Field Insider

M. Bard

Top-tier performerNice · 25 yrs

Profile

Full nameMelvin Michel Maxence Bard
PositionFull-back
NationalityFrance
Age25
Date of birth6 Nov 2000
BirthplaceEcully
Height173 cm
Shirt number#26
ClubNice
Full-backalso played DEF
31
Appearances
2
Goals
1
Assists
2531
Minutes

Domestic-league season · Nice.

Injury-affected season

Missed 5 of Nice's ~36 games this season through 5 injury absences (groin, yellow cards). He still appeared 31 times — a solid return given how little of the season he was available. His rating is judged mainly on the games he was fit to play.

Performance data · by competition

CompetitionAppsGAMinMatch
Ligue 1312125316.72
UEFA Europa League6005306.25
Coupe de France5004397.06
UEFA Champions League2001806.4
Friendlies Clubs100656.7

Scout report

Top-tier performerFull-back

M. Bard is a 25-year-old full-back at Nice, rated 73.5 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 116th of 337 on scout potential in the Ligue 1. In his prime years, he has been an ever-present this season (90.7% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 3.95 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Bard.

Judged on this season alone, Bard graded 38 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 27th of 63 of the 63 full-backs in the Ligue 1, on 5 clean sheets and 3.947 defensive actions per 90.

Year-on-year, that's a clear step up on last season (Season 34 → 38). Over the 6 seasons on record his form has trended upward, peaking in 2023/24.

On long-term talent our Rating reads 74, top 34% of the 63 full-backs in the Ligue 1. At 25 Bard is in his prime years, and a market index of 42.9 reflects that trajectory.

Read the appearance count in context: Bard missed 5 games through injury (groin, yellow cards) out of roughly 36 this season. The 31 he did play is a solid return on the time he was fit, and his ratings are weighted toward those games rather than the ones he sat out injured.

From the career report
Read the full career report →

Past his 2023/24 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.

Peak: 2023/24Trending downBreakout: 2021/22StreakyInjury-hit 2025/26
Current potentialTop 34% full-backs · Ligue 1Current season27th of 63 full-backs · Ligue 127th-best full-back in the Ligue 1116th in the Ligue 1 · potential21st-highest potential full-back in the Ligue 1
73.5
Ratingi
21st of 63 full-backs
37.5
Seasoni
developing / rotation level
90.7%
Minutes
near ever-present
3.95
Def. actions / 90
solid defensive volume

Output in context · Nice finished 16th of 18 · a relegation-threatened side

3.95
Def. / 90
55
Tackles
42
Interceptions
5
Clean sheets

3.95 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — solid defensive volume, with 5 clean sheets across 31 appearances. Doing that for a relegation-threatened side (16th of 18) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight. Going forward he chipped in 2 goals and 1 assist — a useful bonus from the back.

Strengths

  • Availability. On the pitch for 90.7% of available minutes — a dependable presence in the XI.
  • Defensive volume. 3.95 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — does the unseen work.

Watch points

  • Few red flags. No obvious weaknesses in the current-season profile — consistency is the next test.

Outlook

With a Rating of 73.5, Bard carries the 21st-highest potential of the full-backs in the Ligue 1 (top 34%), and he is posting that for a relegation-threatened side (Nice finished 16th of 18) — individual numbers are harder to earn on a struggling team, so his underlying level likely sits a touch above the ranking. Defensively he reads as solid defensive volume (3.95 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Approaching peak years; value is still building (price multiplier 2×) with the best seasons likely ahead. Doing it for a lesser side, he profiles as a value buy for a club higher up the table.

Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.

Transfer news

No transfer news found for this player.