Yahoo Sports 16 famous footballers you (probably) didn’t know played for Bordeaux
Girondins de Bordeaux have filed for bankruptcy following the collapse of takeover talks with Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool.
The illustrious French club withdrew their appeal against being relegated from Ligue 2 to the third-tier National 1 by French football’s financial watchdog, the DNCG, following the end of talks with FSG.
Bordeaux will now relinquish their professional status, which they’ve held since 1937.
“It’s a difficult decision that anticipates an inevitable consequence of the restructuring process underway,” the club said in a statement.
Bordeaux have won the French title six times, most recently in 2009. Former French internationals Alain Giresse, Jean Tigana, Bernard Lacombe, and current Les Bleus players Aurélien Tchouaméni and Jules Koundé have enjoyed spells at the club.
However, they are not the only ones. We’ve listed 16 more players you might not have known played for this once-great outfit.
Enzo Scifo
Joined: 1988
Left: 1989
League Apps: 24
League Goals: 7
Before the arrival of Belgium’s golden generation spearheaded by Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku, the consensus was that Enzo Scifo was the kingdom’s most celebrated player, if not their all-time greatest. Ahead of guiding Torino to a UEFA Cup final appearance, the attacking midfielder spent three years in France, starting at Bordeaux, where he joined after a brief stint at Inter Milan. His time at Bordeaux was limited to one season, though future World Cup-winning manager Aimé Jacquet coached him.
Mauricio Pochettino
Joined: 2003
Left: 2004
League Apps: 11
League Goals: 1
Espanyol was Mauricio Pochettino’s first port of call after leaving his native Argentina, with Paris Saint-Germain soon enjoying his defensive services. He would leave for Bordeaux, though it was the briefest of stays. He returned to Spain with the Parakeets, initially on loan, where a managerial career that would eventually take him to England’s top division began.
Malcom
Joined: 2016
Left: 2018
League Apps: 84
League Goals: 20
The rate at which Brazil produces footballers is absurd, but it shouldn’t be too surprising given its size and population, coupled with the fact that “futebol” is the nation’s undisputed favourite sport. In the 2010s, São Paulo native Malcom was earmarked as a Seleção Canarinho mainstay but eventually won only two caps, both coming years after leaving Bordeaux, his first European club. A string of eye-catching performances earned him a move to Barcelona, but he struggled to hold down a regular starting berth. Today, he’s playing his trade at Saudi Pro League outfit Al Hilal, where compatriot Neymar also plays.
Martin Braithwaite
Joined: 2018
Left: 2018
League Apps: 14
League Goals: 4
One day, they will commission a documentary about the life and career of Martin Braithwaite, with the Danish marksman recently making headlines with a move to Brazilian side Grêmio, making them his eighth different club spanning five countries. A one-time Middlesbrough player, Braithwaite joined Bordeaux on loan while contracted there. He eventually left for Spanish club Leganés, and unforeseen circumstances earned him a shock move to Barcelona, where he performed credibly despite initial bewilderment.
Albert Riera
Joined: 2003
Left: 2005
League Apps: 53
League Goals: 4
Known to Premier League followers as the Spaniard who turned out for Manchester City and Liverpool in the 2000s, the former Mallorca academy graduate enjoyed strong performances in Ligue 1 and his native La Liga prior to crossing the English Channel. Bordeaux was Albert Riera’s first experience outside the Iberian Peninsula and since leaving Anfield he’s wandered across Europe, representing among others Galatasaray and Olympiacos, before starting a managerial career that led to a Bordeaux return, making Riera the club’s incumbent as they filed for bankruptcy.
Richard Witschge
Joined: 1993
Left: 1996
League Apps: 77
League Goals: 9
A product of Ajax’s esteemed youth setup, Richard Witschge followed in brother Rob’s footsteps by turning professional with the Amsterdam giants before reuniting with former boss Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, though opportunities were too far and few between for the flamboyant midfielder. He rekindled a promising career at Bordeaux that led to a one-league game appearance for Blackburn on loan before returning to Ajax, where he enjoyed his most consistent spell.
Zinedine Zidane
Joined: 1992
Left: 1996
League Apps: 139
League Goals: 28
Pre-Juventus Zinedine Zidane is seldom discussed, but his early years shaped the player he became. The future Ballon d’Or recipient and World Cup winner has spoken fondly about his time at Bordeaux, even praising former teammate Witschge as one of his best. In fact, one could argue that outside the stunning volley against Bayer Leverkusen, his most spectacular strike came in a Bordeaux jersey: the one-time long-range effort against Real Betis during the 1995/96 UEFA Cup.
Sylvain Wiltord
Joined: 1997
Left: 2000
League Apps: 99
League Goals: 46
After impressing with France at the 1996 Summer Olympics, a move to Deportivo La Coruña was agreed with Sylvain Wiltord playing the forthcoming season on loan at boyhood club Rennes. However, the following summer, he requested a move back to France and joined Bordeaux, where his notable performances attracted the attention of Arsène Wenger. He would play an integral role in their 2001/02 double-winning campaign. Wiltord’s sole goal at Old Trafford famously sealed the club’s second Premier League crown in four years.
Pauleta
Joined: 2000
Left: 2003
League Apps: 98
League Goals: 65
Pauleta reset the standard for Portuguese goal-scorers. His 47 international strikes across 88 appearances were impressive by modern standards before Cristiano Ronaldo came along. The hopes of a nation often fell on his shoulders, along with Luís Figo and Rui Costa. Pauleta would earn those caps while representing Bordeaux, where he stands as the club’s fifth-most prolific goalscorer (91 across 130 matches in all competitions ) and number one for non-French players.
Rio Mavuba
Joined: 2003
Left: 2007
League Apps: 127
League Goals: 1
For many years, Rio Mavuba was being linked with a who’s who, but the Bordeaux academy product remained loyal before a disappointing experience at Villarreal saw him return to France, though in a Lille jersey, where he won a second Coupe de France (the first coming with Les Girondins) as well as the 2010/11 Ligue 1 crown. He has since returned as the club’s reserve team assistant coach.
Bixente Lizarazu
Joined: 1988
Left: 1996
League Apps: 246
League Goals: 22
A dynamic left-back, Bixente Lizarazu, was France’s preeminent man in that role and collected 97 caps across 12 years. At Bayern Munich, he became a household name, but the native of Saint-Jean-de-Luz was made in Bordeaux. Before leaving for Athletic Bilbao, he shared a locker room with international teammate and friend Zinedine Zidane, both of whom helped Les Bleus win their home World Cup in 1998 before clinching Euro 2000.
Alou Diarra
Joined: 2007
Left: 2011
League Apps: 133
League Goals: 11
Sometimes, it’s hard to escape the lofty expectations placed on your shoulders. It may have been too easy and misguided to liken him to Patrick Vieira, something Alou Diarra would never reach. Liverpool snapped him up following a Bayern Munich career limited to playing for their reserves. He never made a single Premier League appearance with the Reds, then managed by compatriot Gérard Houllier, who made those comparisons with Arsenal’s indomitable midfielder.
A string of loan spells at Le Havre, Bastia, and Lens followed, though he would make the latter his permanent home, not before moving on to Bordeaux, where Diarra showcased some of the promise thrust upon him. Following his success there, Bayern’s general manager, Uli Hoeneß, admitted that Diarra’s rise to prominence as a footballer is “one of the seven wonders of the world.” Hoeneß admitted that he was surprised by Diarra’s resurgence: “If somebody had told me [he would return for a UEFA Champions League game] five years ago and made a bet with me, I would have lost a fortune.”
Julien Faubert
Joined: 2004 and 2013
Left: 2007 and 2015
League Apps: 144
League Goals: 13
It’s hard to believe Julien Faubert made two league appearances for Real Madrid, but he did. The Le Havre-born midfielder followed Zidane’s path by leaving Cannes—his first club—for Bordeaux. Several strong years earned him a move to West Ham; from there, Los Blancos came calling. Since that ill-fated loan spell, he rehabilitated a promising career back at Bordeaux before embarking on a journeyman career that saw him turn out for the likes of Kilmarnock, Inter Turku, and Borneo. Having played once for France, wearing the number 10 shirt vacated by Zidane, he switched international allegiance to Martinique.
Christophe Dugarry
Joined: 1988 and 2000
Left: 1996 and 2003
League Apps: 252
League Goals: 43
Eyebrows were raised when Christophe Dugarry showed up at Birmingham City, where an illustrious playing career ended. Milan, Barcelona, and Marseille would enjoy the forward’s services, which started at Bordeaux, another player to come out of the club’s youth program. Dugarry was also part of France’s incredible World Cup-European Championship-winning team.
David Bellion
Joined: 2007
Left: 2014
League Apps: 156
League Goals: 28
Another talent produced at Cannes and Sunderland won out over David Bellion’s signature, where he stayed for two seasons before joining defending champions Manchester United, the same summer as one Cristiano Ronaldo. But unlike the former Sporting winger, Bellion never really pulled up any trees at Old Trafford, and it would take many years before he truly settled into a consistent role with Bordeaux (via loan spells at West Ham and Nice, with the latter turning into a permanent stay). A four-time France U21 international, understandably given Les Bleus’ embarrassment of attacking riches during the 2000s, he never earned a full senior cap.
Marouane Chamakh
Joined: 2002
Left: 2010
League Apps: 230
League Goals: 56
Bordeaux’s final championship-winning team, led by Laurent Blanc, which also secured the club’s third Coupe de la Ligue title, had some fascinating characters within it, most notably Yoann Gourcuff (then on loan from Milan, where many felt he’d be Kaká’s successor), the aforementioned Alou Diarra, David Bellion, Fernando Cavenaghi, and Marouane Chamakh, who relocated to Arsenal soon after but, unlike Wiltord before him, the Moroccan international was unable to leave his mark on the Gunners, registering a paltry eight goals across 40 league appearances. Following a disappointing loan spell at West Ham, the Tonneins-born forward enjoyed a modest spell at Crystal Palace before calling time on a 14-year career at Cardiff City.
