FC Girondins de Bordeaux Greatest All-Time Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

2008-2009 Ligue title

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Olympique de Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain
Olympique Lyonnais, AS Monaco, Nantes
Saint-Étienne, Girondins de Bordeaux.
South France
Players born in the Overeseas Department and former French Colonies
French Black Players 
French Algerian
French Players Capped by Other National Teams

France at USA 1994

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Bordeaux was founded in 1881 as a multi-sports club and is one of the most successful football clubs in France. The club has won six Ligue 1 titles, which is the joint fourth-most in its history. Bordeaux have also won four Coupe de France titles, three Coupe de la Ligue titles, and three Trophée des champions. The club has the honour of having appeared in the most finals in the Coupe de la Ligue, having appeared in six of the 16 finals contested. Since 2015, Bordeaux plays its home games at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux instead of the Stade Chaban-Delmas.

Bordeaux won 3 leagues in the 1980's(the 1984-1985 team)

Team
GK: Gaëtan Huard (France)
Huard played 357 Ligue 1 matches for RC Lens, FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Olympique de Marseille, winning the 1989 and 1990 national championships with the latter. During the 1992–93 season, he had a run of 1,176 minutes (over 13 games) without conceding a goal. Huard helped Bordeaux reach the 1996 UEFA Cup final, lost to FC Bayern Munich. In the 1996–97 campaign the 34-year-old had an abroad stint, being backup at modest Hércules CF.

GK: Ulrich Ramé (France)
Ramé started his career with SCO Angers in the 1993–94 season but being immediately relegated. He joined FC Girondins de Bordeaux in 1997.  He played ovr 500 matches in a 10 year career. He won two league titles– separated by ten years – and three more league cups.  Capped 12 times.  He was a backup for the World Cup Finals in 2002, but was their starting keeper at the 2001 Confederation Cup.

GK: Dominique Dropsy (France)
Dropsy started his senior career with Valenciennes FC.  In the 1973, Dropsy signed with RC Strasbourg. During the 1978–79 campaign,  his team won their first-ever domestic league.  Aged 34, Dropsy joined Girondins de Bordeaux, where he won a further two national championships, and added two Coupe de France to his trophy cabinet. Capped 17 times. He played one match at the 1978 WC Finals.

RB: Gernot Rohr (Germany)
Gernot Rohr played with Bayern Munich, SV Waldhof Mannheim and Kickers Offenbach in his native Germany before finding successes with Bordeaux where he played more than 400 matches between 1977 and 1989.  He was a role player for Bayern Munich as they won the European Cup in 1974. He was capped 5 times for the amateur national team of West Germany.

RB: Jean-Christophe Thouvenel (France)
Thouvenel began his career with Servette, where his father worked in Geneva.  In 1978, he returned to France and played Paris FC.
After a year, he moved to Bordeaux where he made a name. He
was a member of the French squad that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.  Capped 4 times.

CB:  Marius Tresor (France)
Marius Tresor was one of France's greatest defenders.  He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.  He had 65 caps.  He was the French captain before Michele Platini's arrival. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1978 and 1982.  In 1982, he scored one of the extra time goal against West Germany at the semifinal. For his club career, he also played for Olympique de Marseille and Girondins de Bordeaux.

Marius Trsesor

CB: Léonard Specht (France)
Leonard Specht started at RC Strasbourg with whom he notably won the League title in 1979. Nevertheless it was with Girondins de Bordeaux that he had his best record with three league titles and two 1/2 finals in the European Cup in the1980's.  Capped 18 times. He made his debut in 1978 against Spain, scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory for France.

CB: Patrick Battiston (France)
Battiston began his career at lower league club Talange in 1966. He played for FC Metz, Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux and Monaco throughout the 1970's and 1980's.  He represented France in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups, and helped France to their victory in the 1984 European Football Championship.  He was also remembered as the player tackled by Toni Schumacher during the semi-final of the 1982 WC Finals before France and West Germany.

Patrick Battistion

CB: André Chorda (France)
He signed his first professional contract with OGC Nice in 1957. He won the league title championship in 1959. In 1962, he joined the Girondins de Bordeaux, but despite a talented team, they fail to materialize. Finally in 1970, he signed again with Nice where he finished his career in 1974.  Capped 24 times.  He went to the WC Finals in 1966.

LB:  Bixente Lizarazu (France)
Bixente Lizarazu was the leftback for the all-conquering French team of 1990's and early 2000's.  He won the World Cup in 1998 and European Championship in 2000. He had 97 caps. Lizarazu began his professional career with Girondins de Bordeaux, but better known for playing with Bayern Munich for 9 seasons. He won the Champions' League in 2001. He is a Basque and he also played for Atletico Bilbao. 

Bixente Lizarazu 

LB/CB: Jean-François Domergue (France)
He started as a left back with Bordeaux before becoming a centerback. He also played with Lille , Lyon, Toulouse, Mariselle and Caen.  Capped 9 times.  He was best remembered for scoring 2 goals in the semi-finals of the Euro 1984 against Portugal, which France won 3–2 after extra time. France went on to win the tournament.

DM: René Girard (France)
Rene Girard started with Nimes and ended there with a long career with Bordeaux in between.  He won three league titles in the 1980's.  He was capped 7 times.  He went to the 1982 World Cup in Spain., where he played 5 matches and scored a goal in the third place match against Poland.

CM: Jean Gallice (France)
Jean Gallice was the son of former French international footballer Rene Gallice.  He played with Angoulême CFC, Bordeaus, Lyon, Racing Besançon and Libourne. He was capped 7 times between 1974 and 1976. Jean and Rene Gallice were the first father and son to be selected by France.  His brother was also a youth international for France.

CM: Jean Tigana (France)
Jean Tigana played 52 times for France. He was an important member of the great French side of the 1980's.  He won the European Championship in 1984 playing in the famous "Magic Square" alongside Michel Platini and his club teammate Alain Giresse. He also went to the 1982 and 1986 Wolrd Cup Finals. He played with Bordeaux for eight years, winning three league titles and three French Cups.  He also spent time with Toulon, Lyon and Marseille.

Jean Tigana

SS/LW/RW: Sylvain Wiltord (France)
Wiltord started with Rennes and Bordeaux before moving to Arsenal in England. He won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups. He also won the Ligue 1 title in each of his three subsequent seasons at Lyon.  For France, Wiltord has been capped 92 times, scoring 26 goals. He scored a goal in the last seconds of the Euro 2000 final against Italy to tie the match 1–1, in which France wonin extra time.

RW: Hector De Bourgoing (Argentina/France)
De Bourgoing started his career at Club Atlético Tigre in 1953. In 1957 he was transferred to River Plate where he won his first and only major title. In 1959, he moved to Nice in France.  He moved to Bordeaux in 1963 and finally retiring from football in 1970 with Racing Paris.  He was capped 5 times for Argentina and played 3 more times for France.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1966 for France.

AM/CM: Alain Giresse (France)
Alain Giresse was the French footballer of the year in 1982, 1983 and 1987. He was part of the "Magic Square" alongside Michel Platini, Luis Fernández and Jean Tigana that won the European Cup in 1984 hosted by France.  He also played in the World Cup finals in 1982 and 1986.  For his club career, he played with Jean Tigana at Bordeaux, a side that dominated French football in that period. He also played with Mariselle.

Alain Giresse

AM: Johan Micoud (France)
Micoud began with AS Cannes. In 1992, he joined FC Girondins de Bordeaux, where the club won the Ligue 1 title.  In 2000, he played for Parma and then,  SV Werder Bremen two years later, where he won the league and cup double in 2004.  Capped only 17 times, largely because of playing in the same time as Zidane.  He won the Euro 2000 and played at the WC in 2002.

AM: Zinedine Zidane (France)
Zidane was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll, and has been described as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.  He won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times.  He led France to victory at  the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.  With Real Madrid, he also won the Champions League in 2002, where he scored one of the greatest goals in history at the Final. 

Zinedine Zidane

AM: Yoabb Gourcuff (France)
Gourcuff joined AC Milan in 2007 after making a name with Rennes. He never settled down with the club.  He finally made a career with Bordeaux where he won the league/cup Double in the 2008/2009 season, helping him to win the Ligue 1 Player of the Year and the 2009 French Player of the Year. He later played for Lyon. He was selected for the 2010 World Cup Finals, but he had a disastrous campaign.
 
ST: Pedro Pauleta (Portugal)
Pauleta never played in the Primeira Liga, having spent twelve of those campaigns in Spain and France. He scored 109 goals across all competitions for PSG. At Bordeaux, he was the league top scorer once and was also voted twice as the division's player of the season. Pauleta also scored 47 goals in 88 matches for Portugal, a national record at the time of his retirement. He played for his country in two World Cups and two European Championships.

Pauleta

ST: Bertus De Harder (Holland) 
De Harder scored 3 goals in 11 games for the Dutch national side. He represented the Netherlands at the 1938 World Cup Finals.  His international career was limited because of the War and he also turned professional and played in France.  He played in France for FC Girondins de Bordeaux and later became a manager with AS Angoulême and FC Mulhouse.

ST: Laurent Robuschi (France)
Robuschi played for Monaco and Cannes with limited successes. In 1959, he joined Bordeaux, where he played until 1967.  During his career there, he saw the club to fall to the division 2 and back again. He later played with Marseille.  He won all five of his caps, as a Bordeaux player. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1966, but did not appear in any game.

ST: Edouard Kargu (France)
Born in Poland, Edouard Kargu's family moved to France in the 1930's.  His full name was Kargulewicz. He played professionally for Bordeaux between 1947 and 1958, but his playing career before 1947 was unclear.  He played for Congac. He was the Ligue 1 top scorer in the 1953–54 season scoring 27 goals. In 1950, he made his international debut against Belgium.  He would play 11 times for France between 1950 and 1953.

Edouard Kargu 

ST: Christophe Dugarry (France)
Dugarry came through the youth ranks at Bordeaux alongside future France teammates Bixente Lizarazu and Zinedine Zidane. He spent eight years at Bordeaux, scoring 34 goals in 187 appearances. He also played for Milan, Barcelona, Marseille, Birmingham City and Qatar SC. He was also a member of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

ST: Bernard Lacombe (France)
Lacombe played with Lyon, Saint-Étienne and Bordeaux. With 255 goals scored, he is the second all-time leadomg scorer in the French championship, after Delio Onnis. He earned his first cap for France in 1973. He went on to represent his nation at the 1978 World Cup, scoring after only 30 seconds against Italy, the fastest goal ever for a French player. Lacombe also played at the 1982 World Cup and won UEFA Euro 1984.

Bernard Lacombe 

Honorable Mention 
Marc Planus (France), Franck Jurietti (France), Manuel Garriga (France), Jean-Luc Dogon (France), Alain Roche (France), Lilian Laslandes, Dieter Müller (Germanu), André Doye (France), Marouane Chamakh (France), Gérard Soler (France), Gabriel Abossolo (Cameroon), René Girard (France), Thierry Tusseau (France), Jean-Marc Ferreri (France), André Gerard (France), Philippe Bergeroo (France), Roland Guillas (France), Camille Libar (Luxembourg), Alou Diarra (France), Souleymane Diawara (Senegal), Zlatko Vujovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Zoran Vujovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Philippe Fargeon (France).

Squad Explanation 
-- Bordeaux was known for its team in the 1980's. It was crowned French Champion 3 times.  They reached the semifinal of the 1985 European Cup.  I selected the following players from the 1980's: Alain Gireses, Jean Tigana, Gernot Rohr, Marius Tresor, Patrick Battiston, Leonard Specht, Bernard Lacombe and Rene Girard.   
-- Bordeaux had the largest contingent of players at the 1984 European Championship held in France.  Five players were on the squad.  Alain Gireses and Jean Tigana were the most famous players of that generation.  They formed a part of France's Magic Square at Euro 1984, playing alongside Michel Platini of Juventus and Luis Fernandez of PSG.
-- Two years earlier, Bordeaux sent 6 players to the 1982 World Cup Finals.  The fans probably would remember Patrick Battiston's incident with Toni Schumacher in the semi-final.
 -- Alain Giresse is their all-time leading scorer as well as appearance leader.
-- Bordeaux won the Double in the 1986-1987 season.  The team was slightly different from the sqaud from the early 1980's.  Jean Tigana and Patrick Battiston, Gernot Rohr, Leonard Specht, Bernard Lacombe and Rene Girard were still on the team.  They had younger players such as Zlatko Vujovic, Zoran Vujovic, Philippe Fargeon.  Zlatko and Zoran were twin brothers.  All three of them made my honorable mention.
-- Bordeaux won its first league title in the 1949/1950 season.
Bertus De Harder and Edouard Kargu were the stars of that team.
-- I need wide players.  So I took both Hector De Bourgoing and Sylvain Wiltord. Wiltord won the Golden Boot as Bordeaux won their 5th league title in the 1998-1999 season.
--  Pauleta was the league top scorer once and was also voted twice as the division's player of the season
-- In the mid-1990's, Zinedine Zidane, Chris Dugarry and Bixente Lizarazu formed a great young team here.  Bordeaux entered the 1995-1996 UEFA Cup by winning the Intertoto Cup.  Zidane was the best player as Bordeaux reached the Final, beating AC Milan on its way.  However, both Zidane and Dugarry were suspended for the first leg of the Final against Bayern Munich and Bordeaux stood no change against Bayern Munich. Zidane was Ligue One Player of the Year in 1996.  Lizarazu played over 100 matches for the club.  Goalkeeper Gaëtan Huard (France) was also selected into this all-time team.
-- When Zinedine Zidane left Cannes to join Bordeaux, Cannes signed Johan Micoud as a replacement.  In 1996, Micoud also joined Bordeaux after Zidane left for Juventus.  He helped Bordeauzx to win the Ligue 1 Title in the 1998-1999 season.
--  Didier Couécou was the last player dropped. I selected Yoabb Gourcuff over him.
-- Yoabb Gourcuff's career after Bordeaux was relatively unremarkable.  However, Gourcuff was sensational with Bordeaux.  In 2008/2009 season, the club won their first ever league/cup "Double".  He was Ligue 1 Player of the Year that season.  He was the French Player of the Year in 2009. Ulrich Ramé is the only other player selected from the "Double" team. I put Souleymane Diawara and Alou Diarra on honorable mention.

Formation