Do You Remember Them #16- Christophe Dugarry

Biodata

Full Name: Christophe Jerome Dugarry

Nationality: French

Date of Birth: 24 March 1972

Position: Striker

Former Clubs:

1988- 1996 Bordeaux

1996- 1997 AC Milan

1997- 1998 Barcelona

1998- 2000 Marseille

2000- 2003 Bordeaux

2003 Birmingham City (loan)

2003- 2004 Birmingham City

2004- 2005 Qatar SC

International Career:

1994- 2002 France

Achievement:

Bordeaux

1991- 1992 Division 2

1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup

2001- 2002 Coupe de la Ligue

Barcelona

1997- 1998 La Liga

France

1998 World Cup

2000 UEFA European Championship

2001 FIFA Confederation Cup

Career

In 1998, the France National Team had finally won their first-ever FIFA World Cup in their home soil. The squad in the national team is often been described as one of the best national team in the 90s. With Barthez, Blanc and Desailly in defence, Zidane and Vieira in midfield with Henry and Trezeguet upfront. This team looks invincible in the starting lineup. However, there are more players contributed to this already strong squad. Christophe Dugarry is one of them.

Christophe Dugarry came through the youth ranks at Bordeaux alongside future football superstars such as Bixente Lizarazu and the mighty Zinedine Zidane. He spent eight years of the beginning of his career over there and slowly developed into the football stars that every football fans recognised. With the France national team desperately need to discover more young talent after they missed 1994 FIFA World Cup coincided his outstanding performances in Bordeaux, Dugarry earned his international debut on May 1994 against Australia. Soon, he was part of the national team regular and had a chance to represent France in Euro 1996, which he scored the opening goal for France against Romania. Dugarry performance on the club level is not affected either. His most notable performance was his two goals scored against AC Milan in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals.

In 1996, Dugarry earned a move abroad to AC Milan after Euro 1996. However, his performance in Milan had declined steadily. He only scored 6 goals in all competitions. Dugarry was subsequently moved on to join Barcelona on the next summer transfer. Unfortunately, this move didn’t work out either. Dugarry only played for 13 games in all competition without any goal contribution. To end his disastrous spell in Spain, Dugarry returned to France to join Marseille in January. Which he only scored one goal in all competition. Despite his poor performance in the club level, Dugarry was still selected in the France National Team for 1998 FIFA World Cup. In which they eventually won the whole tournament. Dugarry scored once in the tournament against South Africa. This is the pinnacle of his career.

In his first full season back to France, he helped Marseille to reach the UEFA Cup final, only lost to the eventual winner, Parma. In his two and a half years stay in Marseille, Dugarry contributed 14 goals and 9 assists in all competition. It is not an overwhelmingly impressive stats, but it is good enough to help Marseille to reach the Champions League spot in each and every season. He has then joined Bordeaux halfway through the 1999/2000 season. It was in his homecoming move to Bordeaux that he finally recapture his form. Dugarry scored 5 goals in all competition in his first half of the season there. Dugarry was once again selected in the France National Team for Euro 2000, in which they won it too.

Dugarry enjoyed a decent career in his two years spell in Bordeaux, which he scored 18 goals in all competition. In his national team career, he led France to another tournament victory, this time is the 2001 FIFA Confederation Cup. However, it was then a disastrous 2002 FIFA World Cup which they are eliminated from the group stage. In 2003, Dugarry joined Birmingham City on loan halfway through the season to help them to survive in the Premier League. His 5 goals in 4 matches run had helped the team escaped the relegation zone to a 13th place finish. Birmingham City signed him permanently on that summer but his 1 goal in 15 matches performance isn’t really convincing. He was then terminate the contract by mutual consent and then joined Qatar SC, which he made no appearances. Dugarry retired from professional football in 2005 after that.

Post Retirement

Dugarry has been inducted into Birmingham City’s Hall of Fame despite only played there for one and a half year. He also did make some appearances in French media as their football pundits, which he recently criticised Barcelona as a ‘club of clowns’ in RMC Radio.