Lilian Thuram

Lilian Thuram in 2012

Ruddy Lilian Thuram - Ulien ( born January 1, 1972 in Pointe -à- Pitre ) is a former French footballer.

Career

Clubs

The central defender, who grew up in Guadeloupe, his professional career began in 1990 with AS Monaco. Previously, he had been before he came for some youth teams like Portugais de Fontainebleau, Club Sportif de Fontainebleau and Union Sportive de Melun on the ball in the youth department of AS Monaco. From then coach Arsène Wenger, he was appointed to the senior squad. In six years with the Monegasque he celebrated his first success. 1990/91 the team reached the final of the Coupe de France. There one could prevail with a 1-0 victory against Olympique Marseille; However, Thuram was not used in the final. Due to this success, the AS Monaco was qualified for the following season for the European Cup Winners' Cup. They reached the final, but was beaten Werder Bremen. But even in this game, Thuram was only an onlooker. He was the 1991 and 1992 runner-up in the league, both times behind Olympique Marseille. Gradually Thuram became the leading player of the Monegasque.

In the summer of 1996 he moved to Italy and signed a contract with AC Parma. In his first season the Italian championship was just missed. Two years later, followed by probably the best time for Thuram in dress of yellow and blues. Only the Coppa Italia was won and then defeated in the final of the UEFA Cup Olympique Marseille 3-0. With Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Hernan Crespo and Juan Sebastian Veron Thuram formed the backbone for the success of the ACP. Also in the same year brought you the Supercoppa Italiana.

After five years in Parma there is a change in the Italian league, the top club Juventus. There Thuram was instantly a regular player and leader. Right off the bat the 2001/02 league title was won and defended in the following year. In addition, in 2002 and 2003, the Supercup was won. After fixing scandal of 2005/06 season was the end of the season the relegation of Juventus to the second tier firm. Some stars were kept, others were sold or wanted to go. For a fee of 5 million euro and Thuram was issued.

New employer was the FC Barcelona. Right at the beginning, the team won the discharged annually Match for Torneig Gamper Cup. 2007 Thuram won the trophy for the second time with Barça. Already in 2005 he had, at that time still can win with Juventus, this game. In Barcelona Thuram was not set, competing with players like Rafael Marquez, Carles Puyol and Gabriel Milito. His 2008 expiring contract was not renewed.

End of June 2008, he should sign a one-year contract with the French first division side Paris St Germain. In the physical examination, however, a malformation of the heart was found, so he had to end his career.

National

Lilian Thuram played since 1994 in the French national team, first as a right-back, then as a central defender and defensive leader. His first tournament was the European Football Championship 1996. His greatest achievement was winning the football World Cup in 1998 on home soil. With his only two international goals in the semi-final against Croatia, he was instrumental in the success of France. In 2000, he was at the European Championships in Holland and Belgium with the French National Team European Soccer Championships. Thuram also took part in the unsuccessful verlaufenen Football World Cup in 2002 and was also in the squad for Euro 2004 in Portugal, where he completed his 100th game. With the Football World Cup 2006 Lilian Thuram reached the finals with his country and was elected to the All- Star team. He also belonged to the European Championship finals in 2008 to the French squad, where he held the role of the captain, but France did not progress beyond the group stage.

With 142 caps he is the most capped player in the Équipe Tricolore and 16 European Championship games and record holder in EM operations. After the preliminary round -off in the Euro 2008, he announced his retirement from international football.

Commitment against racism and social inequality

Thuram is known for its very strong commitment against racism. So he took the 2001 Charity Award for the Europe-wide network FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe ) counter.

2001 Thuram has recorded with the French footballer Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord, Frank Lebœuf, Didier Deschamps, referee Joel Quiniou and coach Raymond Domenech to demand, and without any rights a 20-minute videotape against racism, specifically aimed at young people and so far has already been seen by over 100,000 young people.

From the government Lilian Thuram was appointed to the Integration Council; In this role, he turned in the riots in the Parisian suburbs in 2005 against then- Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who some young people from the suburbs as "scum " and " Rascals ", and said that it " all the suburbs with a high pressure cleaner from would have to clean these people. " Thuram said: " If you refer to these people as rabble, I feel also responded because I come from such a banlieue. "

In 2008 he founded the "Fondation Lilian Thuram - Éducation contre le racisme ". In addition, he was selected by the French Football Federation to the Federal Council ( conseil fédéral ). In November 2011, an exhibition curated by Thuram exhibition titled Exhibitions, l'invention du sauvage was opened in Paris, Musée du quai Branly, which is concerned with the " human zoos " and the display of kidnapped black Africans during the colonial period. The exhibition received the Globes de Cristal for the best exhibition of the year.

Publications

• Mes étoiles noires. Philippe Rey, Paris 2010, ISBN 978-2-84876-148-0
• Preface to " Sarkozy m'a expulsé, 140 portraits d' étrangers dont la France n'a pas voulu. " Les Échappés, 2011