Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez
Nicknamed Le Divin Chauve ("The Divine Bald One"), due to his trademark shaved
head,[4][5][6] Barthez is France's most capped player in the FIFA World Cup, with
17 appearances at the finals and shares the record for the most World Cup finals
clean sheets with Peter Shilton, with ten.[4][5] In club football, he won the UEFA
Champions League with Olympique Marseille in 1993 as well as several Ligue 1 and
Premier League titles. After retiring from football in 2007, Barthez began a career
in motorsport in 2008.
Contents
1 Club career
1.1 Marseille
1.2 Monaco
1.3 Manchester United
1.4 Return to Marseille
1.5 Retirement
1.6 Comeback
1.7 Luzenac
2 International career
2.1 Early international career
2.2 1998 World Cup
2.3 Euro 2000
2.4 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004
2.5 2006 World Cup
3 Motorsport career
4 Coaching career
5 Style of play
6 Personal life
7 Endorsements
8 Career statistics
8.1 Club
8.2 International
9 Racing record
9.1 Complete FIA GT Series results
9.2 Complete European Le Mans Series results
9.2.1 24 Hours of Le Mans results
10 Honours
11 Notes
12 External links
Club career
Marseille
Born in Lavelanet, France, Barthez made his first division debut for Toulouse on 21
September 1991, against Nancy. He joined Marseille in 1992, and won both the French
championship and the Champions League at the end of his first season in Marseille,
keeping a clean sheet in a 1�0 victory over A.C. Milan in final of the latter
competition.[7] The 1993 victory made him the youngest goalkeeper to win a
Champions League title until Iker Casillas did so in 2000.
Marseille, however, would be stripped of their domestic title, though not of the
Champions League crown, due to their involvement in a domestic match fixing
scandal, and a year later (1994) would suffer a forced relegation to the second
division due to a related financial bankruptcy. He stayed with the club in Division
2 for the 1994�95 season despite many offers from elite French clubs, helping
Marseille to the title and to earn promotion to the first division.[8]
Monaco
In 1995, Barthez joined AS Monaco and won Ligue 1 titles in 1997 and 2000. He also
played in Jean Tigana's talented Monaco side which famously put his future club
Manchester United out of the Champions League in 1998 on away goals after a 1�1
draw at Old Trafford.[9]
Manchester United
As a result of Barthez's success in the World Cup and the Euros, he caught the
attention of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was searching for a
star goalkeeper to replace the recently departed Peter Schmeichel, as Ferguson did
not think that the previous season's goalkeeper, Mark Bosnich, was a long-term
replacement. Barthez joined United for �7.8 million in 2000.[10] He was later
reunited with national teammate Laurent Blanc, who joined United in 2001.[11] The
Barthez�Blanc head-kissing ritual was performed at the start of Champions League
matches.[5]
Well known for being eccentric,[12] Barthez started out well for Manchester United.
His first season was a triumph as he answered all the questions about how he would
handle rainy Manchester compared to sunny Monaco. Barthez performed brilliantly
throughout the season and became a crowd favourite. The fans loved his eccentric
behaviour, his taunting dribbles and step-overs past opposing strikers,[12] and
most importantly, his remarkable reaction saves.[13][14] Very often it was critical
saves that kept United from defeat or dropping valuable points,[13] helping United
to the 2000�01 FA Premier League title, their third in a row.[15][16]
A memorable incident happened when Manchester United faced Leeds United in March
2001. After dropping a cross from Robbie Keane, Barthez deliberately kicked out
with his foot at Ian Harte, who fell to the ground on the edge of six yard box, and
the referee awarded a penalty to Leeds. Harte stepped up but Barthez made a low,
one-handed save to his right.[17] The only blemish in his first season was his
failed attempt at "psyching out" West Ham United's Paolo Di Canio in the FA Cup
Fourth Round; Di Canio beat the offside trap, while Barthez stood still with his
hand up expecting the referee to blow his whistle, or Di Canio to stop.[18] Di
Canio continued and scored the only goal of the game,[19][20] and later said it was
"better to score and then see whether the goalkeeper is right or wrong".[21]
The 2001�02 season was split into two parts for him. The first half was a
nightmare. The Frenchman seemed to be taking some unnecessary risks outside his
penalty area, and his antics began to have consequences that allowed unneeded goals
for opposing teams. He was at fault for two goals in a 3�2 home defeat by Deportivo
de La Coru�a in October 2001.[22] Ferguson said how "eventually he will get caught
out" and it wouldn't happen again.[23] But another couple of late errors against
Arsenal in a 3�1 defeat at Highbury the following month put much pressure on
Barthez, with two goals gifted to Thierry Henry, one of which came from a mis-hit
clearance.[24] Barthez was at the centre of further controversy when, after already
being on a yellow card following an argument with Matthew Upson, he was caught by
television cameras raising his middle fingers behind his back towards he Arsenal
supporters, who had been taunting him for his errors towards the end of the match;
the incident was missed by the referee Peter Jones, however.[25] There was much
speculation as to what was the source of Barthez's decline, and critics such as the
BBC's Phil McNulty urged him to be dropped.[26] Sir Alex Ferguson, however, had
faith in his goalkeeper and stuck by him. Consequently, in the second half of the
season, Barthez repaired his reputation with consistent, solid performances and the
spectacular saves that he was famous for. His turn in fortunes was shown in a 2�2
draw with Derby County at Pride Park. Derby forward Malcolm Christie looked to have
sealed his hat-trick, but referee Steve Dunn controversially disallowed the goal,
ruling that Christie kicked the ball out of Barthez's hands.[27]
He was also noted for playing mind games before opposition players took a penalty.
The first time this occurred was in November 2001 when Leicester City came to Old
Trafford. As Muzzy Izzet prepared to take a penalty, Barthez stood aside from the
goal, with his hands behind him on the post.[28] Izzet, tired of waiting, slotted
the ball in the bottom corner, but referee Andy D'Urso made him retake the penalty,
this time with Barthez in goal. Izzet went the same way, but Barthez denied him
with a fine save to his right.[29] An almost identical incident happened less than
a year later in October 2002, when Barthez was unhappy about the awarding of a
penalty to Fulham, and so went from post to post banging his boots, and refused to
be in goal for the penalty. This time he was booked for his antics by referee Mike
Dean, and so he then took his place between the posts and made it work again by
saving Steed Malbranque's spot kick.[30]
The 2002�03 season ended with another Premier League crown for United.[31] The
season was a mixed bag for Barthez. One highlight was a fabulous save to deny
Dietmar Hamann's 30-yard rocket at Anfield against Liverpool, as United held on to
win 2�1.[32] In other games, he let goals go past him that shouldn't have, and
suffered from a run of poor form towards the end of the season.[31] Barthez was
also widely criticized in United's exit to Real Madrid in the Champions League,
especially for Ronaldo's opener which beat him at the near post.[33] It would prove
to be his last ever game with United as Sir Alex Ferguson's patience had finally
run out. Barthez was dropped for the final three games of the season, with Roy
Carroll taking his place.[34][35]
Return to Marseille
Barthez's poor form at the end of the previous season and the arrival of American
newcomer Tim Howard in summer of 2003, saw the Frenchman face competition for a
starting spot at United.[36][37] As Barthez had only returned from international
duty in August, Howard played during the club's American tour of the summer, and
his performances led Ferguson to chose him to start over Barthez in the Community
Shield in August.[38][39] By October, Howard had won the starting goalkeeper's job
from Barthez; as a result, United agreed to release Barthez from his contract at
Old Trafford after the 2003�04 season, and also agreed to loan Barthez out to his
former club Marseille for the remainder of that season.[40][41] FIFA, however,
blocked the loan deal on the grounds that it was not agreed upon within the
international transfer window.[42][43] The two clubs agreed on a loan deal after
the transfer window reopened on 1 January 2004, and Barthez joined Marseille soon
afterwards.[44] On 27 April, Marseille and Barthez agreed to a two-and-a-half-year
contract which would keep him at the club until spring 2006.[45]
Barthez was involved in a controversy during a friendly match between Marseille and
Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on 12 February 2005.[46] With ten minutes left, a
Marseille player was sent off and a brawl erupted between players on the pitch.
Barthez was reported for spitting on the Moroccan referee. On 21 April, Barthez was
summoned to a hearing before the disciplinary committee of the French Football
Federation (FFF); the following day, he received a six-month suspension, with the
last three months being suspended. In an unusual move, the federal council of the
FFF appealed the suspension, arguing that the punishment should have been for a
minimum of six full months. Eventually, his suspension was extended to six full
months due to political pressures.[5][47]
Retirement
On 8 August 2006, Barthez announced he was still hoping to play professional
football for another two years, insisting he was also looking to continue his
career in the French international setup. His ideal scenario would have been a
return to first club Toulouse, where he could be close enough to allow him to take
care of his sick mother. But he said if he did not have a club by 31 August he
would not carry on with football. On 5 October 2006, it was confirmed that he had
retired from football, having failed to agree a return to Toulouse. Barthez
commented, "The only club I wanted to go to was not so happy to have me. It happens
and you have to live with it."[48][49]
Comeback
Luzenac
In 2012, Barthez became the honorary president of Championnat National team
Luzenac, where he personally picked Quentin Westberg and Nicolas Dieuze to sign for
the club.[52]
International career
Early international career
On 26 May 1994, Barthez won his first cap for France in a 1�0 victory against
Australia.[49] Barthez was understudy to Bernard Lama at UEFA Euro 1996 � at which
France reached the semi-finals � after testing positive for cannabis earlier that
year;[53] he was suspended for two months as a result.[54] Following a later
suspension to Lama instead, however, Barthez subsequently gained the number one
goalkeeping position shortly after the tournament and would not relinquish it for a
decade.[53]
Euro 2000
Two years later, Barthez was again the starter as his country won Euro 2000.[59] It
was the first time in over 20 years that a national team held both the World Cup
and Euro titles, a feat last accomplished by West Germany in 1974. After that
triumph, France held the top position in the FIFA World Rankings system from 2001
to 2002.[60]
France had a slow start in the group stage, drawing their first two games and
putting their playoff chances at risk. Fortunately, Barthez's team found their form
and won their final round robin match 2�0 to advance to the next stage, where they
upset heavily favoured Spain 3�1 in the round of 16.
In defeating Brazil, 1�0 on 1 July 2006, Barthez, having made only one save in the
game (on an injury time shot from Ronaldo), became the first keeper to blank the
Brazilian team in consecutive World Cup finals matches, the first being the 1998
final (3�0). France is now one of only four nations (along with Italy, Argentina
and the Netherlands) to have shut Brazil out twice in the World Cup finals, and the
first to have done it in consecutive matches, both times with Barthez in goal.[5]
Barthez again kept another clean sheet � his fourth of the tournament[4] � in the
semi-final against Portugal (with Zinedine Zidane's penalty shot the winning goal),
though he appeared in questionable form. A few minutes from time, he spectacularly
spilled a free-kick which Lu�s Figo recovered, heading over the bar although
unchallenged. He did, however, redeem himself in injury time when a French defender
fumbled the ball, enabling a Portuguese player to mount a last-moment attack.
Barthez scrambled out of the net and blocked the first shot.[64]
During the final against Italy, he briefly captained his team for the remainder of
the second period of extra time after Zidane was sent off. During the penalty
shootout, neither he nor his Italian counterpart Gianluigi Buffon made a save, and
France striker David Trezeguet's missed shot ultimately proved decisive.[5][65]
This proved to be Barthez's 87th and final international appearance, as he retired
from international football following the tournament.[49]
Motorsport career
After retiring from football in 2007, Barthez began a career in motorsport in 2008.
He began competing at selected events in the Porsche Carrera Cup France that year
with the team SOFREV Auto Sport Promotion. He also competed at two events in the
THP Spider Cup. In 2009, he raced in a number of various motorsport series such as
the French GT Championship, Bioracing Series and the Caterham Sigma Cup France as
well as the Porsche Carrera Cup France. He continued to race in the FFSA GT
Championship in 2010 and picked up his first podium in race 1 at Dijon-Prenois. In
the 2012 season, he won his first race in the FFSA series at the Circuito de
Navarra in race two and finished seventh in the championship. In 2013, he was
crowned French GT Champion alongside Morgan Moullin-Traffort, driving a Ferrari.
[66]
In 2013, he also competed in the newly re-branded FIA GT Series alongside G�rard
Tonelli in the Gentleman Trophy class with SOFREV ASP driving a GT3-spec Ferrari
458 Italia.
In February 2014, it was announced that Barthez would be entered into the 2014 24
Hours of Le Mans, driving Sofrev ASP's Ferrari 458.[67] Barthez and his co-drivers
finished 29th overall and ninth in LMGTE Am class.
Coaching career
On 2 July 2010, following Laurent Blanc's appointment as the new manager of the
French national team, Barthez was named among the team's technical staff as a
goalkeeping coach.[68]
Style of play
Rated by pundits as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, in his
prime, Barthez was considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world,[4]
[12][69][70][71][72][73] and is regarded as one of the best French players ever in
his position,[4][14][74] being named the fourth greatest French goalkeeper of all
time in IFFHS' Century elections, behind Bernard Lama, Pierre Chayrigu�s, and
Julien Darui.[75] Standing at 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), he was not particularly tall for
a goalkeeper,[6][70][71][76] although he was extremely athletic, and was known for
his elevation, as well as his decision-making, bravery, ability to read the game,
and commitment when coming out to collect the ball, which made him effective in the
air and enabled him to command his area effectively in spite of his short stature;
[64][71][77] however, at times he was still caught out on high balls due to his
lack of height, and he also came under criticism on occasion for his indecisiveness
when struggling to deal with crosses.[6][70] A flamboyant and instinctive keeper,
he was also extremely agile, and possessed excellent reflexes, which enabled him to
produce spectacular, acrobatic, and decisive reaction saves;[12][14][53][69][70]
[72][73][78][79] he also possessed a good positional sense.[74] In addition to his
shot-stopping abilities,[6][70][73][78] Barthez was also known to be a passionate,
popular, and highly recognisable footballing figure,[4][53][72][79] who stood out
for his outgoing personality, self-assurance, and composure under pressure, as well
as his leadership from the back and authoritative presence in goal.[6][12][14][49]
[64][69][71][72][79] Furthermore, Barthez was highly regarded for his exceptional
skills with the ball at his feet, as well as his accurate distribution with his
left foot, which enabled him to play the ball out from the back or launch an attack
with his quick throws or long goal kicks; his confidence in possession often led
him to be involved in the build-up of plays, and he often operated outside the
penalty area, and would even occasionally attempt to dribble with the ball past
opposing strikers with feints such as nutmegs or stepovers. He was also very quick
off his line, and often acted as a sweeper-keeper, thus contributing to the
evolution of the role.[4][6][12][14][69][70][71][72][73][74][76][79][80][81][82]
While he received plaudits for his goalkeeping ability in the media, throughout his
career Barthez also frequently came under criticism from pundits for his
stubbornness, and his aggressive, unorthodox, and eccentric style of play, as well
as for taking unnecessary risks, and was also deemed to be inconsistent,
unreliable, and prone to errors and lapses in concentration.[4][12][53][64][70][72]
[73][78][79][81][83][84]
Personal life
Through his career, Barthez was known for his active romantic life, and dated
Canadian model Linda Evangelista.[5][6][12][72][85] She became pregnant but
miscarried, six months into the pregnancy.[86][87][88] The couple broke up in the
year 2000,[89] reunited in 2001,[88] and then officially ended their relationship
in 2002.[85] Barthez later married French R&B singer Oph�lie Winter; together, they
have a son, Daniel, born in 2003.[90] Barthez is a smoker.[5][72] Known for his
eccentric and superstitious personality,[5][12] Barthez often wore red briefs
underneath his goalkeeping shorts, and usually cut off the sleeves of his
goalkeeping jersey. Although most starting goalkeepers are usually assigned the
number 1 shirt, he instead chose to wear the number 16 shirt.[5]
Endorsements
During his playing career, Barthez signed advertising deals with McDonald's and
Adidas.[72]
Career statistics
Club
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other[91] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Toulouse 1990�91 0 0 0 0 � � 0 0 0 0
1991�92 26 0 0 0 � � 0 0 26 0
Total 26 0 0 0 � � 0 0 26 0
Marseille 1992�93 30 0 0 0 � 10 0 0 0 40
0
1993�94 37 0 1 0 � 4 0 0 0 42 0
1994�95 39 0 0 0 � � 0 0 39 0
Total 106 0 1 0 � 14 0 0 0 121 0
Monaco 1995�96 21 0 1 0 � � 0 0 22 0
1996�97 36 0 6 0 � � 0 0 42 0
1997�98 30 0 12 0 � 10 0 0 0 52 0
1998�99 32 0 6 0 � - 0 0 38 0
1999�2000 24 0 12 0 � - 0 0 36 0
Total 143 0 37 0 � 10 0 0 0 190 0
Manchester United 2000�01 30 0 1 0 0 0 12 0 1
0 44 0
2001�02 32 0 1 0 0 0 15 0 1 0 49 0
2002�03 30 0 2 0 4 0 10 0 0 0 46 0
2003�04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 92 0 4 0 4 0 37 0 2 0 139 0
Marseille (loan) 2003�04 20 0 11 0 � � 0 0 31
0
Marseille 2004�05 30 0 5 0 � � 0 0 35 0
2005�06 24 0 12 0 � � 0 0 36 0
Total 74 0 28 0 � � 0 0 102 0
Nantes 2006�07 16 0 0 0 � � 0 0 16 0
Total 14 0 0 0 � � 0 0 14 0
Career total 455 0 70 0 4 0 61 0 2 0 592
0
International
[92]
Ligue 2: 1994�95
UEFA Champions League: 1992�93
AS Monaco[93]
Search Wikipedia
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
???????
?????
Deutsch
????????
Espa�ol
Fran�ais
Italiano
Scots
??
46 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 15 January 2019, at 01:36 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy. Wikipedia� is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policyAbout WikipediaDisclaimersContact WikipediaDevelopersCookie
statementMobile viewWikimedia Foundation Powered by MediaWiki