MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact confirmed on Wednesday that French centre back Rod Fanni stays with the club until the end of the 2018 season. His contract also has an option for the 2019 season.

Fanni, 36, has started 12 games and played 1,030 minutes with the Impact this season. He was named once to the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week and was named Videotron Player of the Game once as well. He has helped the team win its last three games by clean sheet and participated in the club’s new MLS record of 342 minutes without conceding a goal.

Before joining the Impact, he had played 362 games in Ligue 1, including 330 starts, and 29,895 minutes through a 15-year career in the French first division, between 2002 and 2018, appearing successively for RC Lens, OGC Nice, Stade Rennais and Olympique de Marseille.

He won the Trophée des champions in 2011 and the Coupe de la Ligue in 2011 and 2012 with Marseille, spending six and a half seasons in two spells with l’OM, from 2010-11 to 2014-15, and in 2016-17 and 2017-18. He was also a finalist with Rennes in the 2009 Coupe de France and with Nice in the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue. He was named twice onto the Ligue 1 Team of the Year, in 2009 and 2010, while playing for Rennes.

Fanni has appeared in 19 Coupe de France games, 17 Coupe de la Ligue games, 12 UEFA Champions League games, and 17 UEFA Cup/Europa League games.

At the international level, Fanni played five games with the French national team, between 2008 and 2010, making his senior debut on October 14, 2008, in a friendly game against Tunisia. He had previously played with the France U21 team.

ROD FANNI

Position: Defender

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 179 lbs

Birthdate and birthplace: December 6, 1981, in Martigues, France

Citizenship: France

Last club: Olympique de Marseille (France)

Date acquired: March 5, 2018