Sylvain Wiltord

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Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Wiltord Rennes 081229.jpg
Wiltord training with Rennes in 2008
Personal information
Full name Sylvain Claude Wiltord [1]
Date of birth (1974-05-10) 10 May 1974 (age 50) [2]
Place of birth Neuilly-sur-Marne, France
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) [3]
Position(s) Right winger [4]
Youth career
–1988 Neuilly-sur-Marne
1988–1991 Joinville-le-Pont
1991–1993 Rennes
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1991–1996 Rennes 91 (28)
1996–1997 Deportivo La Coruña 0 (0)
1996–1997 → Rennes (loan) 35 (3)
1997–2000 Bordeaux 99 (46)
2000–2004 Arsenal 106 (31)
2004–2007 Lyon 82 (20)
2007–2009 Rennes 31 (6)
2009 Marseille 13 (1)
2010 Metz 15 (3)
2011–2012 Nantes 33 (8)
Total505(146)
International career
1999–2006 France 92 (26)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Flag of France.svg  France
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2000
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner 2001
Winner 2003
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2006
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sylvain Claude Wiltord (born 10 May 1974) is a French former professional footballer. Mainly a right winger, he also played as a centre-forward, second striker and on the left wing. [4]

Contents

Wiltord had a four-season spell at Arsenal, with whom he won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups. He also won the Ligue 1 title at Bordeaux and in each of his three consecutive seasons at Lyon.

With the France national team, Wiltord earned 92 caps and scored 26 goals. He played at the 1996 Olympics, two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships. Wiltord was part of the teams which won Euro 2000 (for which he scored a last minute equaliser to take the final to extra time) and reached the final of the 2006 World Cup.

Club career

Early career, Rennes and Bordeaux

Wiltord joined Rennes from lower-league side CO Joinville [5] in 1991.[ citation needed ] At Rennes, he emerged in the 1993–94 season with eight goals in 26 games.[ citation needed ]

In summer 1996, after Wiltord's excelled for France at the 1996 Summer Olympics Spanish La Liga club Deportivo de La Coruña reached an agreement with Rennes for him to join from 1 July 1997. [6] As part of the agreement a transfer fee of 300 million pesetas (€1.8 million) was paid to Rennes [6] while Wiltord was loaned back to Rennes for the 1996–97 season. In the summer of 1997, at the end of his spell on loan, he returned to Spain only to request a move back to France so as to link up with Bordeaux. For this transfer a fee of 375 million pesetas (€2.25 million) [6] and a 40% sell-on clause were agreed. [7]

He was ever-present in his first term at Bordeaux and went on to score 22 goals in the following 1998–99 season, where he won the golden boot as Bordeaux lifted the Ligue 1 championship. [8]

Arsenal

Wiltord was signed by English club Arsenal, for what was then a club record fee of £13 million in August 2000, weeks after scoring the stoppage-time equaliser in the Euro 2000 Final. [9] This record fee was not surpassed until eight and a half years later when Arsenal paid £15 million for Russian winger Andrey Arshavin. Whilst with the Gunners he was occasionally paired with Thierry Henry up front or otherwise upon the wing. [10] Wiltord made his debut as a substitute against Chelsea on 6 September 2000, [11] and his first goal followed against Coventry City on 16 September 2000. [12] A highlight in his first season was scoring a first half hat-trick in a win against West Ham United. [13] Arsenal reached the 2001 FA Cup Final which Wiltord started. He was substituted for Ray Parlour with Arsenal leading 1–0, however Liverpool ultimately came back and scored two late goals to win 2–1. [14]

In the 2001–02 season Wiltord scored ten goals in the league as Arsenal finished as champions. [15] He scored crucial winning goals along the way against Chelsea and Everton. [16] [17] The highlight of Wiltord's Arsenal career came at the end of that season; scoring the winning goal over Manchester United at Old Trafford, a 1–0 win which clinched the 2001–02 Premier League title as Arsenal achieved The Double on 8 May. [18] Returning to Old Trafford the following season in the FA Cup, Wiltord netted again as Arsenal saw off United 2–0 in a year where they also won the Cup. [19] Wiltord started the 2002 FA Cup Final and played as a substitute in the 2003 final. [20] [21]

Wiltord went on to form part of Arsenal's 2003–04 "Invincibles" season, though his appearances were less frequent towards the end of the campaign. During the season he made a total of 12 league appearances, which was enough to earn a title winners' medal. [22] Altogether he played 175 times for the Gunners in all competitions, scoring a total of 49 goals. [10]

In June 2008, Wiltord was voted 33rd in a list of 50 of the greatest Arsenal players of all time. [10]

Lyon

When his contract with Arsenal expired in the summer of 2004, Wiltord trained for two weeks with Rennes and rejected a move to newly promoted Premier League team West Bromwich Albion. [23] He was also reportedly keen on a move to Arsenal's rivals Tottenham Hotspur. [24] On 31 August, he signed for Lyon on an initial two-year contract. [25] Moving to Lyon, Wiltord found further success, winning three Ligue 1 titles and reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League in successive seasons.[ citation needed ]

Rennes

Wiltord signed for Rennes in August 2007 on a two-year contract and with an opportunity to join the coaching staff when he finished his professional career.[ citation needed ]

Marseille

He joined Marseille on 15 January 2009 for the remainder of the Ligue 1 season. On 17 May 2009, he scored Marseille's only goal in a 3–1 loss to Lyon at home. [26] He was released at the end of the 2008–09 season, and was considering a possible move to either America, UAE or perhaps retirement. [27]

Metz

On 30 January 2010, after training with US Créteil, [28] Wiltord signed with FC Metz until the end of the season. [29]

Nantes

On 18 July 2011, Wiltord came back from retirement and signed a contract at Nantes until the end of 2011–12. [30] He announced his immediate retirement on 11 June 2012. [31]

International career

Wiltord made his debut for France in a 2–0 victory over England on 10 February 1999 at Wembley Stadium. For France, Wiltord has been capped 92 times, scoring 26 goals. His most memorable goal for Les Bleus was scored in dramatic fashion in the last seconds of the UEFA Euro 2000 Final against Italy to tie the match 1–1 and bring the game to extra-time. France then won the final from a golden goal scored by David Trezeguet. [32]

Wiltord remained in the national squad for the 2002 World Cup, where France endured a shocking first round exit without a single win or scoring a single goal, the worst ever performance by a defending champion at the World Cup.[ citation needed ]

Wiltord also took part at UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal, having played seven games in the qualifying campaign with a fantastic return of six goals. However, a poor performance from Les Bleus saw a shocking quarter-final exit at the hands of eventual surprise winners Greece. [33]

Wiltord also was a part of Raymond Domenech's France squad that played in the 2006 World Cup final against arch-rivals Italy. Wiltord scored France's first penalty in the ensuing penalty shootout following the 1–1 draw, but France lost the shootout 5–3. [34]

Wiltord is France's 12th highest scorer with 26 goals netted for Les Bleus. [35]

Personal life

Wiltord's parents moved from Martinique to metropolitan France before his birth.[ citation needed ]

Born in Neuilly-sur-Marne, a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, to a mother from the West Indies and a father he did not know. [36] he was one of eight children. [37] At the age of 14, he went to live at his 27-year-old sister's apartment where he cared for his 2-year-old niece. [38]

In 2015, he competed on the TF1 reality show Dropped , in which sportspeople were dropped by helicopter into inhospitable environments. The day after his elimination from the programme, there was a mid-air helicopter collision which killed ten, including three contestants: swimmer Camille Muffat, boxer Alexis Vastine, and sailor Florence Arthaud. He wrote on Twitter after the crash, "I'm sad for my friends, I'm trembling, I'm horrified, I have no words, I don't want to say anything." [39]

Media

Wiltord was sponsored by sportswear company Nike and appeared in Nike commercials. In a global Nike advertising campaign in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, he starred in a "Secret Tournament" commercial (branded "Scopion KO") directed by Terry Gilliam, appearing alongside football players such as Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Edgar Davids, Fabio Cannavaro, Francesco Totti, Ronaldinho, Luís Figo and Hidetoshi Nakata, with former player Eric Cantona the tournament "referee". [40] [41]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition [42] [4]
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cup [b] EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Rennes 1992–93 Division 2 2000–––20
1993–94 26810–––278
1994–95 Division 1 2651000––275
1995–96 37151023––4018
Total91283023––9631
Rennes (loan) 1996–97 Division 13532030––403
Bordeaux 1997–98 Division 1341124512 [c] 0–4316
1998–99 332200108 [c] 5–4227
1999–2000 3213402012 [d] 41 [e] 05117
Total994664812291013660
Arsenal 2000–01 Premier League 278661013 [d] 1–4715
2001–02 3310723411 [d] 1–5417
2002–03 3410720012 [d] 11 [f] 05413
2003–04 12300314 [d] 01 [f] 0204
Total106312010754032017549
Lyon 2004–05 Ligue 1 25322008 [d] 6–3511
2005–06 3512300010 [d] 2–4814
2006–07 22510226 [d] 0–317
Total82206222248–11432
Rennes 2007–08 Ligue 125621104 [c] 0–327
2008–09 60001120–91
Total316212160–418
Marseille 2008–09 Ligue 1131100000–141
Metz 2009–10 Ligue 2 153000000–153
Nantes 2011–12 Ligue 2338001000–348
Career total50514640172512922030665195

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
France
199982
2000146
2001134
2002113
2003135
200483
200591
2006162
Total9226
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wiltord goal.
List of international goals scored by Sylvain Wiltord
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
131 March 1999 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 1–02–0 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
25 June 1999Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Russia.svg  Russia 2–12–3UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
329 March 2000 Hampden Park, Glasgow, ScotlandFlag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 1–02–0 Friendly
46 June 2000 Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, MoroccoFlag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 5–15–1 2000 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament
511 June 2000 Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, BelgiumFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 3–03–0 UEFA Euro 2000
62 July 2000 Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, NetherlandsFlag of Italy.svg  Italy 1–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2000
74 October 2000Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 1–01–1Friendly
815 November 2000 BJK İnönü Stadium, Istanbul, TurkeyFlag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 2–04–0Friendly
924 March 2001Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Japan.svg  Japan 3–05–0Friendly
1025 April 2001Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 1–04–0Friendly
1130 May 2001 Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu, South KoreaFlag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 5–05–0 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
123 June 2001 Munsu Cup Stadium, Ulsan, South KoreaFlag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 1–04–02001 FIFA Confederations Cup
137 September 2002 GSP Stadium, Nicosia, CyprusFlag of Cyprus (1960-2006).svg  Cyprus 2–12–1 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
1412 October 2002Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 4–05–0UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
1516 October 2002 Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, MaltaFlag of Malta.svg  Malta 3–04–0UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
1629 March 2003 Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens, FranceFlag of Malta.svg  Malta 1–06–0UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
1726 June 2003Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 3–13–2 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
1820 August 2003 Stade de Genève, Genève, SwitzerlandFlag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 1–02–0Friendly
196 September 2003Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Cyprus (1960-2006).svg  Cyprus 2–05–0UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
203–0
2128 May 2004 Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, FranceFlag of Andorra.svg  Andorra 1–04–0Friendly
222–0
2313 October 2004 GSP Stadium, Nicosia, CyprusFlag of Cyprus (1960-2006).svg  Cyprus 1–02–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2412 October 2005Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Cyprus (1960-2006).svg  Cyprus 2–04–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
251 March 2006Stade de France, Saint-Denis, FranceFlag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 1–11–2Friendly
2631 May 2006Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens, FranceFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 2–02–0Friendly

Honours

Bordeaux [8]

Arsenal [43]

Lyon [8]

France [8]

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "La Firme W". BFM Verif (in French). NextInteractive. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
    "Sylvain Wiltord". Verif.com (in French). Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Sylvain Wiltord: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "Sylvain Wiltord". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  5. ↑ Flandre, Laurent (26 March 1996). "Wiltord, banlieusard et footballeur, que "les flics saluent" aujourd'hui". L'Humanité (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Hermida, Xosé (29 July 1997). "El juego del 'pelotazo'". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  7. ↑ Thorpe, Martin (25 August 2000). "Arsenal finally capture Wiltord". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Sylvain Wiltord". Eurosport.com.
  9. ↑ "Arsenal finally capture Wiltord". The Guardian.com. 25 August 2000.
  10. 1 2 3 Arsenal F.C. (12 June 2008). "Gunners' Greatest Players 33. Sylvain Wiltord , News Archive , News". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  11. ↑ "Arsenal earn amazing draw". BBC. 6 September 2000. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  12. ↑ "Arsenal hold on against Coventry". BBC Sport. 16 September 2000. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  13. ↑ "Wiltord treble sinks Hammers". BBC Sport. 3 March 2001. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  14. ↑ "Arsenal 1 - 2 Liverpool". Guardian. 12 May 2001. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  15. ↑ "Games played by Sylvain Wiltord in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "Arsenal stun Chelsea". BBC. 26 December 2001. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "Arsenal edge past Everton". BBC. 10 February 2002. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "Arsenal clinch Double". BBC News. 8 May 2002.
  19. ↑ "Arsenal cruise past Man Utd". 16 February 2003. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  20. ↑ "Arsenal lift FA Cup". BBC. 16 February 2003. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  21. ↑ "Arsenal retain FA Cup". BBC. 17 May 2003. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  22. ↑ "Games played by Sylvain Wiltord in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  23. ↑ "Wiltord rejects Baggies". BBC Sport. 28 August 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  24. ↑ "Wiltord wants Spurs move". BBC Sport. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  25. ↑ "Wiltord seals Lyon move". BBC News. 31 August 2004.
  26. ↑ "Wiltord secures Marseille loan , Sky Sports , Football , Transfer Centre , Done Deal". Sky Sports. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  27. ↑ Hilairsaint, Thierry (11 July 2009). "Quel avenir pour Sylvain Wiltord?". Foot Mercato (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  28. ↑ "La tentation Sylvain Wiltord" [The temptation Sylvain Wiltord]. Le Parisien (in French). 14 January 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  29. ↑ Former Arsenal striker joins Metz; Ontheminute.com, 31 January 2010
  30. ↑ "Former players: Wiltord signs for Nantes". Stade Rennais Online.
  31. ↑ "Former Arsenal striker Sylvain Wiltord announces retirement" . The Independent . 12 June 2012. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
  32. ↑ "BBC SPORT | EURO2000 | ITALY | France win Euro 2000". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  33. ↑ "France 0-1 Greece". 25 June 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  34. ↑ "Italy v France statistics". 9 July 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  35. ↑ "France national football team statistics and records: top scorers". 11 v 11.com.
  36. ↑ Causse, Bruno (3 April 2006). "Sylvain Wiltord, âme de l'Olympique lyonnais". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  37. ↑ Charrier, Pascal (6 January 2006). "Sylvain Wiltord, libre dans sa tête et fort avec ses pieds". La Croix (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  38. ↑ Michel, Frédéric (27 May 2002). "Wiltord : " Quand j'ai vu grandir Vanessa "". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  39. ↑ "Former Arsenal star Sylvain Wiltord shocked by Argentina helicopter crash". The Daily Telegraph. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  40. ↑ "A lighter shoe, cooler kits, a faster ball, a Secret Tournament – every touch counts". NikeBiz. Nike. Archived from the original on 2 June 2002. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  41. ↑ Cozens, Claire (3 April 2002). "Cantona hosts World Cup with a difference". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  42. ↑ "Sylvain Wiltord » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  43. ↑ "Sylvain Wiltord". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
  44. ↑ Garin, Erik; Pierrend, José Luis (8 January 2015). "France – Footballer of the Year". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  45. ↑ "SYLVAIN WILTORD PENS NEW DEAL". OL Web.fr.
  46. ↑ "Palmarès Trophées UNFP - Oscars du football - Equipe-type de Ligue 1" (in French).
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