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Sylvain Wiltord
Sylvain Wiltord Rennes 081229.jpg
Wiltord training with Rennes in 2008
Personal information
Full name Sylvain Claude Wiltord
Date of birth (1974-05-10) 10 May 1974 (age 51)
Place of birth Neuilly-sur-Marne, France
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Right winger
Youth career
0000–1988 Neuilly-sur-Marne
1988–1991 Joinville-le-Pont
1991–1993 Rennes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1996 Rennes 91 (28)
1996–1997 Deportivo La Coruña 0 (0)
1996–1997 → Rennes (loan) 35 (3)
1997–2000 Bordeaux 99 (46)
2000–2004 Arsenal 106 (31)
2004–2007 Lyon 82 (20)
2007–2009 Rennes 31 (6)
2009 Marseille 13 (1)
2010 Metz 15 (3)
2011–2012 Nantes 33 (8)
Total 505 (146)
International career
1999–2006 France 92 (26)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2000
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner 2001
Winner 2003
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2006
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sylvain Claude Wiltord is a famous French former professional footballer. He was born on May 10, 1974. Wiltord mostly played as a right winger, but he could also play as a centre-forward, a second striker, or on the left wing.

He played for Arsenal for four seasons, where he helped them win two Premier League titles and two FA Cups. He also won the Ligue 1 title with Bordeaux and three times in a row with Lyon.

For the French national team, Wiltord played 92 games and scored 26 goals. He took part in the 1996 Olympics, two FIFA World Cups, and two UEFA European Championships. He was part of the team that won Euro 2000, scoring a last-minute goal in the final. He also helped France reach the final of the 2006 World Cup.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out: Rennes and Bordeaux

Sylvain Wiltord began his journey in football with Rennes in 1991. He quickly showed his talent, scoring eight goals in 26 games during the 1993–94 season.

In 1996, after playing well for France in the 1996 Summer Olympics, a Spanish club called Deportivo de La Coruña agreed to sign him. He was loaned back to Rennes for a season before joining Bordeaux in 1997.

At Bordeaux, he played in every game during his first year. In the 1998–99 season, he scored 22 goals, which made him the top scorer in the league. That year, Bordeaux also won the Ligue 1 championship!

Time with Arsenal

In August 2000, Wiltord joined the English club Arsenal for a club record fee of £13 million. This happened just weeks after he scored a crucial goal in the Euro 2000 Final. At Arsenal, he sometimes played alongside Thierry Henry or on the wing.

He made his first appearance for Arsenal on September 6, 2000, and scored his first goal on September 16, 2000. In his first season, he even scored three goals in one half against West Ham United. Arsenal reached the 2001 FA Cup Final, but they lost to Liverpool.

During the 2001–02 season, Wiltord scored ten goals in the league. Arsenal won the 2001–02 Premier League title, and Wiltord scored the winning goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford. This win helped Arsenal achieve "The Double," meaning they won both the league and the FA Cup that year. He also played in the 2003 FA Cup final, which Arsenal won.

Wiltord was also part of Arsenal's famous "Invincibles" team in the 2003–04 season. This team went the entire league season without losing a single game! He played 175 games for Arsenal in total, scoring 49 goals.

Success with Lyon

After his contract with Arsenal ended in 2004, Wiltord joined Lyon. He continued his winning streak there, helping Lyon win three more Ligue 1 titles in a row. He also helped them reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League several times.

Later Club Years

Wiltord returned to Rennes in August 2007. He then played for Marseille in 2009, scoring one goal for them. After that, he joined FC Metz in 2010.

His final club was Nantes, where he signed a contract in July 2011. He played for Nantes until June 2012, when he announced his retirement from professional football.

International Career for France

Sylvain Wiltord made his first appearance for the French national team on February 10, 1999, in a 2–0 win against England. He played 92 games for France and scored 26 goals.

His most memorable goal for France was in the UEFA Euro 2000 Final against Italy. He scored in the very last seconds of the game, tying the score at 1–1 and sending the match into extra time. France then won the final with a "golden goal" scored by David Trezeguet.

Wiltord also played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but France had a tough tournament and didn't win any games. He also took part in UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the 2006 World Cup final, France played against Italy. The game ended in a 1–1 draw, and Wiltord scored France's first penalty in the penalty shootout. However, France lost the shootout 5–3.

Wiltord is one of France's top goal scorers, with 26 goals for his country.

Personal Life

Sylvain Wiltord's parents moved to France from Martinique before he was born. He grew up in Neuilly-sur-Marne, near Paris. When he was 14, he moved in with his older sister and helped take care of his young niece.

In 2015, he took part in a French reality TV show called Dropped. In this show, sportspeople were dropped into wild places. After he left the show, a helicopter accident happened, and some other contestants sadly passed away. Wiltord shared his sadness on social media, saying he was "sad for my friends" and "horrified."

Media Appearances

Wiltord was sponsored by the sportswear company Nike. He appeared in some of their commercials. One famous commercial was called "Secret Tournament" (also known as "Scopion KO"), which was made for the 2002 World Cup. In it, he played football alongside other famous players like Thierry Henry and Ronaldo.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Rennes 1992–93 Division 2 2 0 0 0 – – – 2 0
1993–94 26 8 1 0 – – – 27 8
1994–95 Division 1 26 5 1 0 0 0 – – 27 5
1995–96 37 15 1 0 2 3 – – 40 18
Total 91 28 3 0 2 3 – – 96 31
Rennes (loan) 1996–97 Division 1 35 3 2 0 3 0 – – 40 3
Bordeaux 1997–98 Division 1 34 11 2 4 5 1 2 0 – 43 16
1998–99 33 22 0 0 1 0 8 5 – 42 27
1999–2000 32 13 4 0 2 0 12 4 1 0 51 17
Total 99 46 6 4 8 1 22 9 1 0 136 60
Arsenal 2000–01 Premier League 27 8 6 6 1 0 13 1 – 47 15
2001–02 33 10 7 2 3 4 11 1 – 54 17
2002–03 34 10 7 2 0 0 12 1 1 0 54 13
2003–04 12 3 0 0 3 1 4 0 1 0 20 4
Total 106 31 20 10 7 5 40 3 2 0 175 49
Lyon 2004–05 Ligue 1 25 3 2 2 0 0 8 6 – 35 11
2005–06 35 12 3 0 0 0 10 2 – 48 14
2006–07 22 5 1 0 2 2 6 0 – 31 7
Total 82 20 6 2 2 2 24 8 – 114 32
Rennes 2007–08 Ligue 1 25 6 2 1 1 0 4 0 – 32 7
2008–09 6 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 – 9 1
Total 31 6 2 1 2 1 6 0 – 41 8
Marseille 2008–09 Ligue 1 13 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 14 1
Metz 2009–10 Ligue 2 15 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 15 3
Nantes 2011–12 Ligue 2 33 8 0 0 1 0 0 0 – 34 8
Career total 505 146 40 17 25 12 92 20 3 0 665 195

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
France
1999 8 2
2000 14 6
2001 13 4
2002 11 3
2003 13 5
2004 8 3
2005 9 1
2006 16 2
Total 92 26
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wiltord goal.
List of international goals scored by Sylvain Wiltord
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 31 March 1999 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Armenia 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
2 5 June 1999 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Russia 2–1 2–3 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
3 29 March 2000 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland  Scotland 1–0 2–0 Friendly
4 6 June 2000 Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco  Morocco 5–1 5–1 2000 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament
5 11 June 2000 Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, Belgium  Denmark 3–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2000
6 2 July 2000 Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Italy 1–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2000
7 4 October 2000 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Cameroon 1–0 1–1 Friendly
8 15 November 2000 BJK İnönü Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey  Turkey 2–0 4–0 Friendly
9 24 March 2001 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Japan 3–0 5–0 Friendly
10 25 April 2001 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Portugal 1–0 4–0 Friendly
11 30 May 2001 Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu, South Korea  South Korea 5–0 5–0 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
12 3 June 2001 Munsu Cup Stadium, Ulsan, South Korea  Mexico 1–0 4–0 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
13 7 September 2002 GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus  Cyprus 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
14 12 October 2002 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Slovenia 4–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
15 16 October 2002 Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta  Malta 3–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
16 29 March 2003 Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens, France  Malta 1–0 6–0 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
17 26 June 2003 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Turkey 3–1 3–2 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
18 20 August 2003 Stade de Genève, Genève, Switzerland  Switzerland 1–0 2–0 Friendly
19 6 September 2003 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Cyprus 2–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
20 3–0
21 28 May 2004 Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France  Andorra 1–0 4–0 Friendly
22 2–0
23 13 October 2004 GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus  Cyprus 1–0 2–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
24 12 October 2005 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Cyprus 2–0 4–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
25 1 March 2006 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Slovakia 1–1 1–2 Friendly
26 31 May 2006 Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens, France  Denmark 2–0 2–0 Friendly

Honours and Awards

Sylvain Wiltord won many important titles during his career:

With Bordeaux

With Arsenal

With Lyon

  • Ligue 1: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07

With France National Team

Individual Awards

  • French Footballer of the Year: 1999
  • Premier League Player of the Month: August 2002
  • UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sylvain Wiltord para niños

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