UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

A flying full-back, French legend Bixente Lizarazu relishes his forward raids but his adventurous style is not cavalier. A full-blooded player who never shirks from a tackle, he also has a well-developed defensive game.

Club
Lizarazu started his playing career as an 18-year-old with FC Girondins de Bordeaux in 1988, spending eight successful years at the Chaban-Delmas stadium which included a UEFA Cup final appearance in 1995/96 when the French side were beaten by FC Bayern München, his future employers.

1996: A French Basque, he crossed the border to join Athletic Club Bilbao in 1996, but made only 16 appearances in the Spanish league prior to his move to Bayern.

1997: In his first six seasons at the Olympiastadion he accumulated a total of 16 honours - including five Bundesliga championships, three German Cups and a European/South American Cup - to make him one of the most decorated players in Europe. A knee injury kept him out of the 1999 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United FC but he played a key role when Bayern were victorious against Valencia CF two years later.

2004/05: After seven seasons in Bavaria, Lizarazu sought a fresh challenge in his homeland with Olympique de Marseille. However, he did not settle in the south of France and less than six months later was back at Bayern.

National team
Made his France debut in a 2-1 victory against Finland in November 1992. He played at EURO '96™, where France reached the last four, and was a revelation in 1998 as Les Bleus lifted the FIFA World Cup on home soil, scoring a stunning goal against South Africa. Two years later he was again integral as France won UEFA EURO 2000™ but he retired after 97 caps in August 2004 following disappointing defences of their world and European crowns.

Did you know?
Lizarazu has a stadium named after him in the French Basque country.

©uefa.com 1998-2006. All rights reserved.

UEFA EURO 2004™ player's profile

A flying full-back, Bixente Lizarazu relishes his forward raids but his adventurous style is not cavalier. A full-blooded player who never shirks from a tackle, he also has a well-developed defensive game.

National team
Made his France debut in a 2-1 victory against Finland in November 1992. He played at EURO '96™ and was a revelation in 1998 as Les Bleus lifted the FIFA World Cup on home soil, scoring a stunning goal against South Africa. Two years later he was again integral as France won EURO 2000™ but his country's World Cup defence in Korea/Japan was not such a pleasant experience.

UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying
After missing the opening victory against Cyprus, Lizarazu won his 80th cap in the 4-0 defeat of Malta and added four more to that tally during the remainder of the campaign as France won Group 1 at a canter.

Club
Lizarazu started his playing career as an 18-year-old with FC Girondins de Bordeaux in 1988, spending eight successful years at the Chaban-Delmas stadium which included a UEFA Cup final appearance in 1995/96 when the French side were beaten by FC Bayern München, his future employers.

1996: A French Basque, he crossed the border to join Athletic Club Bilbao in 1996, but made only 16 appearances in the Spanish league prior to his move to Bayern.

1997: In his first five seasons at the Olympiastadion he accumulated a total of 14 honours - including four German championships, two German Cups and a European/South American Cup - to make him one of the most decorated players in Europe. A knee injury kept him out of the 1999 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United FC but he played a key role when Bayern were victorious against Valencia CF two years later. Lizarazu added another Bundesliga title and German Cup to his collection in 2003.

2003/04: Lizarazu showed excellent form in a disappointing season for Bayern, making 25 Bundesliga appearances and playing in all eight Champions League ties. He decided to leave Bayern in the summer after seven seasons at the club.

Did you know?
Lizarazu has a stadium named after him in the French Basque country.

©uefa.com 1998-2004. All rights reserved.