Robert Pires

Robert Pires
Pires in 2011
Personal information
Full name Robert Emmanuel Pires[1]
Date of birth (1973-10-29) 29 October 1973[2]
Place of birth Reims, France
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position(s) Winger, attacking midfielder
Youth career
1980–1989 Reims Sainte-Anne
1989–1991 Reims
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1992 Reims 5 (2)
1992–1993 Metz B 23 (5)
1993–1998 Metz 162 (43)
1998–2000 Marseille 66 (8)
2000–2006 Arsenal 189 (62)
2006–2010 Villarreal 103 (13)
2010–2011 Aston Villa 9 (0)
2014–2015 Goa 8 (1)
Total 565 (134)
International career
1995–1996 France U21 12 (5)
1996–2004 France 79 (14)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1998
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2000
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner 2001
Winner 2003
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Emmanuel Pires (born 29 October 1973) is a French former professional footballer.[4] He is widely regarded as one of Arsenal's greatest ever players and considered by some to be one of the best wingers in the history of the sport.[5][6][7][8]

Pires played for French clubs Metz and Marseille prior to his time with Arsenal, where he won three FA Cups and two Premier League titles, including the club's unbeaten season of 2003–04. A former France international, Pires earned 79 caps between 1996 and 2004 for his country, including winning both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. He has been included in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, was the Player of the Tournament for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, FWA Player of the Year for the 2001–02 season, Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for the 1995–96 season, and was included in the FIFA 100 by Pelé. He was also voted by Arsenal fans as the sixth greatest player in the club's history.[9]

Pires played the majority of his career as a left winger, but could also play all across the midfield or in a position to support the forward line. Pires used to be a coach at Arsenal.[4]

  1. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 15 de mayo de 2010, en Zaragoza" [Minutes of the Match held on 15 May 2010, in Zaragoza] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Robert Pires". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Robert Pires". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Jeff Reine Adelaide reveals he is learning from Arsenal legend Robert Pires". Metro. London.
  5. ^ Smith, Connor (8 September 2022). "14 Greatest Wingers of All Time". Soccerprime. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. ^ Hayward, Ben (28 November 2023). "Best wingers in football history". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  7. ^ Mark White (19 August 2024). "Ranked! The 20 best Premier League wingers ever". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  8. ^ Hal Fish; Daniel Hepburn (28 February 2024). "The 10 Best Premier League Wingers of all Time Ranked". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Gunners greatest 50 players". Arsenal F.C. 3 September 2023.