France goalkeeper Barthez is the holder of World and European Champions titles. He became a famous star after the World Cup in 1998, which took place in his homeland - France. He became one of the main figures in the 2000 European Championship. Barthez is the owner of an unusual style of play and excellent reaction, a bright extraordinary personality.
Childhood
France goalkeeper Barthez Alain Fabien was born on June 28, 1971 in Lavlane. The grandfather and father of the footballer were professional rugby players. Therefore, it is not surprising that the passion for balls was transmitted to Barthez. For him, any ball (soccer, tennis, volleyball) has always been a favorite toy with which he did not part even at dinner. He could play football all day, and he was never bored with this activity.
Education
At school, Barthez did not show outstanding success. To sit a lesson for him was a punishment. In the classroom, he was always bored. Therefore, the teachers did not favor him, although they recognized that he had the ability to science.
Choosing a Life Path
When it came time to choose which path in life to go on, the question was not easy. Barthez had several favorite sports. And there was only one to choose. There was a lot in favor of rugby, especially since his grandfather and father were professionals in this sport. But Barthez still chose football. And as it turned out later, not in vain.
Carier start
At the very beginning of his football career, the coaches did not see the outstanding goalkeeper in Barthez. Therefore, until the age of 14, he was a striker and midfielder until he met Emé Gudu, a professional coach. Despite his cruel and very tough attitude towards his wards, he raised more than one famous football player.
Natural selection took place, and the weaker ones could not withstand the stiffness of the coach and completely left the sport. But Barthez remained about a mentor of a different opinion, believing that Emé Gudu tempered the character of athletes and made of "green" guys real men who did not give in to pain and were successful.
Debut
This coach saw Fabienne as a talented goalkeeper. But football clubs in Lavlan were not relevant and Barthez left for Toulouse. Fabien's debut took place on September 21, 1991 in the French division in the match against Nancy.
Goalkeeper Barthez, whose photo is in this article, was noticed by professional coaches and a year later was overbought by the Marseille Olympic club. At that time, it was one of the most powerful teams. While the talented goalkeeper played for the Olympic, he twice became the Champion of France and won the Champions League.
Fall and take off
The French goalkeeper Barthez, like many, did not escape scandals. In 1994, a controversy erupted over contractual matches. As a result, Olympic was in the second division. Barthez, who had not yet managed to show himself as an elite player, had to “fall” with the club.
But this did not suit Fabien, and a year later the goalkeeper moved to Monaco, for which he played for 6 seasons. Of these, in four he became Champion of France. Thanks to his arrival, the Monaco club quickly regained the reputation of a strong team and began to win. Fans who were initially wary of Barthez quickly appreciated the footballer's talent.
Goalkeeper of France Barthez: goalkeeper high points
The finest hour for Fabien struck in 1998. He won the World Cup as part of the national team. Competitions were held just in the homeland of the football player. His play was truly phenomenal. Just two years later, the team Barthez played in became the best, in addition, the only one that won not only the World Cup, but also the European Championship in one year.
In 2000, the famous football player was bought by Manchester United. Barthez was valued at $ 11 million. As part of Manchester United, he twice won the title of Champion of England Barthez.
The goalkeeper participated in the World Cup in 2002, but his team lost two out of three matches. In 2004, at the European Championships, the French achieved great results, losing only to the Greeks. And the moment when Barthez beat off the penalty of D. Beckham became one of the brightest. Then Fabien returned to Marseille and played on this team until the end of the 2005/2006 season.
Completion of a football career
After that, Barthez announced live that he decided to end his football career. The reason for leaving, according to Fabien himself, was the reluctance of the Toulouse club to accept the famous goalkeeper in his team. As a result, Barthez left football at the age of 35, winning all kinds of awards and creating a legendary name for himself in sports. After leaving football, Fabien returned to his homeland, in the city of Lavlane. He started working as a commentator on television. True, he does not cover football, but rugby matches.
Personal life
Barthez is the goalkeeper, which there are few in world football, in addition, he was also called a sex symbol. His first love was Lisa Valois. He tried to create a serious relationship with Linda Evangelista, who at that time was one of the most famous top models in the world. But Fabien did not hesitate to change his passion.
And Linda tolerated this, as she was crazy about him, and even refused lucrative contracts, changed her chic outfits to simpler housewife clothes. But their relationship ended after a failed pregnancy.
