Amaury Bischoff

Early years

Born in Colmar, Haut-Rhin to a French father – from Alsace – and a Portuguese mother, Bischoff began his football career at SR Colmar, finishing his development at Strasbourg. Aged 18, he moved to Germany and signed for Werder Bremen, going on to spend the majority of his spell with the reserve side but training with the main squad several times. On 14 March 2007, Bischoff made his debut for Werder's first team, coming on as a substitute for Diego in the 74th minute of a 2–0 home win against Celta in that season's UEFA Cup (3–0 on aggregate). It would be his only official game for the club.

Arsenal

Bischoff left Werder Bremen on 1 July 2008, after rejecting a contract extension. Shortly after, he made a statement in which he said that his transfer to Arsenal was imminent; it was subsequently confirmed on 30 July, with manager Arsène Wenger stating he knew the signing was a "gamble on talent" due to the player's injury record. Bischoff made his debut in an Arsenal shirt on 6 October 2008, in a reserve match against Stoke City, making his first appearance with the first team on 11 November in a 3–0 home victory over Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the League Cup, coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute. He made two more in the domestic cups for the main squad, both as a substitute: the 2–0 League Cup loss at Burnley in December 2008, and the 4–0 defeat of Cardiff City in the FA Cup. On 2 May 2009, Bischoff played his first and only game…

Bischoff started representing France at under-18 level. However, on 14 May 2007, he chose to play for Portugal. On 10 February 2009, in his debut with the Portugal under-21s (ultimately his only appearance), Bischoff opened a 3–1 friendly win against Switzerland in the fourth minute.