Fabien Barthez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fabien Barthez

Barthez with Marseille in 2006
Personal information
Full name	Fabien Alain Barthez
Date of birth	(1971-06-28) 28 June 1971 (age 54)
Place of birth	Lavelanet, France
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1979–1986	Stade Lavelanétien
1986–1990	Toulouse
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990–1992	Toulouse	26	(0)
1992–1995	Marseille	106	(0)
1995–2000	Monaco	143	(0)
2000–2004	Manchester United	92	(0)
2003–2004	→ Marseille (loan)	20	(0)
2004–2006	Marseille	54	(0)
2006–2007	Nantes	16	(0)
Total		457	(0)
International career
1991	France U21	2	(0)
1994–2006	France	87	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing  France FIFA World Cup Winner 1998 Runner-up 2006 UEFA European Championship Winner 2000 FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2003
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fabien Alain Barthez, born on June 28, 1971, is a famous French athlete. He was a professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for several big clubs in France and England, including Toulouse, Marseille, Monaco, Manchester United, and Nantes.

Barthez also played for the French national team. With them, he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000, and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. He played in three World Cups and three European Championships. He even reached the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup before he stopped playing international football.

People called him Le Divin Chauve, which means "The Divine Bald One," because of his shaved head. Barthez played in more FIFA World Cup matches than any other French player, with 17 appearances. He also holds the record for the most World Cup clean sheets (meaning he didn't let any goals in) with ten, sharing this record with Peter Shilton. In club football, he won the UEFA Champions League with Olympique Marseille in 1993. He also won several French Ligue 1 and English Premier League titles. After stopping his football career in 2007, Barthez started a new career in motorsport in 2008.

Fabien Barthez: Early Life

Fabien Barthez was born in Lavelanet, a town in France.

Playing for Clubs

Playing for Marseille

Barthez started his professional football career with Toulouse. His first big game was on September 21, 1991, against Nancy. In 1992, he moved to Marseille. In his first season there, he helped his team win the French championship and the Champions League. He didn't let any goals in during the Champions League final, which Marseille won 1–0 against Milan. This made him the youngest goalkeeper to win a Champions League title at the time.

Later, Marseille lost their French championship title because of a match fixing scandal. They were also forced to play in the second division in 1994 due to money problems. Barthez stayed with the team in Division 2 for the 1994–95 season, even though many top French clubs wanted him. He helped Marseille win the Division 2 title, but they couldn't be promoted back to Ligue 1 that year because of their punishment. They were promoted the next season.

Playing for Monaco

In 1995, Barthez joined Monaco. He helped them win the Ligue 1 title in 1997 and again in 2000. He was part of a strong Monaco team that famously knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League in 1998. Monaco won on away goals after a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford.

Playing for Manchester United

Barthez's great performances in the World Cup and Euros caught the eye of Manchester United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson was looking for a top goalkeeper. Barthez joined United in 2000 for about £7.8 million. He later played alongside his French teammate Laurent Blanc, who joined United in 2001. Before Champions League matches, Barthez and Blanc had a special good luck ritual where Blanc would kiss Barthez's bald head.

Barthez was known for being a bit unusual, but he started very well at Manchester United. His first season was a big success. He played brilliantly and quickly became a favorite with the fans. Supporters loved his unique style, like when he would dribble the ball past opposing players. Most importantly, they loved his amazing saves. His critical saves often saved United from losing or dropping important points, helping them win the 2000–01 FA Premier League title, their third in a row.

In March 2001, during a game against Leeds United, Barthez made a mistake. He dropped a cross, and then fouled Ian Harte, giving Leeds a penalty. Harte took the shot, but Barthez made a fantastic save, diving low to his right. Another memorable moment happened in an FA Cup match against West Ham United. West Ham's Paolo Di Canio scored a goal while Barthez stood still, expecting the referee to blow his whistle for offside. Di Canio kept going and scored, later saying it was "better to score and then see whether the goalkeeper is right or wrong."

The 2001–02 season was a bit mixed for Barthez. At first, he took some unnecessary risks outside his penalty area, which led to goals for the other team. He was blamed for two goals in a 3–2 loss to Deportivo de La Coruña in October 2001. Sir Alex Ferguson warned him about these risks. Later, he made more errors against Arsenal, giving two goals to Thierry Henry. Despite some criticism, Sir Alex Ferguson trusted Barthez and kept him in the team. In the second half of the season, Barthez played much better, making the spectacular saves he was known for.

Barthez was also known for playing mind games before opponents took penalties. In November 2001, when Leicester City had a penalty, Barthez stood away from the goal, leaning on the post. The referee made Muzzy Izzet retake the penalty, and this time Barthez saved it. A similar thing happened in October 2002 against Fulham. Barthez was unhappy about the penalty call and walked around the goal. He was given a yellow card, but then he saved Steed Malbranque's penalty kick.

The 2002–03 season ended with another Premier League title for United. Barthez had some great moments, like a fantastic save against Dietmar Hamann's powerful shot at Anfield against Liverpool. However, he also let in some goals he should have saved and had a period of poor form. Barthez was criticized when United lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League, especially for Ronaldo's first goal. This was his last game for United, as Sir Alex Ferguson decided to make a change. Roy Carroll took his place for the final games of the season.

Back to Marseille

Because of his poor form and the arrival of a new goalkeeper, Tim Howard, Barthez faced tough competition at United. In October 2003, Howard became the main goalkeeper. United agreed to let Barthez leave his contract after the 2003–04 season. They also agreed to loan him back to his old club, Marseille, for the rest of that season. Barthez started training with Marseille. The loan deal was officially completed on January 1, 2004, when the transfer window reopened. On April 27, Marseille and Barthez agreed to a new contract that would keep him at the club until 2006.

In February 2005, during a friendly match between Marseille and Morocco's Wydad Casablanca, a Marseille player was sent off, and a small argument started. Barthez was later suspended for six months, with three months suspended, for his actions during the incident. This suspension was later extended to six full months.

Retiring from Football

On August 8, 2006, Barthez said he hoped to play professional football for two more years. He wanted to return to his first club, Toulouse, to be near his mother. However, he said if he didn't find a club by August 31, he would stop playing. On October 5, 2006, it was confirmed that he had retired from football because he couldn't agree to a return to Toulouse. Barthez said, "The only club I wanted to go to was not so happy to have me. It happens and you have to live with it."

A Brief Comeback

Barthez playing for Nantes against St. Etienne in 2006.

On December 17, 2006, Barthez announced he was returning to football. He signed a contract with the French club Nantes. Nantes needed an experienced goalkeeper after their previous one, Mickaël Landreau, moved to Paris Saint-Germain.

However, on April 29, 2007, Nantes' chairman announced that Barthez had left the city with his family after an argument with a fan. The next day, Barthez confirmed he had quit the team, and his contract was ended. Barthez said he wasn't planning to retire completely and was looking for another contract. He was linked with many clubs, but nothing worked out, and he didn't play professional football again.

Helping Luzenac

In 2012, Barthez became the honorary president of Championnat National team Luzenac. In this role, he personally helped bring players like Quentin Westberg and Nicolas Dieuze to the club.

Playing for France

Starting with France

Fabien Barthez played his first game for France on May 26, 1994. France won 1–0 against Australia. Barthez was a backup goalkeeper at UEFA Euro 1996. After that tournament, he became the main goalkeeper for France and kept that position for ten years.

Winning the 1998 World Cup

In the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which France hosted, Barthez was amazing. He only let in two goals in seven games. He won the Yashin Award for being the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Barthez was also famous for his teammate and good friend, Laurent Blanc, kissing his shaved head before every match for good luck. Barthez was a key part of France winning their first World Cup. He kept five clean sheets during the tournament. The only goals he let in were a penalty against Denmark and a goal against Croatia in the semi-final. In the quarter-final against Italy, he saved a penalty kick. He also kept a clean sheet in the final, where France beat defending champions Brazil 3–0. After France's World Cup win, Barthez became one of the most popular players in the country, alongside Zinedine Zidane.

Euro 2000 Victory

Two years later, Barthez was still the starting goalkeeper when France won Euro 2000. This was a special achievement because it was the first time in 26 years that a national team held both the World Cup and Euro titles. After this win, France was ranked as the top football team in the world from 2001 to 2002.

World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004

Barthez played for France in the 2002 World Cup. However, France had a tough tournament and left in the first round without winning a game or scoring a goal. He did keep one clean sheet in a 0–0 draw against Uruguay. He was also the starting goalkeeper when France won the Confederations Cup in 2003. He also played in Euro 2004. In that tournament, he saved David Beckham's penalty shot in the first group match. France was knocked out in the quarter-finals by the eventual winners, Greece.

World Cup 2006 Final

Many people were surprised when Barthez was chosen as the starting goalkeeper for France's 2006 World Cup campaign. There was a lot of public support for Grégory Coupet to be the starter. France started slowly in the group stage, drawing their first two games. But they found their form and won their final group match 2–0 to move to the next stage. They then beat a strong Spain team 3–1 in the round of 16.

On July 1, 2006, France beat Brazil 1–0. Barthez became the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet against Brazil in two World Cup finals matches in a row (the first was in 1998). France is one of only four nations to have shut out Brazil twice in the World Cup finals, and the first to do it in consecutive matches, both times with Barthez in goal.

Barthez kept another clean sheet – his fourth of the tournament – in the semi-final against Portugal. Zinedine Zidane scored the winning goal from a penalty. Barthez briefly became captain of his team during the final against Italy after Zidane was sent off. In the penalty shootout, neither Barthez nor the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon made a save. France striker David Trezeguet missed his shot, which meant Italy won. This was Barthez's 87th and final international game, as he retired from international football after the tournament.

Life After Football: Racing Cars

Barthez competing in the European Le Mans Series' 4 Hours of Silverstone in 2017

After retiring from football in 2007, Barthez started a new career in motorsport in 2008. He began racing in some events in the Porsche Carrera Cup France. He also competed in other racing series. In 2010, he got his first podium finish in the FFSA GT Championship. In 2012, he won his first race in the FFSA series. In 2013, he became the French GT Champion alongside Morgan Moullin-Traffort, driving a Ferrari.

In February 2014, it was announced that Barthez would race in the famous 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He drove a Ferrari 458. Barthez and his co-drivers finished 29th overall in the race.

Coaching Football

On July 2, 2010, when Laurent Blanc became the new manager of the France national team, Barthez joined the team's coaching staff. He worked as a goalkeeping coach.

How Fabien Barthez Played

Experts say Barthez was one of the best goalkeepers of his time. He is considered one of France's greatest goalkeepers ever. He was not very tall for a goalkeeper, but he was very athletic. He was known for his ability to jump high, make good decisions, and be brave when coming out to get the ball. This made him good in the air despite his height. However, sometimes his height and handling could cause problems with high balls.

Barthez was a flashy and natural goalkeeper. He was very agile and had amazing reflexes, which allowed him to make spectacular and important saves. He also had good positioning. Besides his shot-stopping skills, Barthez was a popular and well-known football figure. He was known for his outgoing personality, confidence, and calmness under pressure. He was also a leader from the back and had a strong presence in goal.

Barthez was also highly praised for his excellent skills with the ball at his feet. He could pass accurately with his left foot, helping to start attacks with quick throws or long goal kicks. He was confident with the ball and often joined in building up plays. He would even sometimes leave his penalty area and try to dribble past opposing strikers. He was very quick off his line and often played as a sweeper-keeper, which helped change how that role was played. While he was praised for his goalkeeping, Barthez was sometimes criticized for being stubborn, and for his unusual and risky style of play. He was also seen as inconsistent and prone to mistakes.

Fabien Barthez's Life Off the Field

Barthez was known for his unique personality and beliefs. He often wore red shorts under his goalkeeper shorts and usually cut off the sleeves of his jersey. Even though most starting goalkeepers wear the number 1 shirt, he chose to wear the number 16. He follows Zen Buddhism.

Working with Brands

During his football career, Barthez had advertising deals with big companies like McDonald's and Adidas.

Awards and Trophies

Marseille

• UEFA Champions League: 1992–93
• Division 2: 1994–95

Monaco

• Division 1: 1996–97, 1999–2000
• Trophée des Champions: 1997

Manchester United

• Premier League: 2000–01, 2002–03

France

• FIFA World Cup: 1998; runner-up: 2006
• UEFA European Championship: 2000
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2003

Individual Awards

• Onze Mondial: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
• FIFA World Cup Yashin Award: 1998
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1998
• Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year: 1998
• IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper: 2000
• UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament: 2000
• PFA Team of the Year: 2000–01 Premier League
• Équipe type spéciale 20 ans des trophées UNFP: 2011
• The Dream Team 110 years of OM: 2010
• Most clean sheets in the Premier League: 2000–01

Special Recognition

• Knight of the Legion of Honour: 1998

Football Records

• Second-most caps for France as a goalkeeper: 87 (behind Hugo Lloris)
• Most FIFA World Cup clean sheets: 10 (with Peter Shilton)

Images for kids

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  Barthez with Marseille in 2006

• 

  Barthez playing for Nantes against St. Etienne in 2006.

• 

  Barthez competing in the European Le Mans Series' 4 Hours of Silverstone in 2017

See also

In Spanish: Fabien Barthez para niños