William Gallas
Personal information
Full name	William Éric Gallas
Date of birth	17 August 1977 (1977-08-17) (age 32)
Place of birth	Asnières-sur-Seine, France
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position	Centre back, Full back
Club information
Current club	Arsenal
Number	10
Youth career
1987–1992 1992–1994	AVG Football INF Clairefontaine
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1995–1997 1997–2001 2001–2006 2006–	Caen Marseille Chelsea Arsenal	034 00(0) 084 00(2) 159 0(12) 086 0(12)
National team2
1997–1998 2002–	France U21 France	011 0(0) 076 0(3)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of August 22, 2009. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of March 7, 2009. * Appearances (Goals)

William Éric Gallas (born 17 August 1977 in Asnières-sur-Seine) is a French footballer who plays for English Premier League club Arsenal and the French national team. Regarded as a highly capable player, he primarily plays as a centre-back.

Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English club Chelsea in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal as part of an exchange deal in 2006. While his career has been marked by both individual and team successes - including Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 - he has also encountered controversy as a consequence of his on-field behaviour and friction with other personnel. In 2007, he was named Arsenal's captain, but was removed from the role during the 2008-09 season after criticising team-mates in a media interview.

Contents 1 Club career 1.1 Early career 1.2 Chelsea 1.3 Arsenal 1.3.1 2006-07 season 1.3.2 2007-08 season 1.3.3 2008-09 season 1.3.4 2009-10 season 2 International career 3 Club career statistics 3.1 International goals 4 Honours 4.1 Caen 4.2 Chelsea 4.3 International 4.4 Individual 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Club career

[edit] Early career

William Gallas is a graduate of the French Football academy at Clairefontaine. He started his professional career at second division SM Caen helping them to promotion as champions in 1996. He was subsequently transferred to Olympique Marseille in 1997. Gallas spent four seasons at Marseille, playing alongside Robert Pirès among others. He made his debut in the UEFA Champions League playing for Marseille, and he also played against Chelsea in that competition in 2000.

[edit] Chelsea

Former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri bought Gallas from Marseille in May 2001 for £6.2 million. He chose the number 13 shirt because it was his postcode back when he lived in Marseille. Marseille is in the Bouches du Rhône département of France where all addresses begin with a 13. Under Ranieri, Gallas developed centre-back partnerships with Marcel Desailly and later with John Terry; his partnership with Terry included a run of 16 games without conceding a single goal. He also played at right-back at times. It was with Chelsea and under Ranieri where Gallas obtained his first international cap.

Gallas was part of Chelsea's team which won back-to-back Premier League titles and a League Cup under Ranieri's successor José Mourinho. The Blues also made the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League that year, but were knocked out by Liverpool 1-0 in controversial circumstances when the ball was shown to have been cleared off the line by Gallas and never have fully gone in. Due to a serious injury to left-back Wayne Bridge in 2004-05 Gallas was forced to play out of position. Despite the purchase of Asier del Horno from Athletic Bilbao for £8 million in the 2005 close season, Gallas found himself often playing on the left, a situation he got increasingly frustrated with. However Gallas scored some vital goals as Chelsea retained their title in the 2005-06 in English football season at Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United. Gallas called the goal against Tottenham, a 25-yard injury-time winner, his "greatest ever" on Chelsea TV.^{[citation needed]}

Gallas's contract with Chelsea was due to expire in May 2007. He refused to sign a new contract with Chelsea on improved terms after saying the club didn't offer him enough money and expressed a wish to play in Serie A, with Juventus and A.C. Milan both interested.^{[citation needed]} Chelsea however did not agree to a transfer request by the player in May 2006, as they considered Gallas an important first team member.

After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Gallas refused to turn up at Chelsea's pre-season American tour,^[2] citing tiredness after the tournament. Upon assigning squad numbers the club gave new arrival Michael Ballack Gallas' number 13 shirt as a punishment for not turning up, an indication that his future at Stamford Bridge was in serious doubt. His reception at the club's membership day at Stamford Bridge was mixed, with sections of fans clapping him while others booed or remained unmoved.

Despite reported links with several clubs around Europe, a move out of England looked unlikely. The 2006 Serie A scandal stopped any interest from Juventus or A.C. Milan, and the only club to express an interest was Arsenal. In a move which further crowded the ranks of defenders at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea signed Dutch international centre back Khalid Boulahrouz.

On 1 September 2006, Gallas transferred to Arsenal as part of a deal that took Ashley Cole to Chelsea^[3] and Arsenal also received the sum of £5 million. The press reported that José Mourinho was furious Gallas had been allowed to move to their rivals and that the Cole-Gallas swap deal had been forced through by Chelsea executive Peter Kenyon. After the transfer, Chelsea issued a statement that Gallas threatened to deliberately score own goals if he was not allowed to leave Chelsea.^[4] Gallas rejected Chelsea's claims and accused the West Londoners of lacking class and 'hiding behind false accusations'.^[5] Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager who signed Gallas from Marseille said of the allegations; "I cannot believe these stories. It is absolutely incredible. I signed William and he was always a good professional on the pitch. Of course, I don't know what has happened in the last two years." However, it should be noted that Gallas frequently voiced his distaste both for the club, and the position he was playing there in the weeks prior to his move, at one point vowing that he would never again play for Chelsea whatever the circumstances. Among the Chelsea faithful Gallas's acrimonious departure turned him almost instantly from a cult hero into an object of betrayal and hatred. PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor declared that the whole episode has left a "bad taste in the mouth" and that Chelsea's statement should be taken "with a large pinch of salt."

[edit] Arsenal

[edit] 2006-07 season

Gallas signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, where he took the number 10 shirt vacated by the recently-retired Dennis Bergkamp. In an interview in the October 2006 issue of the Official Arsenal Magazine, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger explained the rather peculiar decision to hand him the squad number 10 (traditionally a forward's number):

Number three was uncomfortable for him and I had given the rest of the numbers out. In the end I thought it might be a good idea to give the number ten to a defender, because a striker would suffer a lot with the comparison with Dennis. At first I was reluctant to give Dennis's number out, and especially to a defender, but overall I think it's better that way.

Gallas made his full debut for The Gunners at left-back in the 1-1 home draw against Middlesbrough on 9 September 2006 and scored his first goal against Sheffield United on 23 September 2006.

[edit] 2007-08 season

Gallas was confirmed as Arsenal captain on 9 August 2007, with Kolo Touré, serving as vice-captain. This caused some controversy as Gilberto Silva was expected to receive the captain's arm band. Many people have questioned Wenger for this decision. His first competitive game as Arsenal captain was on 12 August 2007 against Fulham, which ended in a 2-1 victory for Arsenal.^[6] Gallas suffered a groin injury in the game against Blackburn on 19 August, but returned to play for Arsenal in their 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers on 20 October. In the traditional Arsenal vs Manchester United clash at the Emirates Stadium on 3 November, he scored a last minute goal to give the Gunners a draw.

On 24 November 2007 Gallas scored against Wigan when Bacary Sagna crossed in and Gallas fired a header through the arms of Wigan's goalkeeper Pollitt to open the deadlock.

On 16 December 2007 Gallas scored against his old club Chelsea, which was to be the only goal in the match to secure 3 points for Arsenal. Gallas later reflected on his goal against former club Chelsea, claiming that "When Cesc sent the corner in for my goal, I saw Petr Čech come off his line and to be honest I was sure he would catch it. So I was surprised when he didn't take it, and it was just a reflex reaction to head it into the goal. I just happened to be there at the right time".^{[7][verification needed]}

Gallas attracted some criticism as a result of his actions in a 2-2 draw against Birmingham City on 23 February 2008—a game in which his teammate Eduardo da Silva had his leg broken following a challenge by Martin Taylor. When Gaël Clichy of Arsenal conceded a penalty in injury time at the end of the second half, Gallas walked into the Birmingham half, apparently in protest. He stood there as Birmingham striker James McFadden converted the penalty. He then had to be restrained as he appeared to confront the crowd in fury. After the final whistle, Gallas sat down on the pitch as the rest of the players left the field before being consoled by manager Arsène Wenger.

Gallas also scored for Arsenal against Bolton in a 2-3 win on 29 March 2008, starting the comeback which 10-man Arsenal ultimately completed.

Amid speculation that Gallas would be replaced as club captain following his behaviour during the Birmingham City game, Wenger said that he would consider the matter at the end of the season.^[8]

[edit] 2008-09 season

In August 2008, it was announced that Gallas would remain the club's captain for the 2008-2009 season.^[9] In the 2008-09 season, Gallas has proved especially prolific in the Champions League. He scored 6 goals in Arsenal's campaign, including two against FC Twente and an equalizer against Dynamo Kiev as well as a header against Spurs.

On 29 October 2008, he scored his first league goal of the season against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, scoring Arsenal's second goal in a 4–4 draw.

On 8 November 2008, in a 2–1 victory over Manchester United, he received praise for his display whilst playing alongside former United defender Mikael Silvestre. It was claimed he outshone United defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić.^[10]

In November, Gallas gave an interview to the Associated Press in which he revealed tensions within the squad which were disruptive to team morale, and suggested that Arsenal's younger players needed to show more courage if they were to be successful.^[11][12] He was dropped from the squad for the next match, against Manchester City, and was reported to have been fined two weeks' wages.^[13] Reports that he had been stripped of the captaincy permanently^[14] were confirmed by Arsenal on 24 November; he was succeeded by Cesc Fàbregas. Wenger confirmed that Gallas still had a future with the club, contrary to media speculation, and Gallas played in the following day's Champions League match.^[15][16]

On 17 March 2009, Gallas scored the winner in a 2-1 win against Hull City in the quarter finals of the FA Cup.

On 10 April 2009, it was confirmed that Gallas would miss the remainder of the season after damaging the medial ligament in his right knee during the UEFA Champions League 2008-09 quarter-final first leg tie against Villareal CF. The match finished 1-1 with Gallas only lasting 43 minutes of the first half.

[edit] 2009-10 season

Despite enduring a below-par season, William Gallas started the 2009-10 campaign in fine form, scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games. He has formed a partnership with Belgian centre back Thomas Vermaelen^[17], Arsenal's only summer signing, and the pair scored 7 goals between them in their first eight league games. On 22 August, in the first home game of the season, he scored a bizarre goal against Portsmouth; Vermaelen had attempted to score a slide-in from a corner kick but Gallas accidentally flicked the ball onto his face and it bounced into the net.^[18]

[edit] International career

Gallas was a part of the France U-18 European Championship winning side. He also played for the France U-20 team in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship along with fellow Frenchmen Willy Sagnol and Thierry Henry.

He is now a regular member for France,forming Raymond Domenech's first-choice centre-back partnership with Lilian Thuram during the World Cup in Germany and Euro 2008. He made his full France debut in a 5-0 victory over Slovenia in a Euro 2004 qualifier on 12 October 2002, and was a member of the squad for the tournament's finals. He was in the 2003 Confederations Cup winning side, and more recently he was a member of the squad that reached the 2006 FIFA World Cup final. Following the 2006 World Cup, he criticised the Portugal team for diving, saying that when the French faced them in the semi-finals they needed to look out for their unfair style of play^[19].

Gallas won his 50th cap for France in the 3-1 win against Italy on 6 September 2006 at the Stade de France in a Euro 2008 qualifying match.

Gallas is still eligible to represent Guadeloupe internationally as well, as they are not FIFA affiliated. His cousin, Ludovic Quistin, has represented Guadeloupe.^[20]

On 10 October, he scored for France against Faroe in the 53rd minute.

[edit] Club career statistics

(correct as of 7 November 2009)

Club	Season	League			Cup[21]			Europe			Total
		Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
Chelsea
	2001–02	30	1	0	8	1	0	3	0	0	41	2	0
	2002–03	36	4	0	8	0	0	2	0	0	46	4	0
	2003–04	32	0	0	5	0	0	11	1	0	48	1	0
	2004–05	28	2	1	6	0	0	12	0	0	46	2	1
	2005–06	33	5	1	4	0	0	12	0	0	49	5	1
Total		159	12	2	31	1	0	40	1	0	230	14	2
Arsenal
	2006–07	21	3	0	2	0	0	6	0	0	29	3	0
	2007–08	31	4	0	2	0	0	8	0	0	42	4	0
	2008–09	23	2	0	4	1	0	9	3	0	36	6	0
	2009–10	11	3	0	0	0	0	6	1	1	17	4	1
Total		86	12	0	8	1	0	29	4	1	123	17	1
Career totals		245	23	2	39	2	0	69	5	1	353	30	3

[edit] International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	17 August 2005	Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France	Côte d'Ivoire	1 – 0	3 – 0	Friendly
2	16 August 2006	Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo, Bosnia	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1 – 1	1 – 2	Friendly
3	10 October 2009	Stade du Roudourou, Guingamp, France	Faroe Islands	3 – 0	5 – 0	2010 World Cup qualification

[edit] Honours

[edit] Caen

• Ligue 2 (1996)

[edit] Chelsea

• Premier League (2005, 2006)
• League Cup (2005)
• FA Community Shield (2005)

[edit] International

• Confederations Cup (2003)

[edit] Individual

• PFA Team of the Year (2003, 2006)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: William Gallas

• Official web site
• Profile at Arsenal.com
• William Gallas profile at the French Football Federation official web site (French)
• William Gallas career stats at Soccerbase
• FootballDatabase profile and stats
• 4thegame.com profile

William Gallas - Navigation boxes and awards v • d • e France squad – 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup Winners (2nd Title) 1 Landreau • 2 Mexès • 3 Lizarazu • 4 Boumsong • 5 Gallas • 6 Dacourt • 7 Pirès • 8 Desailly • 9 Cissé • 10 Giuly • 11 Wiltord • 12 Henry • 13 Silvestre • 14 Rothen • 15 Thuram • 16 Barthez • 17 Kapo • 18 Pedretti • 19 Sagnol • 20 Marlet • 21 Dabo • 22 Govou • 23 Coupet • Coach: Santini v • d • e France squad – UEFA Euro 2004 1 Landreau • 2 Boumsong • 3 Lizarazu • 4 Vieira • 5 Gallas • 6 Makélélé • 7 Pirès • 8 Desailly • 9 Saha • 10 Zidane • 11 Wiltord • 12 Henry • 13 Silvestre • 14 Rothen • 15 Thuram • 16 Barthez • 17 Dacourt • 18 Pedretti • 19 Sagnol • 20 Trezeguet • 21 Marlet • 22 Govou • 23 Coupet • Coach: Santini v • d • e France squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup Runners-up 1 Landreau • 2 Boumsong • 3 Abidal • 4 Vieira • 5 Gallas • 6 Makélélé • 7 Malouda • 8 Dhorasoo • 9 Govou • 10 Zidane • 11 Wiltord • 12 Henry • 13 Silvestre • 14 Saha • 15 Thuram • 16 Barthez • 17 Givet • 18 Diarra • 19 Sagnol • 20 Trezeguet • 21 Chimbonda • 22 Ribéry • 23 Coupet • Coach: Domenech v • d • e France squad – UEFA Euro 2008 1 Mandanda • 2 Boumsong • 3 Abidal • 4 Vieira • 5 Gallas • 6 Makélélé • 7 Malouda • 8 Anelka • 9 Benzema • 10 Govou • 11 Nasri • 12 Henry • 13 Evra • 14 Clerc • 15 Thuram • 16 Frey • 17 Squillaci • 18 Gomis • 19 Sagnol • 20 Toulalan • 21 Diarra • 22 Ribéry • 23 Coupet • Coach: Domenech Sporting positions Preceded by Thierry Henry Arsenal F.C. Captain 2007–2008 Succeeded by Cesc Fàbregas

v • d • e Arsenal F.C. – current squad 1 Almunia · 2 Diaby · 3 Sagna · 4 Fàbregas (c) · 5 Vermaelen · 6 Senderos · 7 Rosický · 8 Nasri · 9 Eduardo · 10 Gallas · 11 Van Persie · 12 Vela · 14 Walcott · 15 Denílson · 16 Ramsey · 17 Song · 18 Silvestre · 19 Wilshere · 20 Djourou · 21 Fabiański · 22 Clichy · 23 Arshavin · 24 Mannone · 27 Eboué · 28 Gibbs · 30 Traoré · 32 Mérida · 33 Barazite · 34 Bartley · 35 Coquelin · 36 Cruise · 37 Eastmond · 38 Emmanuel-Thomas · 39 Evina · 40 Freeman · 41 Frimpong · 42 Gilbert · 43 Henderson · 46 Ayling · 47 Murphy · 48 Randall · 49 Shea · 51 Sunu · 52 Bendtner · 53 Szczęsny · 54 Watt · Manager: Wenger

Persondata
NAME	Gallas, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Gallas, William
SHORT DESCRIPTION
DATE OF BIRTH	1977-08-17
PLACE OF BIRTH	Asnières-sur-Seine, France
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH