William Gallas
Encyclopedia
William Eric Gallas is a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

 footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

.

Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English club Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 as part of an exchange deal in 2006. While his career has been marked by both individual and team successes – including Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 – he has also encountered controversy as a consequence of his on-field behaviour and friction with other personnel. In 2007, he was named Arsenal's captain, but was removed from the role during the 2008–09 season after criticising teammates in a media interview. Gallas left Arsenal at the end of the 2009–10 season, when his contract expired.

Background

Gallas was born in Asnières-sur-Seine
Asnières-sur-Seine
Asnières-sur-Seine is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, along the river Seine. It is located from the center of Paris.-Name:...

. He is the cousin of fellow footballer Ludovic Quistin
Ludovic Quistin
Ludovic 'Luda' Quistin is a Guadeloupean footballer who plays for FC United of Manchester as a defender. He has also represented Guadeloupe and is a current member of their squad....

 and of Mathieu Bastareaud
Mathieu Bastareaud
Mathieu Bastareaud is a French rugby union centre who plays for Toulon.- Stade Francais :Bastareaud played for Creteil Rugby youth squads and then moved to Massy. He went through the junior academy there and played for the third division club SU Massy...

, a French rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 centre playing for Stade Français.

Early career

A graduate of the French Football academy at Clairefontaine
Clairefontaine
Le Centre Technique National Fernand Sastre , commonly referred to as INF Clairefontaine , INF, or simply Clairefontaine, is the national association football centre that specializes in training French football players...

, Gallas started his professional career at second division SM Caen
SM Caen
Stade Malherbe Caen is a professional French football team, playing in the city of Caen, Normandy. The club was founded on 17 November 1913 following the merger of Club Malherbe Caennais and Club Sportif Caennais...

, helping them to promotion as champions in 1996. He was subsequently transferred to Olympique Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...

 in 1997. Gallas spent four seasons at Marseille, where he played alongside Robert Pirès
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...

 among others. He made his debut in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 playing for Marseille, and he also played against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 in that competition in 2000.

Chelsea

Then Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...

 bought Gallas from Marseille in May 2001 for £6.2 million. He chose the number 13 shirt because it was his postcode back where he lived in Marseille (Marseille is in the Bouches du Rhône département of France where all addresses begin with a 13). Under Ranieri, Gallas developed centre-back partnerships with Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...

 and later with John Terry
John Terry
John George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League...

; his partnership with Terry included a run of 16 games without conceding a single goal. He also played at right-back at times. It was with Chelsea and under Ranieri where Gallas obtained his first international cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

.

Gallas was part of Chelsea's team which won back-to-back Premier League titles and a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 under Ranieri's successor José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....

. The Blues also made the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League that year, but were knocked out by Liverpool 1–0 in controversial circumstances Gallas cleared the ball after it was adjuged to have crossed the line. Due to a serious injury to left-back Wayne Bridge
Wayne Bridge
Wayne Michael Bridge is an English footballer who plays as a left back for Manchester City.A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, he has also played for Chelsea and Fulham during his Premiership career....

 in 2004–05 Gallas was forced to play out of position. Despite the purchase of Asier del Horno
Asier del Horno
Asier del Horno Cosgaya is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Levante UD mainly as a left defender.-Athletic Bilbao:...

 from Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...

 for £8 million in the 2005 close season, Gallas found himself often playing on the left, a situation he got increasingly frustrated with. However Gallas scored some vital goals as Chelsea retained their title in the 2005-06 in English football
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...

 season at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

.

Gallas's contract with Chelsea was due to expire in May 2007. He refused to sign a new contract with Chelsea on improved terms after saying the club did not offer him enough money and expressed a wish to play in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

, with Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...

 and A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

 both interested. Chelsea however did not agree to a transfer request by the player in May 2006, as they considered Gallas an important first team member.

After the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

, Gallas refused to turn up at Chelsea's crowded ranks of defenders at Stamford Bridge, so Chelsea signed Dutch international
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 centre back Khalid Boulahrouz
Khalid Boulahrouz
Khalid Boulahrouz is a Dutch footballer of Berber Moroccan Rif descent, who plays for the Netherlands and VfB Stuttgart. His nickname is "Khalid the Cannibal" for his ability to "eat up" his opposition....

, though in his single season at Chelsea, Boulahrouz would play almost exclusively as a fullback.

On 1 September 2006, Gallas transferred to Arsenal as part of a deal that brought Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole is an Barbadian-English professional footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He plays as a left-back and has been named one of the best in the world....

 to Chelsea and Arsenal also received the sum of £5 million. After the transfer, Chelsea issued a statement that Gallas threatened to deliberately score own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....

s if he was not allowed to leave Chelsea. Gallas rejected Chelsea's claim and accused the West Londoners of "lack[ing] class" and "hiding behind false accusations." Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager who signed Gallas from Marseille, said of the allegations: "I cannot believe these stories. It is absolutely incredible. I signed William and he was always a good professional on the pitch. Of course, I don't know what has happened in the last two years." Among the Chelsea faithful, Gallas's departure turned him almost instantly from a hero into an object of hatred. PFA
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....

 chief executive Gordon Taylor
Gordon Taylor (football)
Gordon Alexander Taylor OBE is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He became chief executive of the English footballers' trades union, the Professional Footballers Association. He is reputed to be the highest paid union official in the world.Taylor was born in...

 declared that the whole episode has left a "bad taste in the mouth" and that Chelsea's statement should be taken "with a large pinch of salt."

2006–07 season

Gallas signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, where he took the number 10
Number 10
Number 10, #10 or variations may refer to:* 10 , a natural number* #10 , by the Canadian rock band* Number 10 on BBC Radio 4* Number Ten by Sue Townsend...

 shirt vacated by the recently-retired Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...

. In an October 2006 interview with the official team magazine, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger explained his decision to hand him the squad number 10 (traditionally a forward's number), "Number three was uncomfortable for him and I had given the rest of the numbers out. In the end I thought it might be a good idea to give the number ten to a defender, because a striker would suffer a lot with the comparison with Dennis. At first I was reluctant to give Dennis's number out, and especially to a defender, but overall I think it's better that way."

Gallas made his full debut for the Gunners at left-back in the team's 1–1 home draw against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

 on 9 September 2006 and scored his first goal against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

 on 23 September 2006.

2007–08 season

Gallas was confirmed as Arsenal captain on 9 August 2007, with Kolo Touré
Kolo Touré
Kolo Habib Touré is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Manchester City and Ivory Coast. Touré is a central defender. He is the elder brother of Manchester City team-mate Yaya Touré and Makasa's Ibrahim Touré.-Arsenal:...

, serving as vice-captain. This caused some controversy as Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva, commonly known as Gilberto Silva, is a Brazilian footballer. He currently plays for Grêmio.Gilberto was raised in a poor family and as a child he balanced playing football with various labour jobs. He began his football career in 1997 with América Mineiro, where good...

 was expected to receive the captain's arm band. Many people have questioned Wenger for this decision. His first competitive game as Arsenal captain was on 12 August 2007 against 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...

, which ended in a 2–1 victory for Arsenal. Gallas suffered a groin injury in the game against Blackburn on 19 August, but returned to play for Arsenal in their 2–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

 on 20 October. In the traditional Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 vs Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 clash at the Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...

 on 3 November, he scored a last minute goal to give the Gunners a draw.

On 24 November 2007, Gallas scored against Wigan
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...

 when Bacary Sagna
Bacary Sagna
Bacary Sagna is a French footballer who plays for Arsenal and the France national football team. His cousin Ibrahima Sonko also plays in England, for Ipswich Town. Sagna is called Bac by the majority of his teammates...

 crossed in and Gallas fired a header through the arms of Wigan's goalkeeper Mike Pollitt to open the deadlock.

On 16 December 2007 Gallas scored against his old club Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

, which was to be the only goal in the match to secure 3 points for Arsenal. Gallas later reflected on his goal against former club Chelsea, claiming that "When Cesc sent the corner in for my goal, I saw Petr Čech
Petr Cech
Petr Čech is a Czech footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Czech Republic as a goalkeeper. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals...

 come off his line and to be honest I was sure he would catch it. So I was surprised when he didn't take it, and it was just a reflex reaction to head it into the goal. I just happened to be there at the right time".

Gallas attracted some criticism as a result of his actions in a 2–2 draw against Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...

 on 23 February 2008—a game in which his teammate Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo Alves da Silva , commonly known as Eduardo, sometimes nicknamed as Dudu, is a Brazilian-born Croatian footballer who plays for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national team...

 had his leg broken following a challenge by Martin Taylor. When Gaël Clichy
Gaël Clichy
Gaël Clichy is a French footballer who plays as a defender for Manchester City and the France national football team. Though initially right-foot dominant, he primarily plays as a left back that is also capable of playing as an offensive-minded wingback. Clichy is described as a player who...

 of Arsenal conceded a penalty in injury time at the end of the second half, Gallas walked into the Birmingham half, apparently in protest. He stood there as Birmingham striker James McFadden
James McFadden
James McFadden is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Everton.McFadden started his career with Scottish Premier League club Motherwell. He came to prominence in the 2002–03 season by scoring 19 goals and winning the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year award....

 converted the penalty. He then had to be restrained as he appeared to confront the crowd in fury. After the final whistle, Gallas sat down on the pitch as the rest of the players left the field before being consoled by manager 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...

.

Gallas also scored for Arsenal against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium
Reebok Stadium
The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...

 in a 2–3 win on 29 March 2008, starting the comeback which 10-man Arsenal ultimately completed.

Amid speculation that Gallas would be replaced as club captain following his behaviour during the Birmingham City game, Wenger said that he would consider the matter at the end of the season.

2008–09 season

In August 2008, it was announced that Gallas would remain the club's captain for the 2008–2009 season. In the 2008–09 season, Gallas proved especially prolific in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

. He scored 6 goals
Goal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....

 in Arsenal's campaign, including two against FC Twente
FC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...

 and an equalizer against Dynamo Kiev as well as a header against Spurs.

On 29 October 2008, he scored his first league goal of the season against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...

, scoring Arsenal's second goal in an incredible 4–4 draw.

On 8 November 2008, in a 2–1 victory over Manchester United, he received praise for his display whilst playing alongside former United defender Mikaël Silvestre
Mikael Silvestre
Mikaël Samy Silvestre is a French international footballer. He plays as defender and is currently signed with Werder Bremen of the Bundesliga. He has also played for the French national team...

. It was claimed he outshone United defenders Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...

 and Nemanja Vidić
Nemanja Vidic
Nemanja Vidić is a Serbian footballer who captains English Premier League club Manchester United. He was part of the Serbia national football team from 2002 to 2011....

.

In November, Gallas gave an interview to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 in which he revealed tensions within the squad which were disruptive to team morale, and suggested that Arsenal's younger players needed to show more courage if they were to be successful. He was dropped from the squad for the next match, against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

, and was reported to have been fined two weeks' wages. Reports that he had been stripped of the captaincy permanently were confirmed by Arsenal on 24 November; he was succeeded by Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...

. Wenger confirmed that Gallas still had a future with the club, contrary to media speculation, and Gallas played in the following day's Champions League match.

On 17 March 2009, Gallas scored the winner in a 2–1 win against Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

 in the quarter finals of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

.

On 10 April 2009, it was confirmed that Gallas would miss the remainder of the season after damaging the medial ligament in his right knee during the UEFA Champions League 2008-09 quarter-final first leg tie against Villareal CF. The match finished 1–1 with Gallas only lasting 43 minutes of the first half.

2009–10 season

Despite enduring a below-par season, William Gallas started the 2009–10 campaign in fine form, scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games. He formed a partnership with Belgian centre back Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal's only major summer signing, and the pair scored 7 goals between them in their first eight league games. On 22 August, in the first home game of the season, he scored a bizarre goal against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

; Vermaelen had attempted to score a slide-in from a corner kick but Gallas accidentally flicked the ball onto his face and it bounced into the net.

On 17 February, Gallas started his 100th league game for Arsenal in the 2–0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...

. Gallas suffered an injury hit second half of the season and did not play for over two months, he was surprisingly included in the starting line up against FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 only to get stretchered off before halftime with a recurrence of the injury, It proved to be his last game for Arsenal. After talks over a new contract failed Gallas left the club over the summer as a free agent having made a total of 142 appearances and scoring 17 goals for the club.

On 28 April, Arsene 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...

 announced that talks about Gallas' future will only go until end of May and that if an agreement was not reached by then, he would most likely leave the club. Public statements made by Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood suggested that the club felt that the contractual demands made by Gallas were unreasonable and not made in good faith. It was reported that such demands included an £80,000 a week pay cheque over a two year period.

2010–11 season

On the 20 August 2010 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 manager Harry Redknapp confirmed that William Gallas was set to join the club and described the move as a "no-brainer". The transfer was confirmed on 22 August, with Gallas signing a one-year contract at White Hart Lane. According to Tottenham's club historian, the move meant that Gallas would become the first player to have appeared for Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham (Clive Allen
Clive Allen
Clive Darren Allen is a retired English footballer, a prolific scorer for a number of clubs.Allen is the son of ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward Les Allen, who was a member of the legendary team which won the First Division title and FA Cup "double" in 1961...

 played for Tottenham and Chelsea and had a spell with Arsenal early in his career, but did not make an appearance for them). After training with his new team for the first time, Gallas stated that he believed that Spurs have the potential to win the Premier League.

Gallas made his Spurs first-team debut on 11 September in a 1–1 draw away at West Bromwich Albion. On 20 November, as a result of injuries to regular captains Ledley King
Ledley King
Ledley Brenton King is an English footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur. He is the longest serving player at the club and captained Spurs since 2005. He is currently contracted to Tottenham until 2012...

 and Michael Dawson, Gallas captained Tottenham for the first time against his former club Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...

 in a famous 3–2 Tottenham victory, Spurs' first league victory at Arsenal since 1993. On 2 February 2011, Gallas partnered Sebastien Bassong
Sébastien Bassong
Sébastien Aymar Bassong Nguena is a French-born Cameroonian football defender who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and the Cameroon national football team.-Early career:...

 at the back against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...

 in their 1-0 midweek victory. Gallas continued to impress for Tottenham into 2011; in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 knockout stages he put in two commanding performances against A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

 to set up a quarter-final tie against Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

 in the club's first attempt in the competition.

Despite a season of frequent changes in defence for Tottenham due to a host of injuries to his fellow defenders, Gallas performed strongly throughout his first season with the club and was rewarded with a two year contract extension in March 2011, which will keep him at the club until the end of the 2012–13 season.

In his debut season at Tottenham, he made 36 appearances in all competitions.

International career

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
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 11th staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from June 16 to July 5, 1997 in Malaysia.-Venues:-Qualification:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship...

 along with fellow Frenchmen Willy Sagnol and Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...

.

He is now a regular member for France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

, having formed Raymond Domenech's
Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech is a retired French footballer and the former manager of the France national team.-2006 World Cup:On 12 July 2004, Domenech was a surprise choice to succeed Jacques Santini after the country's disappointing exit from UEFA Euro 2004 by losing in the quarter-final match to the...

 first-choice centre-back partnership with Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram is a retired professional football defender and is the most capped player in the history of the France national team, and one of the twenty most capped players of all time.He played at the top flight in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, including ten in the Serie A with both...

 during the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

 and Euro 2008. He made his full France debut in a 5–0 victory over Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....

 in a Euro 2004
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...

 qualifier on 12 October 2002, and was a member of the squad for the tournament's finals. He was in the 2003 Confederations Cup winning side, and more recently he was a member of the squad that reached the 2006 World Cup final. Following the World Cup, he criticised the Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

 team for diving, saying that when the French faced them in the semi-finals they needed to look out for their unfair style of play.

Gallas won his 50th cap for France in the 3–1 win against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 on 6 September 2006 at the Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...

 in a Euro 2008 qualifying match.

Gallas is still eligible to represent Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe national football team
The Guadeloupe regional football team represents the French overseas department and region of Guadeloupe in international football. The team is controlled by the Ligue Guadeloupéenne de Football , a local branch of French Football Federation ....

 internationally as well, as they are not FIFA affiliated. His cousin, Ludovic Quistin
Ludovic Quistin
Ludovic 'Luda' Quistin is a Guadeloupean footballer who plays for FC United of Manchester as a defender. He has also represented Guadeloupe and is a current member of their squad....

, has represented Guadeloupe.

On 10 October, he scored for France against Faroe in the 53rd minute.

On 18 November he scored a goal against the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....

 in extra time of a World Cup playoff. The goal made the score 1–1, and 2–1 to France on aggregate. This meant that France qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

. The goal was controversial as it was scored after his teammate, Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...

 handled the ball twice.

On 30 May 2010, he scored the equalizer against Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...

 in the 63rd minute in a friendly match.

On 6 June 2011, aged 33 and with 84 caps to his name and 5 goals he announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect after he was again ignored by France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

 coach Laurent Blanc
Laurent Blanc
Laurent Robert Blanc is a French association football manager and former player. He is the head coach of the French national team, having replaced Raymond Domenech in the wake of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was previously the manager of Bordeaux...

.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 17 August 2005 Stade de la Mosson
Stade de la Mosson
Stade de la Mosson is a football stadium in Montpellier, France. It is the home of Montpellier HSC and has a capacity of 32,900. Formerly a 16,000-seater stadium, it was entirely rebuilt in 1998 to host 6 games of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. It was also used as a venue for group stage matches in the...

, Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....

, France
1 – 0 3–0 Friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...

2 16 August 2006 Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....

, Bosnia 
1 – 1 1–2 Friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...

3 10 October 2009 Stade du Roudourou
Stade du Roudourou
Stade du Roudourou is a stadium in Guingamp, France that is the home ground of French League 2 side En Avant Guingamp. The stadium is able to hold 18,040 people....

, Guingamp
Guingamp
Guingamp is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Guingamp are called guingampais.-Breton language:...

, France
3 – 0 5–0 2010 World Cup qualification
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 7
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 7 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria and Faroe Islands....

4 18 November 2009 Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...

, Saint-Denis, France
1 – 1 1–1 2010 World Cup qualification
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Second Round
The UEFA second round was contested by the best eight runners-up from the nine first round groups from the UEFA segment of the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in football. The winners of each of four home and away ties joined the group winners in the World Cup in South Africa...

5 30 May 2010 Stade 7 Novembre, Radès
Radès
Radès is a harbour city in Ben Arous Governorate, Tunisia. Situated 9 kilometres south-east of the capital Tunis, some consider it a Tunis suburb, and parts of the harbour installations of Tunis are located in Radès....

, Tunisia
1 – 1 1–1 Friendly

Statistics

|-
|1995/96||rowspan="2"|Caen
SM Caen
Stade Malherbe Caen is a professional French football team, playing in the city of Caen, Normandy. The club was founded on 17 November 1913 following the merger of Club Malherbe Caennais and Club Sportif Caennais...

||Division 2
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...

||16||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="5"|Division 1
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....

||18||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-||18||0
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="4"|Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...

||3||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|1998/99||30||0||||||||||9||0||39||0
|-
|1999/00||22||0||||||||||7||1||29||1
|-
|2000/01||29||2||||||||||colspan="2"|-||29||2

|-
|2001/02||rowspan="5"|Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

||rowspan="10"|Premier League||30||1||4||1||4||0||3||0||41||2
|-
|2002/03||38||4||5||0||3||0||2||0||48||4
|-
|2003/04||29||1||4||0||1||0||11||1||45||1
|-
|2004/05||28||2||1||0||5||0||12||0||46||2
|-
|2005/06||34||5||3||0||0||0||7||0||44||5
|-
|2006/07||rowspan="4"|Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

||21||3||2||0||0||0||6||0||29||3
|-
|2007/08||31||4||2||0||1||0||8||0||42||4
|-
|2008/09||23||2||4||1||0||0||9||3||36||6
|-
|2009/10||26||3||1||0||0||0||6||0||33||3
|-
|2010/11
2010–11 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season
The 2010–11 season is Tottenham Hotspur Football Clubs 19th season in the Premier League. It is their 33rd successive season in the top division of the English football league system....

||Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

||27||0||1||0||0||0||8||0||36||0
118||2||||||||||16||1||134||3
280||24||27||2||14||0||72||4||390||30
398||26||27||2||14||0||88||5||524||33
|}

Stats accurate as of 22:00, 20 June 2011 (UTC)
|-
|2002||3||0
|-
|2003||8||0
|-
|2004||15||0
|-
|2005||11||1
|-
|2006||15||1
|-
|2007||7||0
|-
|2008||10||0
|-
|2009||9||2
|-
|2010||6||1
|-
!Total||84||5
|}

Chelsea

  • Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06
  • League Cup
    Football League Cup
    The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

    : 2005
  • FA Community Shield
    FA Community Shield
    The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...

    : 2005
    2005 FA Community Shield
    The 2005 FA Community Shield was a football match held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on 7 August 2005. It contested by Arsenal, who were FA Cup winners in 2005, and Chelsea, who won the 2004–05 Premier League. Chelsea won the match 2–1....


Individual

  • PFA Team of the Year
    PFA Team of the Year
    The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...

     (2003, 2006)
  • ESM Team of the Year
    European Sports Magazines
    European Sports Magazines is a European association of football related publications.-ESM Members:The members of this group elect each month a European "Team of the Month", and annually a European "Team of the Year"....

    : 2007–08

External links

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