William Gallas Bio Send To Friend  

A divisive and at times controversial figure at club level, Gallas is nevertheless a key player for France and one of the most experienced individuals in Raymond Domenech's squad with more than 75 caps to his name. Gallas made ten appearances during qualifying and, ably assisted by the hand of Thierry Henry, scored the goal that took Les Bleus to South Africa as Ireland were cruelly denied in the play-offs. He is a constant at the heart of the France defence, even if he has shared central duties with a number of partners over the past two years, and after breaking into the national side in the wake of their poor showing at the 2002 World Cup, has represented France at every major tournament since.

After emerging from the prestigious Clairefontaine academy and joining the youth scheme at Caen, Gallas was transferred to Marseille in 1997 and spent four seasons in the south of France, learning valuable lessons from Laurent Blanc. After joining Chelsea in 2001 for £6.2 million, he found himself playing alongside the other member of France's World Cup winning side of 1998 - Marcel Desailly - and later replaced his compatriot at the heart of the Blues backline. Back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 followed under Jose Mourinho, as well as a League Cup triumph in 2005, but Gallas' versatility created a rod for his own back as he was shifted around the back four, causing friction with his manager. Trouble was brewing.

Events came to a head in the summer of 2006 when Gallas failed to turn up to the club's pre-season trip to America and Mourinho responded by giving his number 13 shirt to new signing Michael Ballack. His relationship with his manager untenable, Gallas joined Arsenal in a part exchange deal with Ashley Cole and Chelsea responded by accusing the defender of threatening to score an own goal if he was not allowed to leave the club. His time at Arsenal has been fruitless in terms of silverware and he also found himself in the spotlight following an embarrassing reaction to a draw against Birmingham in 2008 - a game which witnessed a horrendous injury to Eduardo. Gallas was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy in November of the same year following some ill-advised media comments but responded well to adversity and struck up a productive partnership with new arrival Thomas Vermaelen at the start of the 2009-10 campaign.

Strengths:Gallas is a fearsome and versatile competitor and, with his strength, pace and stamina, is a match for any forward. He also reads the game well, scores goals and is a born winner, demanding similar commitment from his team-mates.

Weaknesses:He lacks a bit of height but Gallas' key failings are largely mental. He has been involved in a succession of arguments and has demonstrated a petulant streak which can translate from dressing room to pitch.

Career high: Playing a key role as Chelsea secured their first league trophy for 50 years in the 2004-05 season. Gallas and Chelsea repeated the trick the following year.

Career low: Being stripped of the Arsenal captaincy in November 2008 after he broke the trust of the dressing room when criticising team-mates in public.

Style:Dominant, aggressive, serious, an experienced centre back.

Quotes: "William Gallas has had a fine start to the season, which is down to both his attitude and the quality of the player. It can happen that any player has highs and lows in his career, but I must say his form now is a consequence of the way he behaves every day. He behaves 100 per cent as a professional and is highly focused in training." Arsene Wenger, October 2009.

Trivia: Gallas was born on the same day as Thierry Henry (August 17, 1977) and in the same city, Paris. They were in the same class at Clairefontaine and have been close ever since, making their infamous collaboration for France's World Cup qualification quite remarkable.

Soccernet says: Gallas is one of the first names on Domenech's team sheet and his experience will be an invaluable asset for Les Bleus.