David Trezeguet

Lore & Background

Trezeguet began his career at Platense in Argentina, making his debut in 1994. He moved to Monaco in 1995, forming a striking partnership with Thierry Henry and winning Ligue 1 in 1996–97. In 2000, he joined Juventus for £20 million, winning Serie A titles in 2001–02 and 2002–03, and was joint Capocannoniere in 2001–02. He scored 138 league goals for Juventus, making him the fourth-highest scorer in club history. He also played for France from 1998 to 2008, scoring 34 goals in 71 appearances, and represented France at the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, and the 2006 World Cup, where he missed his penalty in the shoot-out against Italy in the final.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at the Bernabéu hummed with a frequency only the players could feel in their teeth. Extra time. One-nil. Trezeguet walked toward the spot and the noise of eighty thousand people collapsed into a single, muffled thud behind his ears. He placed the ball. Stepped back. The Italian keeper, Buffon, shifted his weight — a whisper of intention. Trezeguet struck it low, left, clean. The net rippled. He turned, arms wide, and for a heartbeat the whole of France was in his chest. Then the coin was flipped, the penalties began, and the heartbeat stopped. He stood in the tunnel long after the final whistle, the blue shirt damp, the silence louder than any roar he had ever known. Somewhere in the crowd, a child was crying. He would never fully escape that cry.

Reader's Guide

Trezeguet is known for his prolific goalscoring as a striker. He won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France, scoring the golden goal in the Euro 2000 final. At club level, he won Ligue 1 twice with Monaco and Serie A titles with Juventus (though two were later stripped due to match-fixing). He was named in the FIFA 100 list of greatest living players and is a Golden Foot Award Legend.

Did You Know?

• Trezeguet scored the fastest goal by velocity in UEFA Champions League history in 1998, clocked at 97.6 mph.
• He was born in Rouen, France, but grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• He missed a penalty in the 2006 World Cup final shoot-out against Italy.
• He is the fourth-highest goalscorer in Juventus history with 138 league goals.