Chelsea’s Malo Gusto was in action on Friday for France against Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualifier.
Malo Gusto, 22, has had a busy start to the season for Chelsea. The right-back, who actually played in midfield against Liverpool last weekend, has played in nine of the 10 matches this season.
It was an impressive display from Gusto against Liverpool in central midfield, proving his versatility and importance to Enzo Maresca’s squad.
Appearances Goals Assists
9 0 2
Chelsea’s Malo Gusto across all competitions in the 2025-26 season
The Blues star has joined up with Didier Deschamps’ France squad during the international break. He completed 90 minutes in a 3-0 victory at home to Azerbaijan, too.
Chelsea's Malo Gusto defending for France against Azerbaijan in a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier.
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
After his display against Azerbaijan, the French media praised Chelsea’s Gusto for his international performance. In particular, they mentioned his combination with Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe for an early chance.
Foot Mercato wrote: “Malo Gusto (6): He was one of the most active players in the first half. He created the first dangerous opportunity of the match following a great combination with Kylian Mbappe and was effective in breaking through the Azerbaijani defence throughout the match to combine and deliver some interesting crosses. He seems to have finally earned his place behind Jules Kounde.”
RMC Sport posted: “Malo Gusto: 5. He barely faced any problems on his right flank, and even proved dangerous in the penalty area. Overall, the Chelsea player gave a decent performance.”
Gusto, who’s a big fan of Reece James, competes with the Chelsea captain for the starting position. With France, he’s competing with Barcelona full-back Jules Kounde.
Malo Gusto playing for France against Azerbaijan in a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier.
Photo by Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
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Malo Gusto statistics vs Azerbaijan
During France’s dominant win over minnows Azerbaijan, Gusto enjoyed plenty of freedom from full-back to get up and down the pitch.
Here is a breakdown of the Chelsea player’s display against Azerbaijan, via FOTMOB.
Minutes played – 90
Total shots – 1
Accurate passes – 67/73 (92%)
Touches – 86
Successful dribbles – 2/2 (100%)
Tackles – 1
Recoveries – 5
Ground duels won – 4/4 (100%)
Aerial duels won – 0/1 (0%)
Dribbled past – 0
Match rating – 7.8
Chelsea paid £26m (Sky Sports) to sign Gusto from Lyon in 2023, and it increasingly looks like a smart piece of business because he’s a very useful option in the squad. The 22-year-old defender has plenty of time to improve his game, too.