Sylvain Wiltord

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Lore & Background

Wiltord was born on 10 May 1974 in Neuilly-sur-Marne, a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, to a mother from the West Indies and a father he did not know. He was one of eight children. At age 14, he went to live at his 27-year-old sister's apartment where he cared for his 2-year-old niece. In 2015, he competed on the TF1 reality show Dropped; the day after his elimination, a mid-air helicopter collision killed ten, including three contestants. He wrote on Twitter after the crash, 'I'm sad for my friends, I'm trembling, I'm horrified, I have no words, I don't want to say anything.'

In Their Own Story

Wiltord's arrival at Lyon in August 2004 came after a four-season spell at Arsenal, where he had won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups. At Lyon, he slotted into a side already dominant in French football. He was ever-present in his first term at Bordeaux and went on to score 22 goals in the following 1998–99 season, where he won the golden boot as Bordeaux lifted the Ligue 1 championship. At Lyon, he replicated that winning habit, securing the Ligue 1 crown in 2004–05, 2005–06, and 2006–07. His individual recognition came with back-to-back selections to the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year. Wiltord's contribution was part of a golden era for the club, which saw them reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League in successive seasons.

Reader's Guide

Wiltord joined Rennes from lower-league side CO Joinville in 1991. He emerged in the 1993–94 season with eight goals in 26 games. In summer 1996, after excelling for France at the 1996 Olympics, Spanish club Deportivo de La Coruña reached an agreement for him to join from 1 July 1997, with a fee of 300 million pesetas (€1.8 million) and a loan back to Rennes for 1996–97. In summer 1997, he requested a move to Bordeaux; a fee of 375 million pesetas (€2.25 million) and a 40% sell-on clause were agreed. He was ever-present in his first term at Bordeaux and scored 22 goals in 1998–99, winning the golden boot as Bordeaux lifted the Ligue 1 championship. He was signed by Arsenal for a club record £13 million in August 2000. He made his debut as a substitute against Chelsea on 6 September 2000, and his first goal followed against Coventry City on 16 September 2000. A highlight in his first season was a first-half hat-trick against West Ham United. Arsenal reached the 2001 FA Cup Final, which Wiltord started; he was substituted with Arsenal leading 1–0, but Liverpool came back to win 2–1. In 2001–02, he scored ten league goals as Arsenal finished champions, including crucial winning goals against Chelsea and Everton, and the winning goal over Manchester United at Old Trafford that clinched the title on 8 May. He also scored in a 2–0 FA Cup win over United the following season. Wiltord started the 2002 FA Cup Final and played as a substitute in the 2003 final. He formed part of Arsenal's 2003–04 'Invincibles' season, making 12 league appearances. Altogether he played 175 times for Arsenal in all competitions, scoring 49 goals. When his contract expired in summer 2004, he trained with Rennes and rejected a move to West Bromwich Albion. On 31 August, he signed for Lyon on an initial two-year contract, winning three Ligue 1 titles and reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League in successive seasons. He signed for Rennes in August 2007 on a two-year contract with an opportunity to join the coaching staff. He joined Marseille on 15 January 2009 for the remainder of the Ligue 1 season, scoring Marseille's only goal in a 3–1 loss to Lyon on 17 May 2009. He was released at the end of 2008–09. On 30 January 2010, after training with Créteil, he signed with Metz until the end of the season. On 18 July 2011, he came back from retirement and signed a contract at Na

Did You Know?

• Wiltord scored a last-minute equaliser in the Euro 2000 Final to take the match to extra time, which France won on a golden goal by David Trezeguet.
• He is France's 12th highest scorer with 26 goals for Les Bleus.
• In June 2008, Wiltord was voted 33rd in a list of 50 of the greatest Arsenal players of all time.
• He was sponsored by Nike and appeared in a global 'Secret Tournament' commercial directed by Terry Gilliam ahead of the 2002 World Cup.