Philippe Christanval

Philippe Charles Lucien Christanval (born 31 August 1978) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. During his career, he played top-flight football in France, Spain and England, and earned six full international caps, as well as a selection to the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Philippe Christanval
Personal information
Full name Philippe Charles Lucien Christanval[1]
Date of birth (1978-08-31) 31 August 1978[2]
Place of birth Paris, France
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
0000–1995 Clairefontaine[4]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2001 Monaco 81 (1)
2001–2003 Barcelona 31 (0)
2003–2005 Marseille 13 (0)
2005–2008 Fulham 36 (1)
Total 162 (2)
National team
2000–2002 France 6 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Christanval was born in Paris.[5]

Club career

Monaco

Christanval's career began at AS Monaco in 1999, where he made 81 appearances, scoring one goal. They won the 1999–2000 league title, earning him the title of Young Player of the Year, and he made several UEFA Champions League appearances. In January 2001, it was reported that Monaco were considering exchanging him for Frank LeBoeuf of Chelsea.[6]

Barcelona and Marseille

Christanval was then signed by Barcelona of Spain's La Liga for a £6.5 million fee in June 2001, the team he supported as a child.[7][8] After being released from Barcelona in 2003, he joined Marseille on 18 July on a four-year contract.[9] They reached the 2004 UEFA Cup Final in his first season, but he was an unused substitute as they lost 2–0 to Valencia.[10]

Fulham

After two weeks on trial at Arsenal,[11] their manager Arsène Wenger opted not to sign Christanval.[12] He then joined another Premier League London team, Fulham, on 9 September 2005. Upon his signing, manager Chris Coleman stated:

"He can be captain for the next five years if he shows the same consistency and level of performance."[13]

In his first appearances at Fulham, he found himself playing in defensive midfield with Papa Bouba Diop. He was later moved back to his typical position. His only Premier League goal was a late equaliser in a 3–3 draw with West Ham United on 13 January 2007.[14]

In the 2007–08 season he made a single substitute appearance. At the end of the season, Christanval was released by Fulham and was offered a trial with Premier League club Blackburn Rovers.[15] On 9 April 2009, Christanval retired from football, having been unable to find a new club.

International career

Christanval was part of the France squad at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.

He made his full debut on 7 October 2000, in a 0–0 friendly draw away to South Africa. Christanval played four more friendlies in 2002 before his last appearance, a 2–1 away win against Cyprus in qualification for UEFA Euro 2004.[16] He was selected for the 2002 FIFA World Cup but did not enter the field of play.[17]

Personal life

An artificial pitch in his native Sarcelles was named after Christanval.[18]

Honours

Monaco

Marseille

Individual

References
  1. "Entreprise HMDL à Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06190)" [Company HMDL in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06190)]. Figaro Entreprises (in French). 5 July 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
    "Philippe Christanval". BFM Business (in French). NextInteractive. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  2. "Philippe Christanval". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  3. "Philippe Christanval: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  4. "INF, formateur de talents" (in French). French Football Federation. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  5. "Philippe Christanval". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  6. "Leboeuf appeals for Monaco switch". BBC Sport. 23 January 2001.
  7. "Barcelona bag Andersson". BBC Sport. 6 July 2001.
  8. "Philippe Christanval on Past, Present and Future". Fulham F.C. 27 February 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  9. "Christanval returns to France" [Christanval revient en France]. Sport.fr. 18 July 2003.
  10. "UEFA Cup Final: Valencia 2–0 Marseille". BBC Sport. 19 May 2004.
  11. "Philippe Christanval joins on trial". Arsenal F.C. 16 July 2005. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  12. "Christanval fails Gunners trial". Sky Sports. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  13. "Christanval handed Fulham chance". UEFA. 9 September 2005.
  14. "West Ham 3–3 Fulham". BBC Sport. 13 January 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  15. "Christanval trains with Rovers". Sky Sports. 14 September 2008.
  16. Philippe Christanval Profile
  17. 2002 FIFA World Cup France
  18. "¿De dónde salen los héroes del Leicester?" [Where do Leicester's heroes come from?]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  19. "AS Monaco FC 0:0 (6 : 5 P) FC Nantes Atlantique". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  20. "Final: Valencia 2–0 Marseille: Overview". UEFA. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  21. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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