"Didier Deschamps"

Ever wondered what it's like to lift the two most important international soccer trophies, the World Cup and the European Championship, in just a 2-year span? Ask Didier Deschamps, he'll tell you...This titan of French Soccer never stood out, as he was the kind of player that does the hard, ungratifying work, but when you don't have him in the squad, your team will suffer.
Together with the likes of Makelele, Vieira or Dunga, Deschamps gave a new face to the defensive midfielder, changing it from a position that was played in tougher matches, to one indispensable in a modern tactical formation. This biography of Didier Deschamps will cover his life and career, from his youth days at birth-town club Bayonne, to him lifting the above mentioned trophies with France's national side.
Full name : Didier Deschamps
Date of birth : October 15, 1968
Place of birth : Bayonne, France
Height : 5.11FT - 1.8M
Playing position : Defensive Midfielder
Didier Deschamps Biography – Nantes -
Born in Bayonne, a historically charged region of France, Didier Deschamps started out playing soccer for local club Aviron Bayonnais while he was in primary school. At age 15, while he was performing in a youth tournament, he was spotted by the scouts of first division French team Nantes, whom he would sign in 1983.
He only needed 2 years at Nantes' youth club to impress the first team staff and he was recruited into the ranks of the first squad in 1985, while he was just 17 years old (he even made his debut while he was 17).
The 4 seasons spent at Nantes were crucial for Didier's career. Admittedly, he didn't win any trophies with Nantes, who was rather a mid-table team, but he gained match experience in his 111 league appearances for the club and during his last season with Nantes, he was even taken in to the France national side for the first time, by coach Michel Platini. His impressive play and coolness, vision and passing ability brought him under the lens from French champions Olympique Marseille.
Season Club Games Goals
1985-1989 Nantes 111 4
1989-1990 Olympique Marseille 17 1
1990-1991 Girondins Bordeaux 29 3
1991-1994 Olympique Marseille 106 5
1994-1999 Juventus 124 4
1999-2000 Chelsea 27 0
2000-2001 Valencia 8 0
Didier Deschamps Biography – Olympique Marseille
During his first season with Marseille, Deschamps was mostly a substitute and that wasn't really a position he was comfortable in, especially since it jeopardized his place in the national team. Marseille won the championship, but Deschamps only played 17 matches and most of them as a sub, so he decided to move to Girondins Bordeaux, where he had a better chance of playing regularly.
Spending the 1990-1991 season at Bordeaux was an important step, since he played regularly here and made Marseille reconsider him for the following season. Returning to his former team in the 1991-1992 season, he gained a spot amongst the first team and never left it.
He managed to win two more league titles and help Marseille become the first (and only) team to win the UEFA Champions League in 1993. His performances that season made Juventus Torino consider him as an option for their midfield and one year later, in 1994, they bought him.
Years National Team Games Goals
1989-2000 France 103 4
Didier Deschamps Biography – Juventus and Captaining France
His 5 great seasons with Juventus Torino also coincided to Didier captaining France through the greatest period of time in its history. With the Italian giants, he won the Serie A league title 3 times, two Supercups, another Champions League trophy and the Intercontinental Cup.
In 1998, as France would host the World Cup, no one really gave them a chance, after they failed to qualify for the last two World Cups in 1990 and 1994. But with the support of the home fans, the leadership of Deschamps and the genius of Zinedine Zidane, France managed to win the first World Cup in history and as the captain of the French team, Deschamps was the one to lift this trophy for the first time.
End of Career
With time catching up on his career as a soccer player, Didier Deschamps decided to move to Chelsea London in 1999 (note that Chelsea wasn't the soccer power it is today). His sole season there was less impressive, although he did win the FA Cup. However, with France's national team, where he was still captain, he managed yet another impressive feat at the European Championship in 2000, winning it and with the defensive midfielder, again having a great contribution.
Together with Patrick Vieira or Makelele (or sometimes both), Didier Deschamps formed an impenetrable midfield for France, which many believe was the key to the team's great successes in 1998 and 2000