Sylvain Wiltord: biography, career, achievements

Sylvain Wiltord is a famous French striker. Champion of France and England, participant of European and world championships. One of the main scorers of the football club "Arsenal" in the period from 2000 to 2004.

early years

Sylvain Wiltord, whose photo can be seen in the material, was born on May 10, 1974 in the suburbs of Paris - the Seine-Saint-Denis. At the age of 17, I entered the football academy of the French club Rennes. For the team that never had stable performances, young Sylvain Wiltord played 5 full seasons. During this time, the striker took part in 125 duels, scoring 31 goals.

The successful game of the young striker, aimed at team action, as well as high enough results, allowed Rennu to move from the second French league to the country's top division. Soon, the outstanding abilities of the player were noticed by serious clubs with great ambitions.

Performances for "Bordeaux"

In his 25 years, Sylvain Wiltord received an extremely tempting offer from one of the leaders of the championship of France - the club "Bordeaux". In the new team, the talented striker's game became even brighter. In the 1999/2000 season, the club won the championship, and the footballer won in the race of the best scorers of the country's top division, having scored 22 goals scored.

The following year, the leading clubs of Europe laid eyes on Wiltord. Soon, the leadership of "Renna" it became clear that to retain a talented striker who played for the club just a season, most likely, will not succeed.

Transfer to Arsenal

Sylvain Wiltord, whose goals in the French championship made him a real star of the championship, signed a contract with the London "Arsenal" at the beginning of the season 2000/2001. In the team, the 26-year-old striker was at the peak of the form.

Wiltord was able to quickly adapt to the performances in the new championship, largely thanks to the work with the French coach Arsen Wenger and the abundance of foreign players from this country in the team. Within a few months, Sylvain became one of the leaders of the collective.

However, life in the London club was not so cloudless for the attacker. In addition to Thierry Henry, with whom Wiltord had to compete in his native position, the football player constantly fought for a place in the composition with another talented striker - Dennis Bergkamp.

Soon, in view of the high competition for a place in the line of attack, the coach of Arsenal was forced to transfer Sylvain to midfield. Despite the circumstances, the football player still saved the team in the most significant fights, scoring goals in the right moments. In addition, the player repeatedly marked hat-tricks.

In total in London, Wiltord spent 4 full seasons. During this time, the player played 175 fights in various tournaments and was marked by 49 goals scored. Such impressive statistics later allowed him to be on the list of the best players of the English club in the history of his existence.

Homecoming

After 4 years in the "Arsenal" regular injuries and the highest competition for a place in the squad forced Wiltor to think about changing the club. Returning to France, the striker joined the developing club "Lyon", which was building big plans for winning prestigious European trophies, forming a team of the country's best players.

Coaching staff of the team gave preference to the attacking schemes of the game. Therefore, in some matches on the field turned out to be up to 4 attackers. In this construction, Wiltord, who had experience playing in the midfield, quickly became the main playmaker of the club. During 3 seasons, Sylvain won 3 championships in a row together with his "Lion" partners, having played 82 fights, which were marked by 20 balls and numerous assists.

Interesting Facts

Sylvain Wiltord had the glory of a football player, who knew how to score decisive balls. Suffice it to recall his performances at the European Championships in 2000. Then in the final meeting the teams of Italy and France came together. A minute before the end of the fight, which led the Italians, Wiltord managed to restore parity. Already in the added time, the mentally broken opponent missed another ball from David Trezeguet. Thus, Italy had to temporarily forget about the title.