Malanda will join promotion-chasing Middlesbrough following MLS season
CHARLOTTE (Wednesday, August 20, 2025) – Charlotte FC announced today the Club transferred French defender Adilson Malanda to Middlesbrough F.C. for an undisclosed fee. Middlesbrough will loan Malanda back to The Crown for the remainder of the 2025 MLS season.
“Adilson has been a true professional since stepping foot in Charlotte and throughout this process, where we worked together to get a deal that worked for both the Club and the player,” said General Manager Zoran Krneta. “There were multiple top clubs that sent us strong offers for Adi, but in the end, this option allowed for us to keep him through the end of the season as we push for the top four. His career path shows that Charlotte FC is the right place for young players to come and develop into sought-after players from clubs all around the world.”
Malanda, 23, has been one of the top defenders in MLS and a reliable piece for Charlotte FC’s backline since he arrived on August 4, 2022. In 2025, the French defender is the only outfield player in MLS to start all 27 matches and play every minute (2,430), which includes him anchoring a backline to nine clean sheets. Malanda has featured 107 times for The Crown and has helped CLTFC hold teams scoreless 29 times across all competitions.
Malanda joined the club with European experience, appearing in 35 matches with Ligue 2 club Rodez AF. He began his professional career with Nîmes Olympique and made his Ligue 1 debut in December 2020 against Dijon.
The Frenchman became a staple in the squad for the 2023 campaign. Malanda made 36 appearances in the calendar year, totaling 3,160 minutes across four competitions. The center back also found his way on the stat sheet when he recorded an assist against Nashville SC on Sept. 2.
In 2024, Malanda made significant strides and blossomed into one of the league’s brightest young talents. The Frenchman set career-highs in appearances (32) and minutes (2,880) while anchoring one of the best backlines in MLS, which kept the second-highest total of clean sheets with 13. Malanda scored his first MLS goal in the season opener against NYCFC and, in 2025, became the first defender in league history to score in back-to-back opening matches.
