Laurent Robert facts for kids
Robert in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pierre Laurent Robert | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 21 May 1975 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Saint-Benoît, Réunion | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | 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) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | France | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Montpellier (academy coach) | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Pierre Laurent Robert (born 21 May 1975) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a left winger. He was famous for his super powerful shots, especially from free kicks.
Laurent was born in Réunion, an island near Africa. When he was 16, he moved to France. He started his football career with Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain. He even played and scored goals in the UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain.
In 2001, he joined Premier League club Newcastle United. He helped them get into European tournaments. They even reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2003–04. Later, he had some disagreements with his manager. This led to him playing for Portsmouth on loan. Then he moved to Benfica in Portugal in 2006.
At Benfica, he scored an amazing winning free kick against their rivals Porto. He also played in the Champions League, helping Benfica reach the quarter-finals. After six months, he moved to 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 and won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001. His younger brother Bertrand and his son Thomas also became footballers.
Contents
Laurent Robert's Early Life and Family
Laurent Robert was born in Saint-Benoît, Réunion. His dad was also a local footballer. He was known for scoring great free-kick goals, just like Laurent.
Laurent's younger brother, Bertrand, also played football. He started his career at Montpellier. Most of his career was spent playing in Greece. Laurent's son, Thomas, signed with Airdrieonians in Scotland in 2020.
Laurent Robert's Club Career Highlights
Starting at Montpellier
When Laurent was 13, he played for the Réunion team. They won the French youth cup. A year later, they became league champions. At 16, he moved to France to play for Brest.
After six months, Brest had financial problems. So, Laurent moved to Auxerre in December 1991. But he found the cold weather difficult. A week later, he moved to Montpellier. He wanted to be with his friend, goalkeeper Claude Barrabé, who was also from Réunion.
On 20 January 1996, Laurent scored his first professional goal. It was in a 2–0 home win against Martigues. He had asked his manager, Michel Mézy, to let him come on as a substitute to take a free kick. On 11 February, he came off the bench when his team was losing 2–0 to Paris Saint-Germain. He helped set up the first goal and then scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory. This win actually stopped Paris Saint-Germain from winning the league title that year.
Playing for Paris Saint-Germain
After a great season in 1998–99, where he scored 11 goals, Laurent was almost going to join Marseille. But he changed his mind. He then signed with PSG, who had finished 9th the season before.
Laurent continued to be known for his amazing free kicks at PSG. He shared free-kick duties with Éric Rabésandratana. On 4 May 2000, he scored a goal from 30 meters out against Montpellier. In the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, he scored once and helped with two goals in a huge 7–2 win against Rosenborg. He called this his "perfect match." He also scored a free kick against A.C. Milan in a 1–1 draw.
In July 2001, Laurent helped PSG win the UEFA Intertoto Cup. He scored four goals in two games against FC Jazz from Finland. He played as a forward because other players were injured.
Time at Newcastle United
On 1 August 2001, Laurent Robert joined Newcastle United in England. He signed a five-year deal for £10 million. He made his first appearance on 19 August against Chelsea. His powerful 25-yard free kick was fumbled by the goalkeeper, leading to a goal for his team.
On 8 September, against rivals Middlesbrough, he won a penalty. He also helped set up a goal and scored his first goal for Newcastle in a 4–1 win. A week later, his free kick opened the scoring in a thrilling 4–3 win over Manchester United. He scored five free-kick goals in the 2001–02 season. This was a record at the time. Laurent's 11 free-kick goals in the Premier League rank him among the top players for this skill.
On 9 February 2003, Laurent scored against Arsenal. But he was sent off shortly after for two yellow cards. He had a strong partnership with his French teammate, Olivier Bernard, on the left side of the field.
Laurent was sent off again on 13 September 2003, in a game against Everton. Three months later, he scored two incredible goals against Tottenham Hotspur. He also set up two other goals from corner kicks in a 4–0 victory. He scored goals against NAC Breda, FC Basel, and RCD Mallorca during Newcastle's run to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.
In April 2005, Laurent had some public disagreements with Newcastle's manager, Graeme Souness. This led to him leaving the club.
Loan to Portsmouth
After his time at Newcastle, Laurent moved to Portsmouth in June 2005. It was a one-year 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 to West Bromwich Albion.
On 29 October, he had a misunderstanding about being on the substitutes' bench. He was fined, but the manager understood it was a mistake. He was sent off on 26 December in a game against West Ham United. In his last game on 2 January 2006, he missed a late free kick that could have tied the game.
Playing for Benfica in Portugal
On 4 January 2006, Laurent signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Benfica in Portugal. He joined them for free.
In his first start on 11 January 2006, Laurent scored in a cup game. His first league goal was the only goal in a big game against Porto on 26 February. It was a fantastic free kick. He scored another goal six days later. In March, he played in both games when Benfica beat Liverpool in the Champions League.
Moving to Levante in Spain
On 11 July 2006, Laurent 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. On 30 November 2007, he left the club by agreement.
Short Stays at Derby County and Toronto FC
On 11 January 2008, Laurent returned to the Premier League. He signed with Derby County for the rest of the season. He joined a team that was struggling. He played four games for them.
On 2 April 2008, Laurent left Derby and moved to Toronto FC in the Major League Soccer in Canada. He had worked with their coach before at Newcastle. He played 17 league games and scored one goal from a free kick on 19 April. After some games, he left the team on 19 August.
Final Club: Larissa in Greece
On 27 August 2008, Laurent signed a two-year deal with Larissa in Greece. He met up with his old Newcastle teammates there. He ended his contract a year early. He then returned to Paris for family reasons.
Laurent Robert's International Career
Laurent Robert played nine times for the French national team. His first game was on 18 August 1999 against Northern Ireland. He was the first person from Réunion to play for France. He scored his only goal for his country on 15 November 2000 in a 4–0 win against Turkey.
Laurent was part of the French team that won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Korea and Japan. He started in one game during that tournament.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing football, Laurent Robert went back to his old club, Montpellier. He started working as a coach for the forwards in the club's youth academy and women's teams. He left this role in July 2020.
Laurent Robert in Movies
Laurent Robert's goal against Liverpool in the 2004–05 season is shown in the movie Goal!. In the movie, the main character, Santiago Muñez, scores it. In Goal! 2: Living the Dream..., Laurent's overhead kick goal against Fulham is shown as Muñez's goal at the start of the movie.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| 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 Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 1 | |
Honours and Achievements
France
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001
See also
In Spanish: Laurent Robert para niños
