Marlee Francois
Marlee Jean François (born 29 December 2002) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Auckland FC in the A-League Men, wearing number 11. He was born in Campbelltown, near Sydney, Australia, and grew up in New South Wales. His father is Mauritian and his mother is English Mauritian. In 2013 his family moved to England after he and his brother Tyrese joined Fulham’s academy.
François began his youth career with Camden Tigers, then joined Fulham in 2013 and later moved to Bristol City in 2019. He started his senior career with Bristol City (2021–2024) and had a short loan to Bath City in 2021.
In July 2021, François played for Portsmouth in a friendly against Bristol City after he was allowed to feature for Portsmouth due to a small squad, and he scored. This incident was nicknamed the “shortest loan in history.” He signed a two-year contract extension with Bristol City in August 2022. After a long injury layoff, he made his first-team debut for Bristol City in January 2023 in an FA Cup match against West Brom. He was released by Bristol City at the end of the 2023–24 season.
On 9 January 2025, François joined Auckland FC and took shirt number 11. He scored his first goal for Auckland from a corner on 27 April 2025 in a 1–0 win over Perth Glory, a result that helped Auckland win the Premiership.
Internationally, François is eligible to represent England, Australia, or Mauritius. He made his Australia Under-23 debut as a substitute on 2 June 2021 against Ireland Under-21s and scored his only U23 goal in June 2023 against Mexico U23 at the Maurice Revello Tournament.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:02 (CET).