The goalkeeper of the French national team Barthez is the holder of the World and European Champion titles. He became a famous star after the World Championship in 1998, which was held in his homeland - France. He became one of the main figures in the 2000 European Championship. Barthez is the owner of an unusual style of play and an excellent reaction, a bright extraordinary personality.
Childhood
France national football team goalkeeper Barthez Alain Fabien was born on June 28, 1971 in Lavlane. The grandfather and father of the football player were professional rugby players. Therefore, it is not surprising that the passion for balls was transferred to Barthez. For him, any ball (football, tennis, volleyball) has always been a favorite toy, with which he did not part even at dinner. He could play football all day long, and he never got tired of this activity.
Education
Bartez did not show outstanding success at school. Sitting through the lesson was a punishment for him. He was always bored in class. Therefore, the teachers did not favor him, although they recognized that he had the ability to science.
Choicelife path
When it came time to choose which way to go in life, the question turned out to be difficult. Barthez had several favorite sports. And you only had to choose one. There was a lot in favor of rugby, especially since his grandfather and father were professionals in this sport. But Barthez still chose football. And as it turned out later, not in vain.
Career start
At the very beginning of his football career, the coaches did not see an outstanding goalkeeper in Barthez. Therefore, until the age of 14, he was a striker and midfielder, until he met Aime Gudu, a professional coach. Despite his cruel and very tough attitude towards his charges, he raised more than one famous football player.
There was a natural selection, and the weaker ones could not stand the toughness of the coach and completely left the sport. But Barthez remained of a different opinion about the mentor, believing that Aime Gudu tempered the character of athletes and made real men out of the “green” boys, who did not shy away from pain and achieved success.
Debut
It was this coach who saw a talented goalkeeper in Fabien. But the football clubs in Lavlana were not relevant and Barthez left for Toulouse. Fabien's debut took place on September 21, 1991 in the French division in a match against Nancy.
Goalkeeper Barthez, whose photo is in this article, was noticed by professional coaches and a year later was bought by the Marseille Olympic club. At that time it was one of the strongest teams. While the talented goalkeeper played for Olympic, he twicebecame the Champion of France and won the Champions League.
Fall and rise
French goalkeeper Barthez, like many others, has not escaped scandals. In 1994, a dispute broke out over match-fixing. As a result, "Olympic" was in the second division. Barthez, who had not yet shown himself as an elite player, had to "fall" along with the club.
But this did not suit Fabien, and a year later the goalkeeper moved to Monaco, for which he played for 6 seasons. Of these, in four he became the Champion of France. Thanks to his arrival, the Monaco club quickly regained its reputation as a strong team and began to win. The fans, who were initially wary of Barthez, quickly appreciated the talent of the football player.
French goalkeeper Barthez: goalkeeper's finest hour
Fabien's finest hour struck in 1998. He won the World Cup as part of the national team. The competitions were held just in the homeland of the football player. His performance was truly phenomenal. The team that Barthez played in literally two years later became the best, in addition, the only one that won not only the World Cup, but also the European Championship in one year.
In 2000, the famous footballer was bought by Manchester United. Barthez was valued at $11 million. Barthez won the title of Champion of England twice with Manchester United.
The goalkeeper participated in the World Cup in 2002, but his team lost two out of three matches. In 2004, the French achieved great results at the European Championship, losing only to the Greeks. And the moment when Barthez recapturedD. Beckham's pen alty became one of the brightest. Then Fabien returned to Marseille and played in this team until the end of the 2005/2006 season.
End of football career
After that, Barthez announced live that he decided to end his football career. The reason for leaving, according to Fabien himself, was the unwillingness of the Toulouse club to accept the famous goalkeeper in their team. As a result, Barthez left football at the age of 35, winning all sorts of awards and creating a legendary name for himself in the sport. After leaving football, Fabien returned to his homeland, to the city of Lavlane. Started working as a TV commentator. True, it does not cover football, but rugby matches.
Private life
Bartez is a goalkeeper, of which there are few in world football, in addition, he was also dubbed a sex symbol. His first love was Lisa Valois. He tried to create a serious relationship with Linda Evangelista, who at that time was one of the most famous top models in the world. But Fabien was not shy about changing his passion.
And Linda put up with it, because she was crazy about him, and even refused lucrative contracts, changed chic outfits for simpler housewife clothes. But their relationship ended after a failed pregnancy.
Barthez's addictions and character
Fabien has firmly established the title of fussy. Even in foreign countries, he did not change his habits. For example, in Manchester, he ate only products that are considered environmentally friendly, and only brought from France. Dinner usuallyduck with apples and a glass of red wine. Breakfast is fried eggs and croissants with coffee.
Fabien's character is very unrestrained. Therefore, he often clashed with A. Ferguson, the club's coach, although he admitted that Barthez had a phenomenal reaction rate. If the goalkeeper conceded a goal, then he blamed everyone around him, but not himself. The defenders of the team got the most from him. That's why they didn't like Barthez.
Fabien, despite the amazing ability to catch the most crazy balls, still made a lot of mistakes and mistakes in the game. And his unbridled temper sometimes clearly went beyond the bounds of decency. Once he spat at the judge in front of everyone. Another time he relieved himself of a small need on the field. His antics amused the public and even raised his popularity. And Barthez's bald head has even become the subject of many jokes.
Athlete's hobbies are varied. He loves car and motorcycle racing. He is active in swimming. Likes to listen to F. Collins and S. Aznavour. The sexuality of the goalkeeper is not an invention of the press. He attracts the most beautiful women. And at an exhibition in Paris, he demanded to replace the wax figure, which was created in his likeness. Nevertheless, Barthez is the greatest goalkeeper! World football and many fans of this sport are truly proud of such a goalkeeper.
