Toulala
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'I Was a Ballon d'Or Nominee - I'm Now a Stay-at-Home Dad Who Plays Amateur Tennis'
Summary
- Yoann Gourcuff was nominated for the 2009 Ballon d'Or.
- Gourcuff's attacking swagger drew Zinedine Zidane comparisons.
- The Frenchman inspired Bordeaux to win the 2009 Ligue One title.
Every year, some of the biggest names in world football are nominated for the Ballon d'Or. Many maintain their status as sporting superstars, but some do fade into obscurity. This has been the case for former France international Yoann Gourcuff, who was nominated for the 2009 award.
Gourcuff's form with Rennes earned him a move to AC Milan, but he never seemed entirely happy at San Siro, and in 2008, was loaned back to France with Bordeaux. In his first season, Gourcuff went down an absolute storm at Bordeaux, who won Ligue One, breaking Lyon's run of seven titles in a row.
However, his best form ultimately faded as he failed to live up to expectations. Having retired in 2020, he now lives a very different life.
Ranking the 9 Youngest Ballon d'Or Winners in Football History •
Yoann Gourcuff yet to decide on future amid Bordeaux, Rennes links - agent
Ian HolymanJun 25, 2015, 08:01 PM
Yoann Gourcuff has trained at his former club Bordeaux but the France international's representative has insisted he has yet to decide on his future amid interest from Rennes.
Gourcuff, whose Lyon contract expires at the end of this month, was hailed as "the new Zidane" during a two-year spell at Bordeaux in which he was the chief architect of their Ligue 1 title win in 2009 under Laurent Blanc.
He subsequently moved to Lyon in a €22 million transfer, but his progress was blighted by injury.
The 28-year-old has been tipped to return to Bordeaux, and Nicolas de Tavernost -- president of Bordeaux's owners, M6 -- opened the door to a return for Gourcuff last week, saying: "Our coach would be happy if he came."
Gourcuff trained alongside midfielder Gregory Sertic at Bordeaux earlier this week in a session watched by the club's coach, Willy Sagnol, according to Sud Ouest, although the paper said the player was only passing through, and would not join the first-team
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It was a goal that was impossible to ignore, the kind of high-level showboatery that’s worth the price of admission alone. On a misty January evening inside the Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux, Yoann Gourcuff danced his way into the headlines.
L’Équipe anointed him ‘Le Successeur’, the prestigious publication daring to mention the 21-year-old in the same breath as the immortal ZinedineZidane. Several of France’s top football columnists and commentators, even those more cautiously optimistic, believed that Gourcuff was the phenomenon French football needed, an exceptionally blessed artist to fill the void left by Zizou.
Christophe Dugarry felt something awaken inside him. “That goal was no accident,” he said. “It showed there was something magical about him. I felt ill when Zidane retired. Watching Gourcuff has cured me. When I see players like him, I feel like a small boy again.”
Dugarry was over-excited, perhaps, but it was no ordinary goal. Receiving Mathieu Chalmé’s pass on the edge of the area, Gourcuff left the Paris Saint-Germain defenders in the fog. On th
Yoann Gourcuff yet to decide on future amid Bordeaux, Rennes links - agent
Ian HolymanJun 25, 2015, 08:01 PM
Yoann Gourcuff has trained at his former club Bordeaux but the France international's representative has insisted he has yet to decide on his future amid interest from Rennes.
Gourcuff, whose Lyon contract expires at the end of this month, was hailed as "the new Zidane" during a two-year spell at Bordeaux in which he was the chief architect of their Ligue 1 title win in 2009 under Laurent Blanc.
He subsequently moved to Lyon in a €22 million transfer, but his progress was blighted by injury.
The 28-year-old has been tipped to return to Bordeaux, and Nicolas de Tavernost -- president of Bordeaux's owners, M6 -- opened the door to a return for Gourcuff last week, saying: "Our coach would be happy if he came."
Gourcuff trained alongside midfielder Gregory Sertic at Bordeaux earlier this week in a session watched by the club's coach, Willy Sagnol, according to Sud Ouest, although the paper said the player was only passing through, and would not join the first-team
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It was a goal that was impossible to ignore, the kind of high-level showboatery that’s worth the price of admission alone. On a misty January evening inside the Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux, Yoann Gourcuff danced his way into the headlines.
L’Équipe anointed him ‘Le Successeur’, the prestigious publication daring to mention the 21-year-old in the same breath as the immortal ZinedineZidane. Several of France’s top football columnists and commentators, even those more cautiously optimistic, believed that Gourcuff was the phenomenon French football needed, an exceptionally blessed artist to fill the void left by Zizou.
Christophe Dugarry felt something awaken inside him. “That goal was no accident,” he said. “It showed there was something magical about him. I felt ill when Zidane retired. Watching Gourcuff has cured me. When I see players like him, I feel like a small boy again.”
Dugarry was over-excited, perhaps, but it was no ordinary goal. Receiving Mathieu Chalmé’s pass on the edge of the area, Gourcuff left the Paris Saint-Germain defenders in the fog. On th
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