FIFA World Cup™ Germany 2006 player's profile

The striker started off at Rennes, then spent four seasons at Arsenal from 2000-2004 and is currently among the goals again with French club Olympique Lyon.
Wiltord is fast, strong and has a powerful shot, features fans at Lyon deeply appreciate. In 2000 he won a European title with France and also won the English Premiership twice with Arsenal.

Has collected more than 75 caps and scored over 20 international goals in his career. Played in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the 2001 and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cups, and the 2002 FIFA World Cup™.

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UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

Sylvain Wiltord's strength, pace and powerful shooting have earned him a reputation as a striker to be feared, but he has also played down the wing for club and country.

National team
Made his debut for France against England in 1999. The following year he ingrained himself in French football folklore with the crucial late equaliser against Italy in the final of UEFA EURO 2000™ - a goal which paved the way for David Trezeguet's golden-goal winner. France were, however, eliminated early in Korea/Japan, and having finished as his country's joint top scorer in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2004™ with six goals, Wiltord started just once in Portugal, though he returned to the lineup for 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Club
Wiltord's career began at Stade Rennais FC, where he emerged in 1993/94 with eight goals in 26 games. He joined RC Deportivo La Coruña briefly in 1994 but soon returned to Rennes, where he continued to plunder goals before moving to FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

1997: Was ever present in his first term and scored 22 goals the next - 1998/99 - as Bordeaux won the French championship.

2000: Arsenal FC paid a then club-record €21m to sign him. Scored 15 goals in his first season and 17 in his second - including the one that sealed the English Premiership title at Manchester United FC for the double-winners. Wiltord missed just four league games, scoring ten times, as Arsenal relinquished their Premiership crown in 2002/03 but retained the FA Cup. However, in 2003/04 he lost his place in the team, and was released in late May following the expiry of his Arsenal deal, joining Olympique Lyonnais.

2004/05: Employed as a central striker, Wiltord proved his class with a series of outstanding displays. Although a string of niggling injuries restricted him to 25 league appearances and three goals, he won the French title for the second time in his career. Was at his best in the Champions League, scoring six goals in eight matches as Lyon reached the quarter-finals.

Did you know?
Wiltord was the French Footballer of the Year in 1999.

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

UEFA EURO 2004™ player's profile

Sylvain Wiltord's strength, pace and powerful shooting have earned him a reputation as a striker to be feared, but he has also played down the wing for club and country.

National team
Made his debut for France against England in 1999. The following year he ingrained himself in French football folklore with the crucial late equaliser against Italy in the final of UEFA EURO 2000™ - a goal which paved the way for David Trezeguet to win the European crown in extra time. His star dipped, along with many of his team-mates, as France were eliminated early in Korea/Japan.

UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying
One of the stars of France's domination of Group 1, Wiltord played in every match bar the final victory against Israel when he watched from the bench. His six goals saw him finish atop his country's scoring charts along with Trezeguet and Thierry Henry.

Club
Wiltord's career began at Stade Rennais FC, where he emerged in the 1993/94 season with eight goals in 26 games. He joined RC Deportivo La Coruña briefly in 1994 but soon returned to Rennes, where he continued to plunder goals before moving to FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

1997: Was ever present in his first term at the Chaban-Delmas and scored 22 goals in 33 outings the next - 1998/99 - as Bordeaux won the French championship.

2000: Arsenal FC paid a then club-record €21m to sign him. Fifteen goals in his first season and 17 in his second - including the one that sealed the FA Premiership title at Manchester United FC - have seen Wiltord's status rise at Highbury. Wiltord missed just four league games, scoring ten times, as Arsenal relinquished their Premiership crown in 2003. Came on for Dennis Bergkamp as the Gunners retained the FA Cup, though, by defeating Southampton FC 1-0 in the final.

2003/04: Something of a miserable campaign saw Wiltord make just 12 Premiership appearances, only two of them in 2004. Was released by Arsenal in late May following the expiry of his Highbury contract.

Did you know?
Wiltord was the French Footballer of the Year in 1999.

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