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Gaël Givet
GaelGivet (cropped).JPG
Givet with Blackburn Rovers in 2013
Personal information
Full name Gaël Givet-Viaros
Date of birth (1981-10-09) 9 October 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth Arles, France
Height 1.81 m
Playing position Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 Monaco B 44 (1)
2000–2007 Monaco 178 (8)
2007–2009 Marseille 29 (0)
2009 Blackburn Rovers (loan) 14 (0)
2009–2013 Blackburn Rovers 101 (3)
2013–2014 Arles-Avignon 32 (1)
2014 Evian 1 (0)
2014–2015 Arles-Avignon 50 (1)
2015–2016 Tours 0 (0)
Total 449 (14)
National team
2004–2006 France 12 (0)
Honours
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2006
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Gaël Givet-Viaros (born 9 October 1981), known as Gaël Givet, is a French former professional footballer. He played as a defender, usually in the centre or on the left side. Givet was part of the Monaco team that reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2004. He also played for the French national team and helped them reach the World Cup Final in 2006.

Playing for Football Clubs

Monaco Years

Gaël Givet started his football journey at Monaco. He began as a left-back and later became a centre-back. His first game was in December 2000. He played for Monaco from 2000 to 2007. During this time, he played 178 league games and scored eight goals.

A big moment for Givet at Monaco was winning the Coupe de la Ligue in 2003. He also helped the team reach the UEFA Champions League final in 2004. They lost 3–0 to Porto in that final. Givet played a key role, appearing in 13 Champions League matches that season. He became well-known for his strong defense alongside players like Patrice Evra.

Marseille Move

Gaël Givet
Givet playing for Marseille in 2008

After his time at Monaco, Givet joined Marseille. In the 2007–08 season, he played 29 games in the French league. He also made nine appearances in the Champions League. However, in the next season, he did not get to play as much.

Time at Blackburn Rovers

On 10 January 2009, Gaël Givet moved to England to play for Blackburn Rovers. He first joined on a six-month loan deal. His first game for Blackburn was in the FA Cup against Sunderland on 24 January 2009. He made his home debut at Ewood Park in a 2–1 win.

In May 2009, Blackburn decided to sign Givet permanently. He joined the club on a four-year contract for £3.5 million. He scored his first goal for Blackburn against Sunderland on 22 August 2009. He scored another goal against Bolton Wanderers in February 2010. After the 2009–10 season, Givet was named the Player's Player of the Year by the club.

In the 2010–11 season, Givet continued to play important games. He scored a goal against Aston Villa in the League Cup. He also scored against Tottenham Hotspur. In January 2011, he got a knee injury during an FA Cup game.

Gaël Givet Blackburn
Givet playing for Blackburn Rovers in 2012

In August 2011, Givet returned to play for Blackburn in the 2011–12 season. He played many games, including against Everton and Arsenal. In September, he was the captain for a League Cup game. On 11 December, Givet had to leave a game due to a health issue with his heart. He was taken to the hospital and checked by doctors. The club was hopeful he would be okay. His manager, Steve Kean, later explained that Givet's heart rate was very high. Doctors helped him get off the field safely. After some procedures, Givet recovered well.

In February 2012, Givet received a red card in a game against Arsenal. Later, he wanted to leave Blackburn. However, he returned to play in April 2012. On 7 May 2012, during a crucial game against Wigan Athletic, Givet had another heart scare at half-time. He was substituted, and Blackburn lost the game, which meant they were relegated from the Premier League.

Return to France

On 20 August 2013, Givet went back to his hometown team, Arles-Avignon. He played there for a while before joining Evian in September 2014. However, after playing only one game for Evian, he returned to Arles-Avignon. He left Evian due to a disagreement.

International Career

Gaël Givet also played for the French national team. He made his first international appearance on 18 August 2004. In 2006, he was part of the French squad for the FIFA World Cup in Germany. France reached the final, but Givet did not play in that match. He played 12 games for his country in total, with his last game being on 16 August 2006.

Football Achievements

Team Honours

Individual Awards

  • Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2004–05 (Chosen as one of the best players in the league)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Gaël Givet para niños

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