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Bixente Lizarazu

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Bixente Lizarazu
Lizarazu in 2011
Personal information
Full name Bixente Jean-Michel Lizarazu[1]
Date of birth (1969-12-09) 9 December 1969 (age 54)[2]
Place of birth Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[3]
Position(s) Left-back
Youth career
1977–1984 Les Églantins Hendaye
1984–1988 Bordeaux
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1989 Bordeaux B 43 (10)
1988–1996 Bordeaux 246 (22)
1996–1997 Athletic Bilbao 16 (0)
1997–2004 Bayern Munich 151 (7)
2004 Marseille 14 (0)
2005–2006 Bayern Munich 31 (0)
Total 501 (39)
International career
1992–2004 France 97 (2)
1993 Basque Country[4] 1 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1998
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2000
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner 2001
Winner 2003
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bixente Jean-Michel Lizarazu (Basque pronunciation: [biˈʃente liˈs̪araˌs̪u], born 9 December 1969) is a French former professional footballer who played as a left-back.

He rose through the ranks at Bordeaux, where he was part of a team that finished second in the French First Division in 1989–1990, were administratively relegated to the Second Division at the end of the 1990–1991 due to financial problems, and then won promotion from the Second Division in the 1991–92 season. His Bordeaux team finished runners-up in the 1995–96 UEFA Cup. Due to his Basque heritage, he was able to join Athletic Club in 1996, but did not nail down a starting spot during his one season at the club.

In 1997, he joined German giants Bayern Munich, where he enjoyed much success. He won six Bundesliga championships with the team, as well as the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, where he scored his penalty in the shootout in the final.[5]

In a 12-year international career from 1992 to 2004, Lizarazu earned 97 caps for the France national team. He played in three UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups for France, winning the 1998 World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000.

Early life

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Lizarazu was born in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and grew up in Hendaye.[3][6] He is of Basque descent.[7]

Club career

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Bordeaux

[edit]

An enthusiast in several sports from a young age,[8][9] Lizarazu began his professional career with Bordeaux, joining the club's youth setup as a 15-year-old in 1984 and initially playing as a winger.[8][9] After being told he would not make a career from football due to his frail physicality as a teenager,[9] he impressed the staff with his determination and became a member of the senior squad in 1988[8] alongside forward Christophe Dugarry. He was retrained to play as a counter-attacking left-back at the suggestion of coach Didier Couécou[9] and soon replaced the veteran Gernot Rohr (later to be the club's manager) in the position.[8]

In 1990 Bordeaux finished runners-up in the French championship, but the following year they were administratively relegated amid financial problems.[8][9] Lizarazu remained with the club and helped them immediately regain their top tier status in 1992.[8] The club also signed Zinedine Zidane, who became another important element of the team,[9] which went on to achieve two 4th- and a 7th-place finish over the next three seasons, Lizarazu contributing 101 appearances and 15 goals.[citation needed]

In summer 1995, Bordeaux won the UEFA Intertoto Cup[10] to qualify for the 1995–96 UEFA Cup. They would go all the way to the final under coach Rohr, beating Real Betis, A.C. Milan[10] and Slavia Prague before losing to Bayern Munich 5–1 on aggregate.[8][10] However their league form suffered, dropping to 16th.[9] Following UEFA Euro 1996, in which Dugarry, Zidane and Lizarazu were part of the French squad which reached the semi-finals,[10] the three moved abroad seeking a new challenge: Zidane joining Juventus, Dugarry going to Milan[9] and Lizarazu staying local but changing nations by moving to Athletic Bilbao, based the same distance from his home in the French Basque Country as Bordeaux.[11] He appeared 299 times for his formative club, scoring 28 goals.[citation needed]

Athletic Bilbao

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Lizarazu spent just one season with the La Liga club after becoming the first Frenchman to play for Athletic,[8][12] which has a policy of selecting only players of Basque birth or heritage.[13]

Suffering from a persistent groin injury,[9] he was unable to displace the experienced Aitor Larrazábal at left-back, received two red cards among the 16 league appearances he did make, and had disagreements with the head coach, compatriot Luis Fernández.[8] In the 1997 close season, he transferred to Bayern Munich.[9]

Bayern Munich

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Before even playing a Bundesliga match, Lizarazu lifted a trophy with his new club, winning the inaugural edition of the preseason DFL-Ligapokal.[8] It was the start of a highly successful spell in Bavaria,[14] despite the interruption of some serious injuries,[8] as he went on to win six Bundesliga championships (including three in a row between 1999 and 2001), as well as five DFB-Pokals, the Champions League in 2001[8] (scoring his penalty in the shootout),[5] and the Intercontinental Cup.[14][8] On winning the Intercontinental Cup in 2001, he became the first player to be a current European and World champion in both club and international football.[citation needed]

Lizarazu said that he would leave Bayern in the summer of 2004 and eventually signed with Marseille.[8] However, after only six months back in France, he returned to Bayern Munich in January 2005.[8] During his second spell with Bayern, ending in 2006 when he gave way to the emerging Philipp Lahm,[8] Lizarazu wore the shirt number 69; clarifying that it was not a lewd gesture, he said this was because he was born in 1969, his height is 1.69 m and he weighed 69 kg.[15] He made 268 appearances in all competitions for Bayern between 1997 and 2006, scoring eight goals.[16] 183 of these games were in the German top-flight.[17]

International career

[edit]

Lizarazu was capped 97 times for France (for the first time on 14 November 1992 against Finland),[18] scoring two goals, and helped them win the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000, starting in the final of both tournaments. He was also part of squad for France in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, though France were eliminated from group stage in the tournament without scoring a single goal where he was involved all 3 matches in the group stage.[14] He retired from international football after France were surprisingly eliminated by eventual winners Greece at Euro 2004.[8]

Style of play

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Regarded by pundits as one of the best left-backs of his generation, Lizarazu was an attacking full-back or wing-back, who was known for his passing, technique, pace, stamina, and his ability to get up the flank and provide accurate crosses from the touch-line. In addition to his offensive prowess, he was also known for his defensive abilities, despite his diminutive stature, which, along with his speed, allowed him to track back.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

Personal life

[edit]

After retirement, Lizarazu got involved in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He competed in a jiu-jitsu competition in Europe in 2009, where he became European champion in the Blue Belt Senior 1 Light Division.[27] He is also a keen surfer[9] and works as a football pundit for French television and radio.[28] In 2013, Lizarazu was described as a "tramp" by his successor as France's left-back, Patrice Evra, after he and other pundits criticised Evra for giving an impromptu team talk during half-time of a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Belarus.[29]

Lizarazu has two children.[30] He is in a relationship with actress Claire Keim with whom he has a daughter.[30]

Lizarazu was formerly engaged to singer Elsa Lunghini from 1999 to 2006.[31]

Lizarazu is a native speaker of Basque and French. In addition, he also speaks Spanish, German and English.[citation needed]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[32][33][34][35]
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bordeaux 1988–89 Division 1 16 0 1 0 – 0 0 – 17 0
1989–90 38 2 4 0 – – – 42 2
1990–91 35 2 1 0 – 6[c] 0 – 42 2
1991–92 Division 2 33 0 3 0 – – – 36 0
1992–93 Division 1 35 4 3 0 – – – 38 4
1993–94 32 9 3 0 – 6[c] 0 – 41 9
1994–95 32 2 2 1 1 0 4[c] 0 – 39 3
1995–96 23 3 0 0 0 0 10[c] 1 7[d] 4 40 8
Total 244 22 17 1 1 0 26 1 7 4 295 28
Athletic Bilbao 1996–97 La Liga 16 0 2 0 – – – 18 0
Bayern Munich 1997–98 Bundesliga 19 0 3 0 2 0 2[e] 0 – 24 0
1998–99 19 2 5 1 0 0 9[e] 0 – 33 3
1999–2000 22 1 1 0 0 0 10[e] 0 – 33 1
2000–01 15 0 1 0 0 0 10[e] 0 – 26 0
2001–02 25 1 1 0 0 0 12[e] 0 2[f] 0 40 1
2002–03 26 2 5 0 0 0 3[e] 0 – 34 2
2003–04 26 1 1 0 0 0 8[e] 0 – 35 1
Total 152 7 17 1 2 0 54 0 2 0 227 8
Marseille 2004–05 Ligue 1 14 0 0 0 1 0 – – 15 0
Bayern Munich 2004–05 Bundesliga 13 0 2 0 0 0 4[e] 0 – 19 0
2005–06 18 0 2 0 1 0 6[e] 0 – 27 0
Total 31 0 4 0 1 0 10 0 – 46 0
Career total 457 29 40 2 5 0 90 1 9 4 601 36
  1. ^ Includes Coupe de France, Copa del Rey, DFB-Pokal
  2. ^ Includes Coupe de la Ligue, DFL-Ligapokal
  3. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Cup
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Intertoto Cup
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in Intercontinental Cup

International

[edit]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[36]
National team Year Apps Goals
France 1992 1 0
1993 6 0
1994 5 0
1995 5 1
1996 9 0
1997 4 0
1998 13 1
1999 6 0
2000 12 0
2001 10 0
2002 7 0
2003 12 0
2004 7 0
Total 97 2
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lizarazu goal.
List of international goals scored by Bixente Lizarazu
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 15 November 1995[37] Stade Michel d'Ornano, Caen, France  Israel 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
2 18 June 1998[38] Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  Saudi Arabia 4–0 4–0 1998 FIFA World Cup

Honours

[edit]

Bordeaux[14]

Bayern Munich[14][39]

France[39]

Individual

Orders

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Entreprise Le Truc Rouge à Ciboure (64500)" [Company Le Truc Rouge in Ciboure (64500)]. Figaro Entreprises (in French). 7 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    "Bixente Lizarazu". BFM Business (in French). NextInteractive. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Bixente Lizarazu: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Bixente Lizarazu". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Euskadi 3–1 Bolivia" (in Spanish). Euskadiko Futbol Federakundea. 22 December 1993. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Bayern crowned European champions". BBC Sport. 23 May 2001. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Lizarazu, le surf au cœur". SudOuest.fr (in French). 31 August 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Bixente Lizarzu: "Je suis un vrai Basque"" [Bixente Lizarzu: "I am a true Basque"]. L'Obs (in French). 20 July 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Bixente Lizarazu" (in French). Kurbos's Blog at Skyrock. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Bixente Lizarazu: "J'ai fait partie des premiers arrières latéraux modernes"" [Bixente Lizarazu: "I was one of the first modern full backs"]. Les cahiers du Football (in French). 21 December 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d "Zinedine Zidane's amazing 11-month Uefa Cup odyssey". Goal. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Lizarazu, le Basque qui veut jouer au pays. L'arrière des Bleus quitte Bordeaux pour Bilbao: "dans ma tête, ce n'est pas l'étranger."" [Lizarazu, the Basque who wants to play in the country. The back of the Blues left Bordeaux for Bilbao: "in my head, it is not abroad."] (in French). Libération. 25 June 1996. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  12. ^ "The French Basque Country: a rugby heartland with world-class footballers". The Guardian. 8 December 2014.
  13. ^ "This is Athletic Bilbao: the club whose loyalty to local talent is not negotiable". The Guardian. 15 January 2016.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Bixente Lizarazu". UEFA. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  15. ^ Bandini, Nicky; Bass, Ian; Dart, James (27 September 2006). "Have any footballers ever admitted moving for the money?". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 27 September 2006.
  16. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (1 September 2016). "Germany - Player Data - FC Bayern München". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  17. ^ Arnhold, Matthias (7 November 2019). "Bixente Lizarazu - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Bixente LIZARAZU" (in French). fff.fr. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  19. ^ Goff, Steven (29 April 2002). "For France's Lizarazu, Success Bears a Sinister Price". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  20. ^ Clarey, Christopher (9 July 1998). "WORLD CUP '98; From Right to Left, Thuram Sparkles". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  21. ^ Matchett, Karl (23 February 2013). "15 Best Attacking Fullbacks in World Football History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  22. ^ "England must stop Henry's left-wing infiltration before it can start". the Guardian. 12 June 2004. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  23. ^ ""Lucas Hernandez plays how I used to" - Bayern Munich legend Bixente Lizarazu". bundesliga.com. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Lizarazu denies he has quit international football". World Soccer. 20 August 2002. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  25. ^ Giuttari, Andrea (20 October 2021). "Bixente Lizarazu, un francese a Bilbao: dai trionfi mondiali al surf e Jiu-Jitsu" (in Italian). www.goal.com. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  26. ^ "France: Bixente Lizarazu". Irish Examiner. 24 May 2002. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  27. ^ "NomeFaixaIdadePesoColocacaoAcademia". Ibjjf.org. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  28. ^ ""Bixente!"". French Football Weekly. 11 September 2011.
  29. ^ "France's Patrice Evra told to explain why Bixente Lizarazu is a 'tramp'". The Guardian. 21 October 2013.
  30. ^ a b "Claire Keim a accouché d'une petite fille". Voici (in French). 30 August 2008. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  31. ^ "Elsa still close to her ex Bixente Lizaraz". in-24.com. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  32. ^ "LIZARAZU (Bixente Lizarazu) – Retired football (soccer) player from France". Footballdatabase.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  33. ^ "Lizarazu, Bixente" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  34. ^ "Bixente Lizarazu" (in French). footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  35. ^ Haisma, Marcel (7 November 2019). "Bixente Lizarazu - Matches in European Cups". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  36. ^ Pla Diaz, Emilio (7 November 2019). "Bixente Lizarazu - International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  37. ^ "Match – France – Israel" (in French). fff.fr. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  38. ^ "Match – France – Arabie Saoudite" (in French). fff.fr. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  39. ^ a b "Bixente Lizarazu" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  40. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (14 March 2007). "ESM XI". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  41. ^ "Team of the Year 2001". UEFA. 3 January 2002. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  42. ^ Leme de Arruda, Marcelo (20 October 2015). "FIFA XI´s Matches – Full Info". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  43. ^ "Décret du 24 juillet 1998 portant nomination à titre exceptionnel" [Decree of 24 July 1998 appointing on an exceptional basis]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 1998 (170). 25 July 1998. PREX9801916D. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
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