Years Team Current team AS Beziers Playing position Name Gregory Vignal Number 24 (RC Lens / Defender) | 1997–1998 Castelnau Le Cres FC Role Footballer Position Defender 1998–1999 Montpellier Height 1.82 m | |
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Date of birth (1981-07-19) 19 July 1981 (age 34) Similar People Pegguy Arphexad, Stephane Henchoz, Sander Westerveld, Igor Biscan, Bernard Diomede | ||
Place of birth Montpellier, France | ||
REACTION | Gregory Vignal | Rangers Legends Match
Grégory Vignal (born 19 July 1981 in Montpellier) is a French footballer. A left full back or midfielder, he plays for CFA club AS Béziers.
Contents
- REACTION Gregory Vignal Rangers Legends Match
- Liverpool
- Portsmouth
- RC Lens
- Birmingham City and later career
- Honours
- References
Vignal has played in the top division in five countries – England, France, Spain, Scotland and Greece – and in the second tier in a sixth, Germany, though as of 2012 he is yet to play more than 30 league games for any of his clubs. At international level, he represented France at under-20 level in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship and has also been capped at under-21 level.
Liverpool
Vignal began his career at his home town club, Montpellier. He soon established a reputation as a promising young player, and was signed by Liverpool in September 2000 for £500,000. He immediately impressed in his first reserve team outings and made his first team debut against Rotherham United in the FA Cup. He went on to make a further six appearances during the 2000–01 season.
Vignal returned for the following season having featured in the World Youth Championship with the France Under-18 squad, and staked his claim for the left-back spot with some impressive performances at the start of the 2001–02 season. However, he found it hard to displace the reliable and experienced John Arne Riise. He went on to make nine appearances that season.
He made just four appearances during the first half of the 2002–03 season, and was loaned to Bastia for the remainder of the campaign in mid-January 2003.
During the 2003–04 campaign Vignal was again loaned out to Rennes for the first half of the season, and to Espanyol for the latter half.
Vignal had a season at Rangers as the club regained the Scottish Premier League title, playing 42 games for the club, picking up a Scottish League Cup winner's medal as well as the league title.
Portsmouth
At the end of the season Vignal's Liverpool contract expired, and with him available on a free transfer Rangers wanted Vignal to sign a permanent contract with them. However he failed to agree terms, instead opting to move to Portsmouth. He was then released from Portsmouth after failing to impress Harry Redknapp on his return in the 2005–06 season.
RC Lens
He then moved to Lens on a free transfer and was loaned out to Kaiserslautern for the second half of the season in January 2007.
After a trial with the club, Vignal joined Southampton on a season-long loan on 27 July 2007. He scored his first goal for Southampton with a free kick in a 2–0 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup, and his first league goal came from a penalty against Scunthorpe United while playing with a broken arm. He scored another penalty in the 2–2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers before being sent off for an off-the-ball incident. However he later won an appeal against the card. He scored four goals from 23 appearances in the 2007–08 season.
During the summer of 2009, Vignal had a trial with Queens Park Rangers which did not bring the offer of a contract.
Birmingham City and later career
He then played in a friendly match against Sporting Gijón as part of a trial with Birmingham City, newly promoted to the Premier League. After producing what manager Alex McLeish described as a "strong performance", Vignal signed a one-year contract with the club, with an option for a further year, subject to medical examination. Injury disrupted his season, which combined with the form of Liam Ridgewell at left-back restricted the player to just nine first-team appearances. The club chose not to take up the option of a second year.
In July 2010, Vignal had trials with Sheffield United and Cardiff City. In September 2010, he joined Atromitos. He then left the Athens club in December 2010.
On 12 September 2012, Vignal signed a contract with Scottish Premier League club Dundee United until January 2013, but left the club in November without having made a first-team appearance. He returned to France, where he signed for CFA (fourth-tier) club AS Béziers ahead of the 2013–14 season.