Maxime Blanchard

Maxime Edouard Camille Blanchard (born 27 September 1986) is a French footballer who plays as defender & Defensive Midfielder. He is currently without a club after being released by Newport County. Born in Alençon, he has played in the Football League for Tranmere Rovers and Plymouth Argyle, and Championnat National for Laval, L'Entente SSG and Moulins.

Blanchard began his career in Alençon, a commune in Normandy, before joining his first professional club – Laval. He spent two years in the youth team before being promoted to train with the senior squad during the 2005–06 season. Blanchard made his senior debut in Championnat National the following season and went on to appear in another 25 league matches for Laval over the next two years. He spent the 2008–09 campaign with L'Entente SSG, where he scored his first league goal, and the next with Moulins – making 35 league appearances in both.

He moved to England in the summer of 2010, signing for Football League One club Tranmere Rovers. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Huddersfield Town and went on to make 24 appearances during the 2010–11 season. He left Tranmere at the end of the campaign after not being offered a new contract. Blanchard signed a short-term contract with Plymouth Argyle in November after spending time with the club on trial. He made his debut in a 4–1 win against Northampton Town, and extended his contract in January 2012 until the end of the season after making seven appearances. Blanchard scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Crawley Town.

Blanchard signed a new two-year contract in May, and won the club's Player of the Year award for the 2011–12 season. He made 28 league appearances, in which he scored two goals and, according to The Herald, had a "formidable partnership" with Darren Purse.

He left Shamrock Rovers in July 2016. On 10 February 2017, he joined League Two side Newport County on a game-by-game contract. He made his Newport debut the same day in the starting line-up during a 0–0 draw with Doncaster Rovers. This proved to be his only appearance as he left the club on 14 February.