How striker went from Leicester City scrapheap to Charlton Athletic cult hero - He made Foxes pay | OneFootball

The Frenchman got his career back on track at The Valley.

Former Charlton Athletic striker Yann Kermorgant showed Leicester City what they were missing after he swapped the King Power Stadium for The Valley in 2011.

The Frenchman signed for the Foxes on a free transfer after leaving Stade Reims in the summer of 2009, but he struggled to make an impact during his debut season in England and finished the 2009/10 campaign with just one goal to his name in the Championship.

Leicester reached the play-offs at the end of that season, and Kermorgant featured as a substitute in both legs of their semi-final clash with Cardiff City, with the second leg in South Wales proving to be his final appearance for the club.

The game was decided by a penalty shootout, during which Kermorgant decided to attempt a panenka which was easily saved by goalkeeper David Marshall, and the Bluebirds progressed to Wembley.

The striker spent the 2010/11 season on loan at Ligue 1 side Arles-Avignon, before he was not handed a squad number and told to find a new club upon his return to Leicester in 2011.

Kermorgant signed for Charlton

Kermorgant joined Charlton in September 2011, with the Addicks aiming to win promotion back to the Championship under Chris Powell, who had worked with the striker while he was first-team coach at Leicester.

He spoke about his decision to move to The Valley in an interview at the time, as per Sky Sports.

"I had a number of offers from clubs in France, but during my time at Leicester City, I had an excellent relationship with Chris Powell," Kermorgant said.

"Once I met Chris, and discussed his style of play and his ambitions for the club, I felt that Charlton is going to be an exciting place to be over the next few years, and I want to be a part of it."

Kermorgant's decision to sign for Charlton proved to be a good one, as he formed an excellent strike partnership with Bradley Wright-Phillips and scored 12 goals en route to lifting the League One title in 2012.

He then scored 12 goals and provided nine assists the following season as Charlton finished 9th in the Championship - their highest league finish since being relegated from the Premier League in 2007.

His aerial presence, physicality and hard-working nature, combined with his free-kick-taking, link-up play and finishing ability make Kermorgant one of the most complete centre-forwards to have played for Charlton since the club dropped out of the top-flight.

Kermorgant made Leicester pay

Kermorgant scored several memorable goals during his time in SE7, but he undoubtedly would have enjoyed the ones he netted against Leicester more than any.

Charlton faced the Foxes three times in the Championship before Kermorgant was inexplicably sold to AFC Bournemouth in January 2014, shortly after Roland Duchatelet completed his takeover of the club.

The Frenchman showed Leicester what they were missing as he scored every time he faced them, contributing to three 2-1 victories for Charlton, despite the reception he received from the opposing supporters, who had clearly not forgotten his missed penalty at the Cardiff City Stadium in 2010.

"I hear the abuse but I love it," Kermorgant told The Telegraph in 2013, shortly after netting his third goal in as many games against his former club.

"I can't understand why they boo me. Maybe they should stop. I'm still scoring and we are winning every time."