and became the club's youngest starting Ligue 1 defender since Samuel Umtiti. The decision eventually carried him all the way to France's 2026 World Cup squad.
Career
Lyon2021–2022
Chelsea2022–
