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Sat 03 April 2021 | 11:30

William Gallas Biography

One of the best defenders to ever play in the Premier League, he was one of the key players for France during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. In this article, stay tuned as we want to take a look at William Gallas biography.

William Gallas, born on 17 August 1977 in Asnières-sur-Seine, is a French international football player who played as a central defender for the French national team and many clubs. He started his career in 1995 with Stade Malherbe Caen, with whom he won the French D2 championship in 1996. In 1997, after two successful seasons, he joined Olympique de

Marseille

. The next season, he managed to establish himself as a key player and reached the UEFA Cup final in 1999.

In 2001, he joined Chelsea FC, where he was a finalist in the 2002 FA Cup. Following three seasons without a trophy, he won the English Premier League in 2005 and 2006, the English League Cup in 2005 and the Community Shield in 2005. He joined

Arsenal FC

in 2006 and played in the English League Cup final in 2007. He became captain of the team from 2007 to 2009.

Gallas then moved to Tottenham in 2010 and Perth Glory FC in Australia, where he finished his career in 2014. He won the European Under-19 Championship in 1996, the Confederations Cup in 2003 and lost the World Cup final in 2006 with the French national team. He played in the European Championship in 2004, losing in the quarter-finals, followed by the Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2010 in the first round.

All You Need to Know About William Gallas Biography

During his 8 years spell with the French national team, he played 84 matches and scored 5 goals. His last match for the France national team was the 1-2 defeat against South Africa in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup.

William Gallas Information

Now that you know him better, in this section of

William Gallas biography

, we will share the same general information about him such as

William Gallas nationality

to let you know him even more. Stay tuned.

William Gallas Bio

  • Full Name: William Eric Gallas

  • Nickname: N/A

  • Profession: Professional Footballer

William Gallas Physical Stats

  • Weight: 83 Kg

  • Height: 1.83 m

  • Eye Color: Amber

  • Hair Color: Black

William Gallas Football Information

  • Position: Defender

  • Jersey Number: 13

  • Professional Debut: 1995

William Gallas Date of Birth and Personal Info

  • Date of Birth: 17 August 1977

  • Birth Place: Asnières-sur-Seine, France

  • Zodiac Sign: Leo

  • Nationality: French

Stay tuned to this section of

William Gallas biography

as we will share some information about

William Gallas childhood

and more.

William Gallas Early Life

He grew up in Villeneuve-la-Garenne (Hauts-de-Seine). Both his parents are Guadeloupean. He turned to football at a young age. At the age of ten, he took out his very first football licence and started playing as a striker.

When he was fifteen years old, he joined Racing 92, where he would spend a season before joining the INF Clairefontaine, where he had Thierry Henry and Jérôme Rothen as his teammates, among others.

When he arrived at SM Caen's U17 team, his coach was not convinced by William's qualities as a striker and therefore chose to place him in central defence, where he rapidly demonstrated great defensive abilities while being able to play in all defensive positions.

Thanks to a lot of hard work and a strong mental state, he progressed through the ranks at a very fast speed, playing for a few months in the U17s and for the rest of the 1994/95 season in the reserves, coached by Pascal Théault.

William Gallas Profile

His growth took another leap forward at the beginning of the 1995/96 season when the first-team coach, Pierre Mankowski, included him in the first team so that he could play for the immediate promotion to the D1.

Stay tuned to this section of

William Gallas biography

as we will share some information about his Caen career.

Caen

In 1995, he made his first-team debut for Stade Malherbe de

Caen

. He was a versatile player and played in various defensive positions before being permanently moved to central defence. In competition with the likes of David Sommeil, Miloš Glonek, Bernard Héréson, Stéphane Lièvre, Stéphane Moreau and Bill Tchato, Gallas managed to make 18 appearances, including 16 in the league.

Thanks to his good performances, Gallas played a key role in helping Caen achieve its return to the first division thanks to its first place obtained with a one-point lead over Olympique de Marseille. He was French D2 champion in 1996 in his first professional year. At the same time, the club had a good run in the French Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals, losing 1-0 to

Montpellier

.

However, in the second season, the Normans were unable to maintain their form and finished 17th, three points behind the first non-relegated team. In 1997, he played three national cup matches and reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup, losing on penalties to Bordeaux, the eventual finalists. After playing two seasons at Caen, he joined Olympique de Marseille.

Marseille

Having joined the club in 1997 from Caen, William Gallas quickly established himself in the heart of Marseille's defence. Although he did not have the trust of Rolland Courbis at first, he preferred to use more experienced players such as Laurent Blanc, Teddy Bertin, Patrick Colleter, Serge Blanc and Cyril Domoraud. He settled for only three D1 matches, while his team reached a fine fourth position, which meant European qualification for them.

At the start of the 1998/1999 season, Courbis gave him his chance and he succeeded in establishing himself in OM's starting line-up with 42 games in all competitions. He was part of the 1998-1999 UEFA Cup during which Marseille lost 3-0 to FC Parma in the final. This was the first time that Marseille reached the final of this competition.

They finished with Marseille as runners-up in France league, one point behind Bordeaux who won the title in the very last minutes of the last match. OM finished as the best defence with only 28 goals conceded.

Marseille played in the 1999-2000

Champions League

, which was a first for Gallas. OM played against the then European champions Manchester United in the first round at the Velodrome. With a victory, OM would regain the lead in group D. The light of day came from the Gallas, who scored the only goal of the match in the 69th minute after an assist from Stéphane Dalmat. It was his first European goal and above all his first in a Marseille shirt since his arrival.

Marseille had a good run but could not reach the quarter-finals. Marseille's league campaign was a nightmare. They kept their place in Division 1 only thanks to a better goal difference than

Nancy

(0-2). Gallas made 31 appearances and scored one goal in all competitions that season.

The former Caen player was an established starter in 2000/2001, playing thirty games and scoring his first two goals in the first division, but the league run was just as difficult as the previous one, to the point where the club once again finished as the first non-relegated team, three points away from being relegated to the second division.

Stay tuned to this section of William Gallas biography as we will share some information about his Chelsea career.

Chelsea

After four seasons in Marseille, he went on to join

Chelsea

at the beginning of the 2001-2002 season. Claudio Ranieri recruited him as a replacement for Frank Leboeuf, who left for Marseille. He remained at Chelsea for five seasons. Together with his compatriots Marcel Desailly and Emmanuel Petit, Gallas imposed himself without too much difficulty in the Premier League, collecting thirty games and scoring one goal. During his first season, he was defeated 2-0 in the

FA Cup

final by Arsenal.

In the 2002/2003 season, William continued his first year in the UK by not missing a single day of the Premier League while scoring four goals. The major setback of the year was the elimination in the first round of the UEFA Cup following a 5-4 aggregate defeat to Viking Stavanger.

Chelsea's new chairman and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich spent over a hundred million pounds on new signings in the summer of 2003. As a result, the Blues moved up a notch in the league to second place, eleven points behind Arsenal. They went on to have a stunning run in the Champions League, reaching the semi-finals, only to lose to AS Monaco.

Under Jose Mourinho, Gallas and his teammates became English champions, finishing top of the Premier League in 2005, twelve points ahead of title holders Arsenal, while having the best defence with only fifteen goals conceded. Chelsea completed a League Cup double with a 3-2 extra-time win over

Liverpool

. On the other hand, Chelsea lost for the second consecutive year in the Champions League semi-finals, this time to eventual winners Liverpool.

Chelsea kept their league title in 2005/06, finishing eight points ahead of Manchester United and having the best defence (22) and attack (72 tied with M.U). They lost 2-1 to eventual Cup winners Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Cup and reached the last 16 of the Champions League, where they lost 1-2 and 1-1 to eventual winners Barcelona.

Gallas was a key member of the London squad during this period, making 225 appearances for the Blues (scoring 14 goals). However, in the summer of 2006, Gallas asked to leave the Blues, because he was tired of not having a permanent place. Moreover, José Mourinho refused a salary increase.

Arsenal

Immediately after joining Arsenal, he was named vice-captain by coach Arsène Wenger, second only to Thierry Henry. The former Caen man and his new team finished fourth, 21 points behind Manchester United. Arsenal lost the League Cup final to Chelsea 2-1. After Henry left for

FC Barcelona

, Arsene Wenger named Gallas captain of the team from 2007 to 2009.

Gallas was linked with a move to PSG in the 2008 off-season but eventually stayed at Arsenal, losing the captaincy to Cesc Fàbregas during the 2008/2009 season. However, even with his internal worries, Gallas made 36 appearances and scored six goals in all competitions, helping the club to a fourth-place finish in the

Premier League

and a 2-1 Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea.

Having returned to good form, Gallas had a more than decent 2009/2010 season with 35 games and four goals in all competitions, which made him one of the key players for the Gunners at the age of 32, who finished third in the Premier League and quarter-finalists in the Champions League (eliminated by Barcelona).

Gallas left Arsenal in the summer of 2010, leaving the club after his contract was not extended to join the Gunners' arch-rivals Tottenham on a one-year deal after four years without winning a trophy.

Tottenham

Gallas was released by Arsenal and signed a one-year contract with London rivals Tottenham. The 33-year-old Gallas was again a key player in the 2010/2011 season, making 36 appearances in all competitions, helping Spurs to a fifth-place finish in the league and to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they lost 5-0 on aggregate to Real Madrid.

His contract with Spurs was extended for another two years in March 2011, keeping him at the club until 2013. He scored his first goal for

Tottenham

against Chelsea on 20 October 2012. However, after three years at Tottenham, Gallas left the club.

Perth Glory

William Gallas joined Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey in Australia on 23 October 2013. He joined Perth Glory for one season. He featured in 13 matches and scored one goal. This experience in Australia was the last of his professional football career. In October 2014, in spite of his desire to continue in Australia or India, he decided to end his professional career.

Stay tuned to this section of William Gallas biography as we will share some information about his France career.

France National Team

On October 12, 2002, William Gallas was selected for the French national team for the first time, to face Slovenia. He debuted alongside Marcel Desailly, the captain, who was also his teammate at Chelsea. Since then, he has never left the French national team.

In 2003, he won the Confederations Cup in France, beating

Cameroon

in the final (0-1). Thierry Henry scored the golden goal during extra time. Subsequently, he played at Euro 2004, where he reached the quarter-finals, losing 1-0 to eventual winners Greece. Gallas scored his first goal for France on his 28th birthday on 17 August 2005 against Côte d'Ivoire (3-0).

During the 2006

World Cup

, he and Lilian Thuram formed an unbreakable central defence (France conceded only three goals in seven games). Throughout the tournament, William was powerful, solid and imperial in the air, but only Thuram was elected to the World Cup's all-star team. William came close to winning the World Cup after France lost the final to Italy in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw.

He had a big failure in 2008 at the Euro in

Austria

and Switzerland with the elimination in the group stage. The team finished fourth in Group C behind the Netherlands, Italy and Romania. Gallas was noticed for his fight with Samir Nasri, who took Thierry Henry's seat on the bus.

Gallas was named captain for the first time in Francenjersey on 12 August 2009 against the Faroe Islands (0-1 victory), a qualifier for the 2010 World Cup. He scored the goal for Les Bleus in the second leg of the play-off match against Ireland (1-1) on 18 November 2009, after Thierry Henry's disputed handball, allowing

France

to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

France's captain's armband for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was left vacant after Thierry Henry failed to make the squad. Gallas was not able to prevent the total failure of the French team (elimination in the group stage and the Knysna strike) and he was also noticed for giving a middle finger to the TF1 journalist David Astorga when the latter wanted a reaction after the defeat against Mexico.

He apologised a few weeks later for his gesture, citing disputes with journalists and attributing the French fiasco to Raymond Domenech. When Laurent Blanc took over as coach in the summer of 2010, Gallas was no longer part of the national team, as he was overshadowed by the good performances of the duo Adil Rami-Philippe Mexès.

Stay tuned to this section of William Gallas biography as we will share some information about his playing style.

Style of Play

William Gallas was a fast, physically strong and skilled central defender who could also be used as a full-back if necessary and had a great personality. Due to his great leadership skills, he was a great choice as a captain in teams he played, including the France national team.

Reception

Many football fans, pundits and fellow professional footballers consider William Gallas to be one of the best central defenders in the world of his generation. During his career at Chelsea, he was a part of the PFA Team of the Year during the 2002/03 and 2005/06 seasons. Some football experts that William Gallas could’ve reached more than he did during his professional career.

Goal Celebration

Despite being a defender, Gallas scored a good number of goals during his career. One of the goal celebrations that we have seen him performing after scoring goals was when he pointed his index finger to the stands and ran towards the fans, shouting in joy and happiness.

William Gallas outside Football

After finishing his professional playing career, William Gallas decided not to pursue a career as a coach and instead, focused on spending time with his family and friends, which according to him, he wasn’t able to do because of his busy schedule as a football player. If you take a look at his Instagram page, you can see lots of posts of his family and friends.

In May 2010, William Gallas was struck by a violent toothache in the middle of a training camp in Sousse, a Tunisian seaside resort, and had to interrupt his training temporarily. The story might have remained anecdotal if the defender had not categorically refused to be examined by a Tunisian dentist. Gallas demanded that his regular dentist be brought in and charged the French Football Federation nearly €25,000. The price for an express trip by private jet, according to the weekly Le10Sport.

William Gallas Personal Life

In this section of William Gallas biography, we will take a look into his personal life, sharing some information about things like

William Gallas religion

and

William Gallas life story

.

Family, Children and Relationships

In June 2009 in Chantilly, William Gallas was married to his partner Nadège. According to Le Parisien.fr, it was the Minister of the Budget, Eric Woerth, who married them in his town hall in Chantilly in a completely relaxed atmosphere. Indeed, neither the groom nor the mayor wore a tie!

As for the bride, she was in white, in a pretty strapless dress, and showed off a nice rounded belly. This will be the couple's third child, after Lee-Yan and Isaiah, and the fourth for William, who already has a daughter called Lea from a previous relationship.

To celebrate this beautiful event, the newlyweds had invited only a handful of friends and family. The party continued at the Potager des Princes and then at the restaurant La grange aux Loups in Apremont.

Philanthropy

William Gallas’ name is always tied with many charity works and projects both when he was a player and now that he is enjoying his retirement days with his family. There are many reports on the media regarding his charitable works. He has also played in many different charity matches to raise funds for many charitable causes.

Legal Issues

After the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the defender William Gallas sued the French Football Federation so that they will pay him his image bonuses, which the player himself claimed to donate to charity. These bonuses also corresponded to the qualification matches and the 2010 World Cup finals, which almost all the players waived after the Knysna strike.

His name was also involved with many other legal issues and disputes and you can find many stories on media about these.

William Gallas Career Statistics

In this section of William Gallas biography, we will take a look into the player’s career on the international and club level. Stay tuned.

Club

Since the start of his career in Ligue 2 of France with the Caen in 1995/96 season, has played a total of 608 matches in all competitions for many clubs in France, England and Australia, scoring 36 goals. During his 5 season spell at Chelsea, Gallas played a total of 225 matches for the London blues, scoring 14 goals.

International

Between 2002 and 2010, William Gallas managed to play a total of 84 matches for his country, and score 5 goals for France. The highlight of his international career was between 2004 and 2006, where he played 41 matches for the French national team.

William Gallas Honors

On the club level, Gallas has won Ligue 2 with Caen and the English Premier League, Football League Cup and the FA Community Shield.

With the France national team, the retired defender has won the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup and finished runner-ups in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

His notable awards and titles include French Division 1 Rookie of the Year, PFA Team of the Year and the ESM Team of the Year.

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source: SportMob



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