Philippe Christanval
Encyclopedia
Philippe Charles Lucien Christanval (born 31 August 1978 in Paris) is a retired French footballer
of Guadeloupian origin who most recently played for Fulham
as a centre back.
in 1999, where he made 81 appearances, scoring one goal. Here he also won the French title in the 1999/00 season and made several UEFA Champions League appearances.
He was then snapped up by Barcelona
for a £6.5million fee in June 2001. He had a terrible time from then on attempting to cope with various injuries, particularly following his 2003 move to Marseille
.
Having spent two weeks on trial at Arsenal
, Gunners manager Arsène Wenger
opted not to sign him. He then joined rival London team, Fulham. Upon his signing, Chris Coleman
stated:
"Philippe is a player I have been looking at since I have been Fulham manager. I have always admired him. He was excellent at Barcelona but then had problems with injury and fell out of favour with the last few managers he has had."
"His quality is there – you can see that. He makes the right decisions. For me the best defenders make the right decisions more often than not and he fits into that category."
In his first appearances at Fulham, he found himself playing in defensive midfield. He was quite successful with an enforcement partnership with Papa Bouba Diop
. His qualities were obvious; despite being a centre back, he had good vision and passing ability. More recently he has found himself back in the centre half role. His first Premiership goal was a late equaliser in a 3–3 draw with West Ham United
on 13 January 2006. He has since struggled with injuries, and in the 2007/08 season has only made a single appearance coming on as sub.
At the end of the 2007–08 season, Christanval was released by Fulham and was offered a trial with Premier League club Blackburn Rovers as Christanval was a free agent he would be allowed to join any other club outside the FIFA regulated transfer window. He was however released from Fulham having had an injury plagued 2007/2008 season. He has since been linked with a move to MLS
club Toronto FC
. On 9 April 2009, Christanval retired from football, having been unable to find a new club.
side in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
and 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
.
Football in France
Football is the most popular sport in France. The Fédération Française de Football is the national governing bodyand is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game of association football in the country, both professional and amateur...
of Guadeloupian origin who most recently played for Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
as a centre back.
Club career
His career began at AS MonacoAS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
in 1999, where he made 81 appearances, scoring one goal. Here he also won the French title in the 1999/00 season and made several UEFA Champions League appearances.
He was then snapped up by Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
for a £6.5million fee in June 2001. He had a terrible time from then on attempting to cope with various injuries, particularly following his 2003 move to Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
.
Having spent two weeks on trial at Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, Gunners manager Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
opted not to sign him. He then joined rival London team, Fulham. Upon his signing, Chris Coleman
Chris Coleman (footballer)
Christopher "Chris" Coleman is a Welsh football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Greek Side Larissa....
stated:
"Philippe is a player I have been looking at since I have been Fulham manager. I have always admired him. He was excellent at Barcelona but then had problems with injury and fell out of favour with the last few managers he has had."
"His quality is there – you can see that. He makes the right decisions. For me the best defenders make the right decisions more often than not and he fits into that category."
In his first appearances at Fulham, he found himself playing in defensive midfield. He was quite successful with an enforcement partnership with Papa Bouba Diop
Papa Bouba Diop
Pape "Papa" Bouba Diop is a Senegalese footballer who plays for West Ham United in the Football League Championship and the Senegal national team. His preferred position is defensive midfield but can also play as a centre back, where he previously played at Lens...
. His qualities were obvious; despite being a centre back, he had good vision and passing ability. More recently he has found himself back in the centre half role. His first Premiership goal was a late equaliser in a 3–3 draw with West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
on 13 January 2006. He has since struggled with injuries, and in the 2007/08 season has only made a single appearance coming on as sub.
At the end of the 2007–08 season, Christanval was released by Fulham and was offered a trial with Premier League club Blackburn Rovers as Christanval was a free agent he would be allowed to join any other club outside the FIFA regulated transfer window. He was however released from Fulham having had an injury plagued 2007/2008 season. He has since been linked with a move to MLS
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
club Toronto FC
Toronto FC
Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
. On 9 April 2009, Christanval retired from football, having been unable to find a new club.
International
Christanval was a part of the FranceFrance national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
side in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
and 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 11th staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from June 16 to July 5, 1997 in Malaysia.-Venues:-Qualification:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship...
.