Sylvain Legwinski
Encyclopedia
Sylvain Legwinski is a retired French
footballer, who played as a midfielder
. He is now assistant coach at AS Monaco in France
Having made a name for himself at AS Monaco
, he played seven years of his professional career in England
, collecting more than 200 official appearances for Fulham
and Ipswich Town
.
player with Polish
descent who settled at Vichy
, Legwinski joined AS Monaco FC
's youth system at 18, as Arsène Wenger
was the main squad's manager, giving the player his first team debuts shortly after. He developed into a midfield force under Jean Tigana
's guidance, scoring nine league goals in 1996–97, as Monaco won the national title
.
After two seasons and four games into 2001–02 with FC Girondins de Bordeaux
, Legwinski rejoined Tigana at Fulham
. There, he was renowned for his passion and work rate, and was amusingly given the nickname "Monica" by the fans, a pun on the name of Monica Lewinsky
, famous for having a relationship with U.S. president
Bill Clinton
.
At the beginning of the 2006–07 season, new Fulham boss Chris Coleman
made it clear that Legwinski did not fit into the side's future plans and, in August 2006, following a successful trial with Ipswich Town
, the player signed a two-year contract.
In his first year at the club, Legwinksi won the supporter's and manager's Player of the Year Award for 2006–07, netting five league goals. During the campaign, he became the only Ipswich player to have scored against all East Anglia
n opposition during one season (Norwich City
, Colchester United
, Southend United
and Luton Town
).
However, Legwinski found himself out of the picture for much of the following season, still managing to find the net twice, in draws against Queen's Park Rangers and Burnley
. Due to the team's extensive midfield, he was told he would not be offered a new contract and, as Town teammate Fabian Wilnis
, started looking to the future, working towards his coaching badges.
In September 2008, Legwinski underwent an unsuccessful trial with Swedish
team IFK Göteborg
. Early in the following year, he had another tryout in the country, with Örgryte IS
, which had just won promotion to the top flight
.
In March 2009, Legwinski joined St Neots Town
as a player/assistant manager, joining player-manager Steve Lomas
. Shortly after, definitely retired, he moved to Crystal Palace
as a youth coach.
He is now assistant coach at AS Monaco in France.
, Legwinski scored once in four matches for the 1996 Summer Olympics
quarterfinalists
.
|1992-93
||rowspan="8"|Monaco
||rowspan="8"|French League
||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0
|-
|1993-94
||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
|1994-95
||21||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||21||1
|-
|1995-96
||29||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||1||0||30||2
|-
|1996-97
||37||9||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||1||39||10
|-
|1997-98
||22||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0||24||0
|-
|1998-99
||14||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||14||1
|-
|1999-00||10||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||1||12||1
|-
|1999-00||rowspan="3"|Bordeaux
||rowspan="3"|French League
||13||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||1
|-
|2000-01
||32||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||0||36||1
|-
|2001-02
||4||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||0
|-
|2001-02
||rowspan="5"|Fulham
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||33||3||5||1||2||1||colspan="2"|-||40||5
|-
|2002-03
||35||4||3||0||colspan="2"|-||12||2||50||6
|-
|2003-04
||32||0||4||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||37||0
|-
|2004-05
||15||1||5||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||22||1
|-
|2005-06
||13||0||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|2006-07
||rowspan="3"|Ipswich
||rowspan="3"|Championship
||32||5||4||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||36||5
|-
|2007-08
||15||2||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||16||2
|-
|2008-09
||||||||||||||||||||
184||15||2||0||colspan="2"|-||11||2||197||17
175||15||22||1||7||1||12||2||216||19
359||30||24||1||7||1||23||4||413||36
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
footballer, who played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. He is now assistant coach at AS Monaco in France
Having made a name for himself at AS Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
, he played seven years of his professional career in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, collecting more than 200 official appearances for Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
.
Club career
The son of a basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player with Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
descent who settled at Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
, Legwinski joined AS Monaco FC
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
's youth system at 18, as Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
was the main squad's manager, giving the player his first team debuts shortly after. He developed into a midfield force under Jean Tigana
Jean Tigana
Jean Amadou Tigana is a manager and former French international footballer, having played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and 1 goal for the France national football team during the 1980s.-Playing career:Tigana started his...
's guidance, scoring nine league goals in 1996–97, as Monaco won the national title
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
.
After two seasons and four games into 2001–02 with FC Girondins de Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
, Legwinski rejoined Tigana at Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
. There, he was renowned for his passion and work rate, and was amusingly given the nickname "Monica" by the fans, a pun on the name of Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996...
, famous for having a relationship with U.S. president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
At the beginning of the 2006–07 season, new Fulham boss Chris Coleman
Chris Coleman (footballer)
Christopher "Chris" Coleman is a Welsh football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Greek Side Larissa....
made it clear that Legwinski did not fit into the side's future plans and, in August 2006, following a successful trial with Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, the player signed a two-year contract.
In his first year at the club, Legwinksi won the supporter's and manager's Player of the Year Award for 2006–07, netting five league goals. During the campaign, he became the only Ipswich player to have scored against all East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
n opposition during one season (Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
, Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
and Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
).
However, Legwinski found himself out of the picture for much of the following season, still managing to find the net twice, in draws against Queen's Park Rangers and Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
. Due to the team's extensive midfield, he was told he would not be offered a new contract and, as Town teammate Fabian Wilnis
Fabian Wilnis
Fabian Lloyd Wilnis is a retired Dutch-Surinamese right-sided defender. He played for NAC Breda, De Graafschap, Ipswich Town and Grays Athletic.-Career:...
, started looking to the future, working towards his coaching badges.
In September 2008, Legwinski underwent an unsuccessful trial with Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
team IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....
. Early in the following year, he had another tryout in the country, with Örgryte IS
Örgryte IS
Örgryte IS, also commonly referred to as ÖIS, is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg.-History:The club was founded on 4 December 1887 and participated in the first football match in Sweden on 22 May 1892. Örgryte IS has won 12 national championship titles and one national cup title. After...
, which had just won promotion to the top flight
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
.
In March 2009, Legwinski joined St Neots Town
St Neots Town F.C.
St Neots Town F.C. is an English football club based in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. The club are currently members of Division One Central of the Southern League and play at New Rowley Park.-History:...
as a player/assistant manager, joining player-manager Steve Lomas
Steve Lomas
Stephen "Steve" Lomas is the football manager of St Johnstone and a former Northern Ireland international player. He played for Manchester City, West Ham United, Queens Park Rangers and Gillingham, finishing his playing career at United Counties Football League Premier Division club St Neots Town...
. Shortly after, definitely retired, he moved to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
as a youth coach.
He is now assistant coach at AS Monaco in France.
International career
An under-21 internationalFrance national under-21 football team
The France national under-21 football team , known in France as Les Espoirs , is the national under-21 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
, Legwinski scored once in four matches for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
quarterfinalists
Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics
The association football competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was held in Birmingham, Alabama; Washington, D.C; Orlando, Florida; Miami, Florida; and Athens, Georgia....
.
Honours
- French LeagueLigue 1Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
: 1996–97, 1999–2000
Club statistics
|-|1992-93
French football Division 1 1992-93
Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1992/1993 of the French Association Football League with 55 points but lost its title due to a bribery scandal. The second, Paris SG refused it, making it still unattributed.-Affaire VA-OM:...
||rowspan="8"|Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
||rowspan="8"|French League
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0
|-
|1993-94
Division 1 season 1993-94
The 1993–94 Division 1 season was the 56th since its establishment. Paris Saint-Germain became champions for the second time in their history with 59 points.-Promotion and relegation:Teams promoted from 1992–93 Division 2* Champions: Martigues...
||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
|1994-95
Division 1 season 1994-95
FC Nantes won Division 1 season 1994/1995 of the French Association Football League with 79 points and only one defeat.-Participating teams:-Final table:Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 1995/1996...
||21||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||21||1
|-
|1995-96
Division 1 season 1995-96
AJ Auxerre won Division 1 season 1995/1996 of the French Association Football League with 72 points.-Participating teams:- Final table :Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 1996/1997** SM Caen : champion of Ligue 2...
||29||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||1||0||30||2
|-
|1996-97
Division 1 season 1996-97
AS Monaco won Division 1 season 1996–1997 of the French Association Football League with 79 points. Four teams were relegated to Second division and only two were promoted because in 1997–1998, only 18 would participate the championship.-Participating teams:...
||37||9||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||1||39||10
|-
|1997-98
Division 1 season 1997-98
RC Lens won Division 1 season 1997/1998 of the French Association Football League with 68 points.-Participating teams:-Final table:Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 1998/1999** AS Nancy : champion of Ligue 2...
||22||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0||24||0
|-
|1998-99
Division 1 season 1998-99
FC Girondins de Bordeaux won Division 1 season 1998/1999 of the French Association Football League with 72 points..-Participating teams:-Results:-Final table:Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 1999/2000...
||14||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||14||1
|-
|1999-00||10||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||1||12||1
|-
|1999-00||rowspan="3"|Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
||rowspan="3"|French League
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||13||1||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||1
|-
|2000-01
Division 1 season 2000-01
FC Nantes won Division 1 season 2000/2001 of the French Association Football League with 68 points.-Participating teams:-Final table:Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 2001/2002** FC Sochaux-Montbéliard : champion of Ligue 2...
||32||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||0||36||1
|-
|2001-02
Division 1 season 2001-02
Olympique Lyonnais won Division 1 season 2001/2002 of the French Association Football League with 66 points. The title was decided in the very final game of the season when Lyon received erstwhile championship leaders Lens at Stade Gerland...
||4||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||0
|-
|2001-02
FA Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...
||rowspan="5"|Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||33||3||5||1||2||1||colspan="2"|-||40||5
|-
|2002-03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...
||35||4||3||0||colspan="2"|-||12||2||50||6
|-
|2003-04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...
||32||0||4||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||37||0
|-
|2004-05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
||15||1||5||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||22||1
|-
|2005-06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
||13||0||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|2006-07
The Football League 2006-07
The 2006–2007 season was the 107th completed season of the Football League.-Overview:The Football League was contested through three Divisions in England and Wales. The divisions were the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League Two...
||rowspan="3"|Ipswich
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
||rowspan="3"|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||32||5||4||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||36||5
|-
|2007-08
The Football League 2007-08
The Football League is contested through three divisions in England and Wales. The divisions are the League Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the League Championship will be automatically promoted to the Premier League and they will be joined by the winner of...
||15||2||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||16||2
|-
|2008-09
The Football League 2008-09
The Football League 2008–09, titled the Coca-Cola Football League, was the 109th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals....
||||||||||||||||||||
184||15||2||0||colspan="2"|-||11||2||197||17
175||15||22||1||7||1||12||2||216||19
359||30||24||1||7||1||23||4||413||36