William Gallas
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Eric Gallas[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 17 August 1977 [2] | ||
| Place of birth | Asnières-sur-Seine, France | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1987–1992 | AVG Football | ||
| 1992–1993 | RCF Paris | ||
| 1992–1994 | INF Clairefontaine | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995–1997 | Caen | 34 | (0) |
| 1997–2001 | Marseille | 85 | (2) |
| 2001–2006 | Chelsea | 159 | (12) |
| 2006–2010 | Arsenal | 101 | (12) |
| 2010– | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1997 | France U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | France U21 | 11 | (0) |
| 2002– | France | 84 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:42, 11 September 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
William Eric Gallas (French pronunciation: [wiljam ɡalas]; born 17 August 1977) is aFrench footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English club Chelsea in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal as part of an exchange deal in 2006. While his career has been marked by both individual and team successes – including Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 – he has also encountered controversy as a consequence of his on-field behaviour and friction with other personnel. In 2007, he was named Arsenal's captain, but was removed from the role during the 2008–09 season after criticising teammates in a media interview. Gallas left Arsenal at the end of the 2009–10 season, when his contract expired.
In August 2010, he signed for Tottenham on a one-year contract. He subsequently became the first player to have appeared for Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Contents[hide] |
[edit]Background
Gallas was born in Asnières-sur-Seine. He is the cousin of fellow footballer Ludovic Quistin[4] and of Mathieu Bastareaud, a French rugby union centre playing for Stade Français.[5]
[edit]Club career
[edit]Early career
A graduate of the French Football academy at Clairefontaine, Gallas started his professional career at second division SM Caen, helping them to promotion as champions in 1996. He was subsequently transferred to Olympique Marseille in 1997. Gallas spent four seasons at Marseille, where he played alongside Robert Pirès among others. He made his debut in the UEFA Champions League playing for Marseille, and he also played against Chelsea in that competition in 2000.
[edit]Chelsea
Then Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri bought Gallas from Marseille in May 2001 for £6.2 million. He chose the number 13 shirt because it was his postcode back when he lived in Marseille (Marseille is in the Bouches du Rhône département of France where all addresses begin with a 13). Under Ranieri, Gallas developed centre-back partnerships with Marcel Desailly and later with John Terry; his partnership with Terry included a run of 16 games without conceding a single goal. He also played at right-back at times. It was with Chelsea and under Ranieri where Gallas obtained his first international cap.
Gallas was part of Chelsea's team which won back-to-back Premier League titles and a League Cup under Ranieri's successor José Mourinho. The Blues also made the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League that year, but were knocked out by Liverpool 1–0 in controversial circumstances Gallas cleared the ball after it was adjuged to have crossed the line. Due to a serious injury to left-back Wayne Bridge in 2004–05 Gallas was forced to play out of position. Despite the purchase of Asier del Horno from Athletic Bilbao for £8 million in the 2005 close season, Gallas found himself often playing on the left, a situation he got increasingly frustrated with. However Gallas scored some vital goals as Chelsea retained their title in the 2005-06 in English football season at Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Gallas's contract with Chelsea was due to expire in May 2007. He refused to sign a new contract with Chelsea on improved terms after saying the club didn't offer him enough money and expressed a wish to play in Serie A, with Juventus and A.C. Milan both interested.[citation needed] Chelsea however did not agree to a transfer request by the player in May 2006, as they considered Gallas an important first team member.
After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Gallas refused to turn up at Chelsea's crowded ranks of defenders at Stamford Bridge, so Chelsea signedDutch international centre back Khalid Boulahrouz, though in his single season at Chelsea, Boulahrouz would play almost exclusively as a fullback.
On 1 September 2006, Gallas transferred to Arsenal as part of a deal that brought Ashley Cole to Chelsea[6] and Arsenal also received the sum of £5 million. The press reported that José Mourinho was furious Gallas had been allowed to move to their rivals and that the Cole-Gallas swap deal had been forced through by Chelsea executive Peter Kenyon. After the transfer, Chelsea issued a statement that Gallas threatened to deliberately score own goals if he was not allowed to leave Chelsea.[7] Gallas rejected Chelsea's claim and accused the West Londoners of "lack[ing] class" and "hiding behind false accusations."[8] Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager who signed Gallas from Marseille, said of the allegations: "I cannot believe these stories. It is absolutely incredible. I signed William and he was always a good professional on the pitch. Of course, I don't know what has happened in the last two years." Among the Chelsea faithful, Gallas's departure turned him almost instantly from a hero into an object of hatred. PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor declared that the whole episode has left a "bad taste in the mouth" and that Chelsea's statement should be taken "with a large pinch of salt."
[edit]Arsenal
[edit]2006–07 season
Gallas signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, where he took the number 10 shirt vacated by the recently-retiredDennis Bergkamp. In an October 2006 interview with the official team magazine, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger explained his decision to hand him the squad number 10 (traditionally a forward's number), "Number three was uncomfortable for him and I had given the rest of the numbers out. In the end I thought it might be a good idea to give the number ten to a defender, because a striker would suffer a lot with the comparison with Dennis. At first I was reluctant to give Dennis's number out, and especially to a defender, but overall I think it's better that way."
Gallas made his full debut for the Gunners at left-back in the team's 1–1 home draw against Middlesbrough on 9 September 2006 and scored his first goal against Sheffield United on 23 September 2006.
[edit]2007–08 season
Gallas was confirmed as Arsenal captain on 9 August 2007, with Kolo Touré, serving as vice-captain. This caused some controversy as Gilberto Silva was expected to receive the captain's arm band. Many people have questioned Wenger for this decision. His first competitive game as Arsenal captain was on 12 August 2007 against Fulham, which ended in a 2–1 victory for Arsenal.[9] Gallas suffered a groin injury in the game against Blackburn on 19 August, but returned to play for Arsenal in their 2–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers on 20 October. In the traditionalArsenal vs Manchester United clash at the Emirates Stadium on 3 November, he scored a last minute goal to give the Gunners a draw.
On 24 November 2007 Gallas scored against Wigan when Bacary Sagna crossed in and Gallas fired a header through the arms of Wigan's goalkeeper Pollitt to open the deadlock.
On 16 December 2007 Gallas scored against his old club Chelsea, which was to be the only goal in the match to secure 3 points for Arsenal. Gallas later reflected on his goal against former club Chelsea, claiming that "When Cesc sent the corner in for my goal, I saw Petr Čechcome off his line and to be honest I was sure he would catch it. So I was surprised when he didn't take it, and it was just a reflex reaction to head it into the goal. I just happened to be there at the right time".[10][verification needed]
Gallas attracted some criticism as a result of his actions in a 2–2 draw against Birmingham City on 23 February 2008—a game in which his teammate Eduardo da Silva had his leg broken following a challenge by Martin Taylor. When Gaël Clichy of Arsenal conceded a penalty in injury time at the end of the second half, Gallas walked into the Birmingham half, apparently in protest. He stood there as Birmingham strikerJames McFadden converted the penalty. He then had to be restrained as he appeared to confront the crowd in fury. After the final whistle, Gallas sat down on the pitch as the rest of the players left the field before being consoled by manager Arsène Wenger.
Gallas also scored for Arsenal against Bolton in a 2–3 win on 29 March 2008, starting the comeback which 10-man Arsenal ultimately completed.
Amid speculation that Gallas would be replaced as club captain following his behaviour during the Birmingham City game, Wenger said that he would consider the matter at the end of the season.[11]
[edit]2008–09 season
In August 2008, it was announced that Gallas would remain the club's captain for the 2008–2009 season.[12] In the 2008–09 season, Gallas has proved especially prolific in the Champions League. He scored 6 goals in Arsenal's campaign, including two against FC Twente and an equalizer against Dynamo Kiev as well as a header against Spurs.
On 29 October 2008, he scored his first league goal of the season against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, scoring Arsenal's second goal in a 4–4 draw.
On 8 November 2008, in a 2–1 victory over Manchester United, he received praise for his display whilst playing alongside former United defender Mikaël Silvestre. It was claimed he outshone United defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić.[13]
In November, Gallas gave an interview to the Associated Press in which he revealed tensions within the squad which were disruptive to team morale, and suggested that Arsenal's younger players needed to show more courage if they were to be successful.[14][15] He was dropped from the squad for the next match, against Manchester City, and was reported to have been fined two weeks' wages.[16] Reports that he had been stripped of the captaincy permanently[17] were confirmed by Arsenal on 24 November; he was succeeded by Cesc Fàbregas. Wenger confirmed that Gallas still had a future with the club, contrary to media speculation, and Gallas played in the following day's Champions League match.[18][19]
On 17 March 2009, Gallas scored the winner in a 2–1 win against Hull City in the quarter finals of the FA Cup.
On 10 April 2009, it was confirmed that Gallas would miss the remainder of the season after damaging the medial ligament in his right knee during the UEFA Champions League 2008-09 quarter-final first leg tie against Villareal CF. The match finished 1–1 with Gallas only lasting 43 minutes of the first half.
[edit]2009–10 season
Despite enduring a below-par season, William Gallas started the 2009–10 campaign in fine form, scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games. He has formed a partnership with Belgian centre back Thomas Vermaelen,[20] Arsenal's only major summer signing, and the pair scored 7 goals between them in their first eight league games. On 22 August, in the first home game of the season, he scored a bizarre goal againstPortsmouth; Vermaelen had attempted to score a slide-in from a corner kick but Gallas accidentally flicked the ball onto his face and it bounced into the net.[21]
On 17 February, Gallas started his 100th league game for Arsenal in the 2–0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Gallas suffered an injury hit second half of the season and didn't play for over two months , he was surprisingly included in the starting line up against FC Barcelona only to get stretchered off before halftime with a recurrence of the injury, It proved to be his last game for Arsenal. After talks over a new contract failed Gallas left the club over the summer as a free agent having made a total of 142 appearances and scoring 17 goals for the club.
On 28 April, Arsene Wenger announced that talks about Gallas' future will only go until end of May and that if an agreement was not reached by then, he would most likely leave the club.[22] Public statements made by Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood suggested that the club felt that the contractual demands made by Gallas were unreasonable and not made in good faith.[23] It was reported that such demands included an £80,000 a week pay cheque over a two year period.
[edit]Tottenham Hotspur
[edit]2010–11 season
On the 20 August 2010 Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp confirmed that William Gallas was set to join the club and described the move as a "no-brainer".[24] The transfer was confirmed on 22 August, with Gallas signing a one-year contract at White Hart Lane.[25]According to Tottenham's club historian, the move meant that Gallas would become the first player to have appeared for Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham (Clive Allen played for Tottenham and Chelsea and had a spell with Arsenal early in his career, but did not make an appearance for them).[26] After training with his new team for the first time, Gallas stated that he believed that Spurs have the potential to win the Premier League.[27] Gallas made his Spurs first-team debut on 11 September in a 1–1 draw away at West Bromwich Albion.[28]
[edit]International career
Gallas was a part of the France U-18 European Championship winning side. He also played for the France U-20 team in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship along with fellow Frenchmen Willy Sagnol and Thierry Henry.
He is now a regular member for France, having formed Raymond Domenech's first-choice centre-back partnership with Lilian Thuram during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008. He made his full France debut in a 5–0 victory over Slovenia in a Euro 2004 qualifier on 12 October 2002, and was a member of the squad for the tournament's finals. He was in the 2003 Confederations Cup winning side, and more recently he was a member of the squad that reached the 2006 World Cup final. Following the World Cup, he criticised the Portugal team for diving, saying that when the French faced them in the semi-finals they needed to look out for their unfair style of play.[29]
Gallas won his 50th cap for France in the 3–1 win against Italy on 6 September 2006 at the Stade de France in a Euro 2008 qualifying match.
Gallas is still eligible to represent Guadeloupe internationally as well, as they are not FIFA affiliated. His cousin, Ludovic Quistin, has represented Guadeloupe.[4]
On 10 October, he scored for France against Faroe in the 53rd minute.
On 18 November he scored a goal against the Republic of Ireland in extra time of a World Cup playoff. The goal made the score 1–1, and 2–1 to France on aggregate. This meant that France qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The goal was controversial as it was scored after his teammate, Thierry Henry handled the ball twice.[30]
On 30 May 2010, he scored the equalizer against Tunisia in the 63rd minute in a friendly.
[edit]International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 August 2005 | Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France |  Côte d'Ivoire | 1 – 0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 16 August 2006 | Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo, Bosnia |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 – 1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 10 October 2009 | Stade du Roudourou, Guingamp, France |  Faroe Islands | 3 – 0 | 5–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 18 November 2009 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |  Republic of Ireland | 1 – 1 | 1–1 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 30 May 2010 | Stade 7 Novembre, Radès, Tunisia |  Tunisia | 1 – 1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
[edit]Statistics
| Club Performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| France | League | Coupe de France | Coupe de la Ligue | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1995/96 | Caen | Division 2 | 16 | 0 | - | 16 | 0 | |||||
| 1996/97 | Division 1 | 18 | 0 | - | 18 | 0 | ||||||
| 1997/98 | Marseille | 3 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| 1998/99 | 30 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||||||
| 1999/00 | 22 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 1 | ||||||
| 2000/01 | 29 | 2 | - | 29 | 2 | |||||||
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2001/02 | Chelsea | Premier League | 30 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 2 |
| 2002/03 | 38 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 4 | ||
| 2003/04 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 45 | 1 | ||
| 2004/05 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 46 | 2 | ||
| 2005/06 | 34 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 44 | 5 | ||
| 2006/07 | Arsenal | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 3 | |
| 2007/08 | 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 4 | ||
| 2008/09 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2009/10 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2010/11 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Country | France | 118 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 134 | 3 | |||||
| England | 268 | 24 | 26 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 66 | 4 | 371 | 30 | ||
| Total | 386 | 26 | 26 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 82 | 5 | 505 | 33 | ||
Stats accurate as of 15:59, 04 November 2010 (UTC).
| France national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 |
| 2003 | 8 | 0 |
| 2004 | 15 | 0 |
| 2005 | 11 | 1 |
| 2006 | 15 | 1 |
| 2007 | 7 | 0 |
| 2008 | 10 | 0 |
| 2009 | 9 | 2 |
| 2010 | 6 | 1 |
| Total | 84 | 5 |
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