Laurent Robert facts for kids
Robert in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Pierre Laurent Robert | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 21 May 1975 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Saint-Benoît, Réunion | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Left winger | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1999 | Montpellier | 124 | (19) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Paris Saint-Germain | 61 | (24) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2006 | Newcastle United | 129 | (22) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Benfica | 13 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Levante | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | Derby County | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | Toronto FC | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Larissa | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 384 | (69) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | France | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Montpellier (academy coach) | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Pierre Laurent Robert (born 21 May 1975) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a left winger. He was famous for his incredibly powerful shots, especially from free kicks.
Laurent Robert was born in Réunion, an island near Africa. He moved to France when he was 16. He started his career with Montpellier and Paris Saint Germain. With Paris Saint-Germain, he even played and scored in the UEFA Champions League.
In 2001, he joined Premier League club Newcastle United. He helped them get into European tournaments. This included reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2004. Later, he moved to Portsmouth on loan and then to Benfica in Portugal. He scored a winning free kick against Porto and played in the Champions League quarter-finals. He also played for Levante in Spain. He finished his career with short times at Derby County, Toronto FC and Larissa.
Robert played nine games for the French national team between 1999 and 2001. He scored one goal. He also won the FIFA Confederations Cup with France in 2001. His younger brother Bertrand and his son Thomas also became footballers.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Laurent Robert was born in Saint-Benoît, Réunion. His father was a local footballer. He was also known for scoring many goals from free kicks.
Laurent's younger brother, Bertrand, also played football. He started his career at Montpellier. Laurent's son, Thomas, signed for Airdrieonians in Scotland in 2020.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Montpellier
When he was 13, Robert played for a Réunion team that won the French youth cup. A year later, they became league champions. At 16, he moved to France to play for Brest.
After Brest faced financial problems, he moved to Auxerre. But he found the cold weather difficult. So, he quickly moved to Montpellier to be with a friend from Réunion.
On 20 January 1996, Robert scored his first professional goal for Montpellier. He came on as a substitute and scored from a free kick. Later, he helped his team win 3-2 against Paris Saint-Germain. He assisted one goal and scored the winning goal. This win cost Paris Saint-Germain the league title that season.
Time at Paris Saint-Germain
After a great season in 1998–99, Robert joined PSG. He continued to be known for his amazing free kicks there. He often shared free-kick duties with teammate Éric Rabésandratana.
On 4 May 2000, he scored a fantastic free kick from 30 metres against Montpellier. In the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, he had a "perfect match" against Rosenborg. He scored once and assisted two goals in a 7-2 win. He also scored a free kick against A.C. Milan in a 1-1 draw.
During the 2000–01 season, Robert was the league's top scorer. However, the manager was changed. Robert did not get along well with the new coach, Luis Fernandez. In July 2001, Robert helped PSG win the UEFA Intertoto Cup. He scored four goals in one round.
Joining Newcastle United
On 1 August 2001, Robert signed a five-year deal with Newcastle United in England. The transfer cost £10 million. He made his first appearance on 19 August against Chelsea. His powerful free-kick shot led to a goal for his team.
On 8 September, he helped Newcastle win 4-1 against Middlesbrough. He won a penalty, assisted a goal, and scored his first goal for the club. A week later, his free kick opened the scoring in a 4-3 win against Manchester United. He scored five free-kick goals in his first season, helping Newcastle finish fourth.
In 2003, Robert was sent off in a match against Arsenal. He received two yellow cards quickly. He also formed a strong partnership with his French teammate Olivier Bernard on the left side of the field. In one game, his shot accidentally hit Bernard's head, knocking him out for a moment. Bernard recovered and even assisted a goal.
In December 2003, he scored two amazing goals against Tottenham Hotspur. He also set up two goals for Alan Shearer from corner kicks in a 4-0 win. He scored important goals in the UEFA Cup, helping Newcastle reach the semi-finals.
In April 2005, Robert spoke publicly about his unhappiness with the team's performance. He also disagreed with manager Graeme Souness. This led to him being disciplined and fined.
Loan to Portsmouth
After his time at Newcastle, Robert moved to Portsmouth in June 2005. It was a year-long loan deal. He made his debut on 13 August 2005. A week later, he scored his only goal for Portsmouth in a 2-1 loss.
In October, he had a misunderstanding about being on the substitutes' bench. He was called up late for a game but didn't tell the team he was injured until just before the match. He was fined for this. In his last game, he missed a late free kick that could have tied the game.
Moving to Benfica
On 4 January 2006, Robert joined Benfica in Portugal. He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal for free. On his first start, he scored in a cup game.
His first league goal for Benfica was the only goal in a big match against Porto. He scored with a free kick past their goalkeeper. He also played in both games when Benfica beat Liverpool in the Champions League.
Short Spells in Spain and England
On 11 July 2006, Robert moved to Levante in Spain. He signed a two-year deal. He was one of four French players to join the club that summer. He played only 13 games for Levante before leaving in November 2007.
On 11 January 2008, Robert returned to the Premier League. He signed for Derby County for the rest of the season. He played four games for Derby, but the team had a very tough season.
Later Career
On 2 April 2008, Robert joined Toronto FC in Major League Soccer in Canada. He scored one goal from a free kick on 19 April. After 17 games, he left the club in August.
On 27 August 2008, Robert signed a two-year deal with Larissa in Greece. He played with former Newcastle teammates Nikos Dabizas and Nolberto Solano there. He ended his contract early and returned to Paris for family reasons.
International Career
Robert played nine times for the French national team. He made his debut on 18 August 1999 against Northern Ireland. He was the first person from Réunion to play for France.
He scored his only goal for France on 15 November 2000 in a 4-0 win against Turkey. Robert was part of the French team that won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing football, Laurent Robert went back to his old club, Montpellier. He worked as a coach for forwards in their youth academy and women's teams. He left this job in July 2020.
In Film
Laurent Robert's goals have even appeared in movies! His goal against Liverpool in the 2004–05 season is used in the film Goal!. In the movie, the main character, Santiago Muñez, scores it. In the sequel, Goal! 2: Living the Dream..., his overhead kick against Fulham is shown as Muñez's goal.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Montpellier | 1994–95 | Division 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 1995–96 | Division 1 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 5 | |||
| 1996–97 | Division 1 | 38 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 3 | |
| 1997–98 | Division 1 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 2 | |||
| 1998–99 | Division 1 | 32 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 11 | |||
| Total | 124 | 19 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 147 | 21 | ||
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1999–2000 | Division 1 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | 35 | 12 | |
| 2000–01 | Division 1 | 32 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 43 | 18 | |
| 2001–02 | Division 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | |
| Total | 61 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 85 | 34 | ||
| Newcastle United | 2001–02 | Premier League | 36 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 42 | 10 | |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 40 | 5 | |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 35 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 52 | 12 | |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 31 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 47 | 5 | |
| Total | 129 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 35 | 5 | 181 | 32 | ||
| Portsmouth (loan) | 2005–06 | Premier League | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | |
| Benfica | 2005–06 | Primeira Liga | 13 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 4 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |
| Levante | 2006–07 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Derby County | 2007–08 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Toronto FC | 2008 | Major League Soccer | 17 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 21!!1 | |||
| Larissa | 2008–09 | Superleague Greece | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 384 | 69 | 26 | 4 | 25 | 7 | 58 | 12 | 493 | 92 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 1 | |
Honours
France
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001
See also
In Spanish: Laurent Robert para niños
