272. Laurent Blanc

Laurent Blanc - 285.52 Performance Pts

Born: 19/11/1965    Ales, France                       

Position: Central Defender     Height: 1.90m    Weight: 77kg

Blanc has the distinction of being the first player to score a Golden Goal at a World Cup, with the winner for France against Paraguay in the round of 16, on their way to becoming champions that year. Blanc's high-profile involvement in the tournament didn't end there - he was sent off in the semi-final against Croatia after some play-acting by Slaven Bilic, so missed the final. He also had a pre-match ritual of kissing goalkeeper Fabian Barthez's forehead before each match. Another defender with 97 caps (along with regular international team-mate, Lizarazu), he also played in the victorious Euro 2000 French side. At club level he moved around quite a bit, playing for 9 clubs - 5 in France, 2 in Italy, 1 in Spain and 1 in England, over a 20-year career. He spent the longest spell (8 years) with his first club, Montpellier, and won league titles with Auxerre (surprise French double winners in 1996) and with Manchester United (in 2003, his final year as a player). He's tasted success as a manager at club level, winning 4 Ligue Un titles (one with Bordeaux, then 3 in a row with Paris Saint Germain from 2014-2016), and has also managed the French national side.



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