Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu (2011)
Bixente Lizarazu [ bi'ʃente lisa'ɾasu ] ( born December 9, 1969 in Saint -Jean -de -Luz, France ) is a French former football player and member of the Basque people group. In his professional career, which began at Bordeaux in 1988 and 2006 ended with FC Bayern Munich, he was active in the professional leagues of France, Spain and Germany and has gained numerous national and international titles. He has also been French national team and has been with the selection of world and European champions.
- 2.1 national team
- 2.2 associations
Career
Clubs
Lizarazu began his football career in 1977 at the French province of association Les Églantins Hendaye. From there he moved in 1988 to the first division club Girondins Bordeaux. Bordeaux was at that time one of the strongest and most successful teams in France and in 1987 was made with players like Battiston, Tigana or Lacombe French league and cup. In Lizarazus debut season ( which also Christophe Dugarry was committed ) but they finished only a disappointing 13th place. Although Girondins appeared in the following year again successfully and took 2nd place in the championship, but it was followed by the great crash: Due to financial problems Bordeaux was forcibly transferred at the end of the season 1990/91 in the Division 2. After the immediate resurgence in 1992 Girondins was first back to top league. Reinforced by Zinedine Zidane ( from 1992) and Richard Witschge (from 1993), the team took fourth place twice in a row, but then slipped in the table again.
In 1995, the club qualified via the UEFA Intertoto Cup for the UEFA Cup, reaching the finals on 1 and 15 May 1996 compared to Bayern Munich. Previously, Bordeaux defeated among others Betis Sevilla and AC Milan. However, the missed title meant for some players to start their international careers. Zidane and Dugarry changed to Italy, Lizarazu to Spain for first division side Athletic Bilbao, which is known to receive only Basque players in its ranks. Since Lizarazu was born in the French part of the Basque region, he was allowed to play for Bilbao and is thus one of the few non- Spaniards who has ever been able to play for Athletic and also once for the Basque football selection. After only one season Lizarazu moved to Germany to record champion Bayern Munich.
On August 2, 1997 ( 1st Round ), he made his debut in the Bundesliga in the 0-1 defeat at home to 1.FC Kaiserslautern. On September 9, 1998 ( 3rd Round ) in a 6-1 victory at home against Hansa Rostock succeeded with his side's lead to temporary 3-0 his first Bundesliga goal. For Bayern he played - apart from the Hinserie at Olympique Marseille 2004 - until end of season 2005/ 06 and won 18 titles. The return from Marseille was the long-term injury Philipp Lahm owed , which should take Lizarazus position. After Lizarazu still anhängte one season, he declared on 30 April 2006, the end of his professional career to the end of the season.
National
Lizarazu debuted on November 14, 1992 in Paris at the World Cup qualifying match in a 2-1 victory over Finland in the senior team. His first international goal he scored on 15 November 1995 in Caen in the European Championship qualifier in the 2-0 victory over Israel. With the 0-1 defeat in the quarter- final match of the Euro 2004 in Portugal on June 25 against the eventual winners Greece also ended his career as a national player. On 5 August 2004, only 1.69 m tall and 69 kg Basque declared after 97 internationals for the resignation of the national team, with whom he won the following successes.
Achievements
National
- World Champion: 1998 (6 games / 1 goal)
- European Championship: 2000 (4 games / - gate)
- Confed Cup winner (2): 2001, 2003
Clubs
Success with Girondins Bordeaux:
- UEFA Intertoto Cup winners: 1995
- UEFA Cup finalist: 1996
Success with Bayern Munich:
- World Cup winner: 2001
- Champions League winner: 2001
- Champions League finalists: 1999
- German master (6): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006
- DFB Cup winners ( 5): 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006
- League Cup winners (4): 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Awards
- Member of the Legion of Honor
- Scorer of the month February 2000
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2001
Others
After the end of his professional career, he was a co-host at the French TV station Canal Plus. In addition, he hosts live football broadcasts as co-host in today's largest private French television channel TF1. In addition to Champions League games in 2010 there were also broadcasts from the World Cup in South Africa.
In 2000 was born in the French Basque Country Lizarazu received a blackmail letter from the Basque terrorist organization ETA, which accused him of a hostile nation, to play France. He had therefore to pay protection money ( the infamous revolutionary tax ) in order to protect himself and his family from the consequences. Lizarazu was placed under police protection. Although he played for France to Lizarazu but feels as Basque.
On 27 December 2008, he bought with his former teammate from Girondins Bordeaux, Alain Boghossian and Zinedine Zidane the team Olympique Croix de Savoie 74 from the Championnat National.
Bixente Lizarazu is the brother of Peyo Lizarazu. This was a Teenage Surf European champion and is considered one of the best surfers around the world. In the town of Hendaye is on the player to a football stadium, the Stade Bixente Lizarazu named. After his active football career Lizarazu seeks a second athletic career. He wanted to participate for France at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver in the competitions in skeleton, rejected this idea but again, because he would have to pull in the Alps for a serious workout. He also was on January 31, 2009 in Lisbon, European champion in Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu in the Class Blue Belt Senior 1 - Light.
Between November 27, 2001 and 4 May 2002, he was the first and so far only player who was the reigning world, European, Confederations Cup and German champions and Champions League and World Cup winners once.