William Gallas

Early career

A graduate of the French football academy at Clairefontaine, Gallas started his professional career at second division Caen, helping them to promotion as champions in 1996. He subsequently transferred to Marseille in 1997, where he played for four seasons. He made his debut in the UEFA Champions League for Marseille, scoring his first goal in European competition in a 1–0 win over then European champions Manchester United at the Stade Vélodrome in October 1999.

Chelsea

Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri bought Gallas from Marseille in 2001 for £6.2 million. He chose the number 13 shirt because it was his postcode back where he lived in Marseille. Under Ranieri, Gallas developed centre-back partnerships with Marcel Desailly and later with John Terry. His partnership with Terry included a run of 16 games without conceding a goal. He also played as a left-back at times. It was with Chelsea and under Ranieri where Gallas obtained his first international cap for France. Gallas made his debut as a substitute for John Terry against Newcastle United in August 2001. His first goal followed in the FA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea ended up reaching the 2002 FA Cup Final in which Gallas started, however they were defeated by Arsenal. Gallas was part of the Chelsea squad which won back-to-back Premier League titles and a League Cup under Ranieri's successor José Mourinho. The Blues also made the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League that year, but…

Gallas was a part of the France U-18 European Championship winning side. He also played for the France U-20 team in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship along with Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Nicolas Anelka, Mikaël Silvestre and Willy Sagnol. In October 2002, Gallas debuted for the France senior team in a UEFA Euro 2004 qualifier against Slovenia. He was included in France's squad for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup and played the full 90 minutes as Les Bleus defeated Cameroon 1–0 in the final. He went on to represent France at UEFA Euro 2004, starting in three of France's four matches, as they were knocked out by eventual champions Greece. In August 2005, Gallas scored his first goal for the national team in a friendly match against the Ivory Coast. Gallas was ever present as France finished runner-up in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, losing on penalties to Italy at the Berlin Olympiastadion. In September 2006, he won his 50th cap for France in a 3–1 win against Italy at the Stade de France in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier. At UEFA Euro 2008, Gallas was a regular starter as France were knocked out at the group stage. In November 2009, Gallas scored a goal which qualified France for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The goal came against the Republic of Ireland in extra time of a World Cup playoff, making the score 1–1, and 2–1 to France on aggregate. The goal was controversial as it was scored after his teammate, Thierry Henry handled the ball twice. Gallas was included in France's…

Club

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International

Source: Appearances and goals by national team and year

International goals

William Eric Gallas was born on 17 August 1977 in Asnières-sur-Seine, a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine department which lies in the northwestern suburbs of Paris. He is the cousin of the deceased former footballer Ludovic Quistin and of Mathieu Bastareaud, a French rugby union centre playing for Lyon.