Bixente Lizarazu

Date of birth: 09/12/69
Nationality: France
Playing career: FC Girondins de Bordeaux (1988–96), Athletic Club (1996–97), FC Bayern München (1997–2004), Olympique de Marseille (2004), FC Bayern München (2005–06), France (1992–2004)

• Born in the French part of the Basque country, left-back Lizarazu launched his career with Bordeaux. Although he won no trophies with the club, he helped Les Girondins reach the UEFA Cup final in 1996.

• He moved that year to Bilbao to join Athletic but remained in Spain just one season before signing for Bayern – the team that had beaten Bordeaux in the UEFA Cup final.

• First capped by France in 1992, he became a pivotal member of the side that got to the semi-finals of EURO '96 before lifting the FIFA World Cup – on home soil – two years later and adding the European crown at UEFA EURO 2000; he ended a highly successful international career in 2004 with 97 caps (and two goals).

• Despite suffering many injuries during a nine-year stay at Bayern – interrupted only by a six-month sojourn at Marseille in autumn 2004 – he claimed five Bundesliga titles, five German Cups and four German League Cups.

• In 2001 he also won the UEFA Champions League and European/South American Cup, thus becoming world and European champion at club and international levels at the same time. Retired from playing in 2006 as the most decorated French footballer of all time, later working as a pundit on French television.

Honours 
UEFA European Championship: 2000
FIFA World Cup: 1998
UEFA Champions League: 2001
European/South American Cup: 2001
UEFA.com users' Team of the Year: 2001
FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001, 2003
French Ligue 2: 1992
German Bundesliga: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006
German Cup: 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006
German League Cup: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000