Sylvain Wiltord

Sylvain Claude Wiltord (French pronunciation: ​[wiltoʁ]; 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]

Sylvain Wiltord

Wiltord training with Rennes in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Sylvain Claude Wiltord[1]
Date of birth	(1974-05-10) 10 May 1974[2]
Place of birth	Neuilly-sur-Marne, France
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[3]
Playing position(s)	Right winger[4]
Youth career
	Rennes
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(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)
Total		505	(146)
National team
1999–2006	France	92	(26)
Honours Men's football Representing  France FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2006 Germany UEFA European Championship Winner 2000 Belgium–Netherlands FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2001 South Korea–Japan Winner 2003 France
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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 French 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 memorable goal in the final) and reached the final of the 2006 World Cup.

Club career

Early career, Rennes and Bordeaux

Wiltord's career began at Rennes, where he emerged in 1993–94 with eight goals in 26 games.

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.[5] As part of the agreement a transfer fee of 300 million pesetas (€1.8 million) was paid to Rennes[5] 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)[5] and a 40% sell-on clause were agreed.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8] 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.[9] Wiltord made his debut as a substitute against Chelsea on 6 September 2000,[10] and his first goal followed against Coventry City on 16 September 2000.[11] A highlight in his first season was scoring a first half hat-track in a win against West Ham United.[12] 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.[13]

In the 2001–02 season Wiltord scored ten goals in the league as Arsenal finished as champions.[14] He scored crucial winning goals along the way against Chelsea and Everton.[15][16] 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.[17] 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.[18] Wiltord started the 2002 FA Cup Final and played as a substitute in the 2003 final.[19][20]

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.[21] Altogether he played 175 times for the Gunners in all competitions, scoring a total of 49 goals.[9]

In June 2008, Wiltord was voted 33rd in a list of 50 of the greatest Arsenal players of all time.[9]

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.[22] He was also reportedly keen on a move to Arsenal's rivals Tottenham Hotspur.[23] On 31 August, he signed for Lyon on an initial two-year contract.[24] 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.

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.

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.[25] He was released at the end of the 2008–09 season, and was considering a possible move to either America, UAE or perhaps retirement.[26]

Metz

On 30 January 2010, Wiltord signed with Metz until the end of the season.[27]

Nantes

On 18 July 2011, Wiltord came back from retirement and signed a contract at Nantes until the end of 2011–12.[28] He announced his immediate retirement on 11 June 2012.[29]

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wiltord is the most capped French international football player among those that did not take part in Les Bleus' triumphs at a FIFA World Cup.

Wiltord is also France's tenth highest scorer with 26 goals netted for Les Bleus.[30]

Personal life

Wiltord's parents moved from Martinique to metropolitan France before his birth.

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."[31]

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".[32][33]

Career statistics

Club

Sources:[34][4]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other[35]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rennes	1992–93	Division 2	2	0							–		2	0
	1993–94		26	8							–		26	8
	1994–95	Division 1	26	5							–		26	5
	1995–96		37	15	1	0	2	3			–		40	18
	1996–97 (loan)		35	3	2	0	3	0			–		40	3
	Total		126	31	3	0	5	3			0	0	134	34
Bordeaux	1997–98	Division 1	34	11	2	4	5	1	2	0	–		43	16
	1998–99		33	22	0	0	1	0	8	5	–		42	27
	1999–00		32	13	4	0	2	0	12	4	1	0	51	17
	Total		99	46	6	4	8	1	22	9	1	0	136	60
Arsenal	2000–01	Premier League	27	8	6	6	1	0	13	1	–		47	15
	2001–02		33	10	7	2	3	4	11	1	–		54	17
	2002–03		34	10	7	2	0	0	12	1	1	0	54	13
	2003–04		12	3	0	0	3	1	4	0	1	0	20	4
	Total		106	31	20	10	7	5	40	3	2	0	175	49
Lyon	2004–05	Ligue 1	25	3	2	2	0	0	8	6	–		35	11
	2005–06		35	12	3	0	0	0	10	2	–		48	14
	2006–07		22	5	1	0	2	2	6	0	–		31	7
	Total		82	20	6	2	2	2	24	8	0	0	114	32
Rennes	2007–08	Ligue 1	25	6	2	1	1	0	4	0	–		32	7
	2008–09		6	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	–		9	1
	Total		31	6	2	1	2	1	6	0	0	0	41	8
Marseille	2008–09	Ligue 1	13	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	–		14	1
Metz	2009–10	Ligue 2	15	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		15	3
Nantes	2011–12	Ligue 2	33	8	0	0	1	0	0	0	–		34	8
Total			505	146	38	17	25	12	92	20	3	0	663	195

International

Source:[36]

France national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1999	8	2
2000	14	6
2001	13	4
2002	11	3
2003	13	5
2004	8	3
2005	9	1
2006	16	2
Total	92	26

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	31 March 1999	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Armenia	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
2.	5 June 1999	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Russia	2–1	2–3	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
3.	29 March 2000	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	Scotland	0–1	0–2	Friendly match
4.	6 June 2000	Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco	Morocco	1–5	1–5	2000 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament
5.	11 June 2000	Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, Belgium	Denmark	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2000
6.	2 July 2000	Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Italy	1–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2000
7.	4 October 2000	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Cameroon	1–0	1–1	Friendly match
8.	15 November 2000	BJK İnönü Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	Turkey	0–2	0–4	Friendly match
9.	24 March 2001	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Japan	3–0	5–0	Friendly match
10.	25 April 2001	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Portugal	1–0	4–0	Friendly match
11.	30 May 2001	Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu, South Korea	South Korea	5–0	5–0	2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
12.	3 June 2001	Munsu Cup Stadium, Ulsan, South Korea	Mexico	1–0	4–0	2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
13.	7 September 2002	GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus	Cyprus	1–2	1–2	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
14.	12 October 2002	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Slovenia	4–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
15.	16 October 2002	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Malta	0–3	0–4	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
16.	29 March 2003	Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens, France	Malta	1–0	6–0	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
17.	26 June 2003	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Turkey	3–1	3–2	2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
18.	20 August 2003	Stade de Genève, Genève, Switzerland	Switzerland	0–1	0–2	Friendly match
19.	6 September 2003	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Cyprus	2–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
20.				3–0
21.	28 May 2004	Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France	Andorra	1–0	4–0	Friendly match
22.				2–0
23.	13 October 2004	GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus	Cyprus	0–1	0–2	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
24.	12 October 2005	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Cyprus	2–0	4–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
25.	1 March 2006	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Slovakia	1–1	1–2	Friendly match
26.	25 April 2006	Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens, France	Denmark	2–0	2–0	Friendly match

Honours

Bordeaux[7]

• Division 1: 1998–99

Arsenal[37]

• Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04[38]
• FA Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03
• FA Community Shield: 2002

Lyon[7]

• Ligue 1: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07

France[7]

• UEFA European Championship: 2000
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001, 2003

Individual

• French Footballer of the Year: 1999[39]
• Premier League Player of the Month: August 2002[38]
• UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2005 & 2006[40][41]

References

1. "Entreprise SWD à Villeurbanne (69100)" [Company SWD in Villeurbanne (69100)]. Figaro Entreprises (in French). Société du Figaro. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
   "Sylvain Wiltord". BFM Business (in French). Retrieved 27 January 2019.
2. "FIFA World Cup Germany 2006: List of players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 11. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
3. "Player Profile: Sylvain Wiltord". Premier League. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
4. "Sylvain Wiltord". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
5. Hermida, Xosé (29 July 1997). "El juego del 'pelotazo'". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2019.
6. Thorpe, Martin (25 August 2000). "Arsenal finally capture Wiltord". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
7. "Sylvain Wiltord". Eurosport.com.
8. "Arsenal finally capture Wiltord". The Guardian.com.
9. Arsenal F.C. (12 June 2008). "Gunners' Greatest Players 33. Sylvain Wiltord , News Archive , News". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
10. "Arsenal earn amazing draw". BBC. 6 September 2000. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
11. "Arsenal hold on against Coventry". BBC Sport. 16 September 2000. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
12. "Wiltord treble sinks Hammers". BBC Sport. 3 March 2001. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
13. "Arsenal 1 - 2 Liverpool". Guardian. 12 May 2001. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
14. "Games played by Sylvain Wiltord in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
15. "Arsenal stun Chelsea". BBC. 26 December 2001. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
16. "Arsenal edge past Everton". BBC. 10 February 2002. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
17. "Arsenal clinch Double". BBC News. 8 May 2002.
18. "Arsenal cruise past Man Utd". 16 February 2003. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
19. "Arsenal lift FA Cup". BBC. 16 February 2003. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
20. "Arsenal retain FA Cup". BBC. 17 May 2003. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
21. "Games played by Sylvain Wiltord in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
22. "Wiltord rejects Baggies". BBC Sport. 28 August 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
23. "Wiltord wants Spurs move". BBC Sport. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
24. "Wiltord seals Lyon move". BBC News. 31 August 2004.
25. "Wiltord secures Marseille loan , Sky Sports , Football , Transfer Centre , Done Deal". Sky Sports. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
26. "Quel avenir pour Sylvain Wiltord ?". Footmercato.net. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
27. Former Arsenal striker joins Metz; Ontheminute.com, 31 January 2010
28. "Former players: Wiltord signs for Nantes". Stade Rennais Online.
29. "Former Arsenal striker Sylvain Wiltord announces retirement". The Independent.
30. "France national football team statistics and records: top scorers". 11 v 11.com.
31. "Former Arsenal star Sylvain Wiltord shocked by Argentina helicopter crash". The Daily Telegraph. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
32. "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.
33. Cozens, Claire (3 April 2002). "Cantona hosts World Cup with a difference". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
34. "Sylvain Wiltord » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
35. Trophee des Champions and FA Community Shield
36. "Sylvain Wiltord – Goals in International Matches". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
37. "Sylvain Wiltord". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
38. "Sylvain Wiltord: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
39. 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.
40. "SYLVAIN WILTORD PENS NEW DEAL". OL Web.fr.
41. "Palmarès Trophées UNFP - Oscars du football - Equipe-type de Ligue 1" (in French).

External links

• Sylvain Wiltord's profile, stats & pics
• Photos & stats at sporting-heroes.net
• Sylvain Wiltord at Soccerbase
• Sylvain Wiltord at L'Équipe Football (in French)
• article at footmercato.net
• survived a crash dropped at segundoenfoque.com.ar