Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez is undoubtedly the most outstanding French goalkeeper in the history of football. Although he could be crazy, he had the gift of reassuring his teammates.
Games
Goals Conceded
Clean Sheets
Trophies
1991/92 Toulouse FC (FRA) 28 matches
(French Championship: 26 matches)
(French Cup: 2 matches)
1992/95 Olympique de Marseille (FRA) 131 matches
(French Championship: 67 matches)
(French D2 Championship: 39 matches)
(French Cup: 10 matches)
(League Cup: 1 match)
(Champions League: 10 matches)
(UEFA Cup: 4 matches)
1995/00 AS Monaco (FRA) 193 matches
(French Championship: 143 matches)
(French Cup: 9 matches)
(League Cup: 8 matches)
(Champions Trophy: 1 match)
(Champions League: 10 matches)
(UEFA Cup: 21 matches)
2000/04 Manchester UTD (ENG) 141 matches
(English Premier League: 92 matches)
(English Cup: 4 matches)
(English League Cup: 6 matches)
(Charity Shield: 2 matches)
(Champions League: 37 matches)
2003/04 Olympique de Marseille (FRA) (Loan) 31 matches
(French Championship: 20 matches)
(French Cup: 2 matches)
(UEFA Cup: 9 matches)
2004/06 Olympique de Marseille (FRA) 98 matches
(French Championship: 54 matches)
(French Cup: 4 matches)
(League Cup: 2 matches)
(UEFA Cup: 16 matches)
2007 FC Nantes (FRA) 19 matches)
(French Championship: 14 matches)
(French Cup: 5 matches)
With the National Team :
87 caps
(Friendly matches: 36 caps)
(World Cup qualifiers: 4 caps)
(World Cup: 17 caps)
(Euro qualifiers: 14 caps)
(Euro: 9 caps)
(Confederations Cup: 2 caps)
(Hassan II Tournament: 2 caps)
(Kirin Cup: 1 cap)
(Tournoi de France: 2 caps)
1st cap: May 26, 1994 against Australia (1-0)
Last cap: July 9, 2006 against Italy (1-1)
A': 3 caps
espoirs: 1 cap
Fabien Barthez
Born June 28, 1971 in Lavelanet (FRA)
French, goalkeeper, 1m85
Nicknames: Le Divin Chauve, Fabolous Fab
A start to his career propelled by injuries to his teammates
Fabien Barthez was born on June 28, 1971 in Lavelanet. After playing for the Toulouse FC reserve team, he joined the ranks of the first team during the 1991/92 season while the team's two regular goalkeepers were suffering from injuries.
It was during a match against Olympique de Marseille that the goalkeeper's career would completely change dimension. Indeed, Bernard Tapis, the president of OM at the time, would notice the goalkeeper and recruit him the following season.
Originally a substitute, he finally took advantage of Pascal Olmeta's injury to become the club's number 1 goalkeeper. With Olympique de Marseille, he reached the 1993 Champions League final, which he won 1-0 alongside players he would find in the national team: Didier Deschamps and Marcel Desailly. He was only 22 years old at the time.
One of the best goalkeepers in the world
He joined the French national team the following year, in 1994, and made his first start in a match against Australia on May 26, 1994, a 1-0 victory for France. While Olympique de Marseille was relegated to the second division for a corruption case in the championship, he remained at the club before finally leaving for AS Monaco in 1995.
At Monaco, he won the French championship in 1997 and 2000 and established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in history. It was also during 1997 that he took the place of number 1 goalkeeper in the French national team, a position that had been held by Bernard Lama who was having a difficult year.
Barthez therefore arrives at the 1998 World Cup as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, behind an iron defense composed of Lizarazu, Blanc, Desailly and Thuram, Barthez seems impenetrable. In a very acrobatic style, he impresses with his spectacular saves and his elegant and fast dives.
He is one of the great men of this French victory during this edition of the World Cup where he is the savior of the Blues against Italy during the penalty shootout in the quarter-finals. Then he participates in Euro 2000 which he wins with the French Team and he establishes himself as the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the French Team at that time. Emblematically bald, he will be nicknamed the "divine bald" so important was he to the team and the supporters of his country.
Transfer to Manchester United
In the summer of 2000, when he was 29, he signed for Manchester United and took on a new media dimension. In his first season, he won the English championship but his second season was less good, he was the victim of strong criticism. His level seemed to have dropped in level and intensity.
His 2002/03 season silenced the critics, he had a very good season on an individual and collective level, playing 46 matches for 46 goals conceded and 15 clean sheets. With him, Manchester United won the English championship again.
A bitter end to a legend's career
Despite the competition with Grégory Coupet, he made his return to Ligue 1 while keeping his place as number 1 goalkeeper of the French national team. His return to Olympique de Marseille was good, first on loan, then by permanent transfer, he once again established himself in the squad of the club from the south of France.
He would also be a finalist in the 2003/04 Europa League with Marseille and reached the Coupe de France final in 2006. But this was also a period of controversy for the goalkeeper with a strong character. During a friendly match in February 2005, he was accused of spitting on a referee, an action that earned him a 6-month suspension.
In 2007, he decided to join FC Nantes for a final season, a disastrous half-season, the goalkeeper made a series of mistakes and was heavily criticized for his contemptuous nature towards the club's young players. He finally ended his career in April 2007, at the age of 35.
As for his career with France, he remains an absolute legend of his country, providing many successes to his country. In international competitions, he will often be considered as one of the best goalkeepers in big matches, with the exception of the 2006 World Cup where he is criticized... But where he is also at the end of his career. He also puts an end to his international career after the final lost against Italy. His record is phenomenal: 87 matches, 48 goals conceded and 51 clean sheets!
Trophies :
World Cup x1
- 1998 (France)
Finalist World Cup x1
- 2006 (France)
Euro x1
- 2000 (France)
Confederations Cup x1
- 2003 (France)
Kirin Cup x1
- 1994 (France)
Finalist Toulon Tournament x1
- 1991 (France)
Champions League x1
- 1993 (Olympique de Marseille)
Finalist Europa League x1
- 2004 (Olympique de Marseille)
Premier League x2
- 2001 (Manchester United)
- 2003 (Manchester United)
French League x2
- 1997 (AS Monaco)
- 2000 (AS Monaco)
Vice-Champion French League x1
- 1994 (Olympique de Marseille)
Trophée des Champions x1
- 1997 (AS Monaco)
Finalist French Cup x1
- 2006 (Olympique de Marseille)
Finalist English League Cup x1
- 2003 (Manchester United)
Finalist Community Shield x2
- 2000 (Manchester United)
- 2001 (Manchester United)
French Second League x1
- 1995 (Olympique de Marseille)
Individual Trophies :
- Member of the Ligue 1 All-Star Team in 1997
- Best Goalkeeper of the World Cup in 1998
- European Goalkeeper of the Year in 1998
- Silver Eleven in 1998
- France Football Gold Star in 1998
- Member of the World Cup All-Star Team in 1998
- Member of the Ligue 1 All-Star Team in 1998
- 14th in the Ballon d'Or in 1998
- Member of the Ligue 1 All-Star Team in 1999
- 11th in the Ballon d'Or in 2000
- European Goalkeeper of the Year in 2000
- IFFHS Best Football Goalkeeper of the Year in 2000
- Member of the European Championship All-Star Team in 2000
- Member of Ligue 1 All-Star Team in 2000
- Member of the Premier League All-Star Team in 2001
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month Trophy in September 2004
- Nominated for the Ballon d'Or in 2004
- Joint record holder with Peter Shilton for the number of games played in the World Cup (10 games) without conceding a single goal (clean sheets) in 2006
- Member of the UNFP Trophies' special 20-year All-Star Team in 2011
- Voted 51st in the Top 100 best players in the history of the Euro according to the newspaper L'Équipe in 2016
- Named in the Dream Team for the 120th anniversary of Olympique de Marseille in 2020
- Named in the all-time legendary XI of the French team according to L'Équipe users in 2020
- Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1998