Ludovic Giuly

Early life

Ludovic Giuly was immersed in the world of football from an early age since his father, Dominique Giuly, born in the village of Zalana, in Corsica, was a former goalkeeper, who played briefly in professional football for Bastia before continuing an amateur career until the age of 32 with several clubs in the suburbs of Lyon. Ludovic Giuly made his debut in the club in which his father was then active: the ASCMO, now known as Monts d'Or Azergues Foot, in the city of Chasselay, located about twenty kilometers from Lyon. He then entered the training center of Olympique Lyonnais. In 1994, he won the Coupe Gambardella with their U18 team.

Olympique Lyonnais

Giuly started his career with Olympique Lyonnais in 1994 at the age of 18 and made his debut for the club in Ligue 1 on 21 January 1995 against Cannes in a 3–1 win. The following season, Giuly earned a nicknamed "the magic elf," referring to his low height (1.64m) and his vivacious character. Also in 1996–97 season, Giuly finished the season with 16 goals in 37 games. In the 1997–98 season, Giuly played 19 games with Lyon and scored one goal. Giuly made his last appearance for Lyon in a 1–0 loss against Marseille where he played 90 minutes on 10 January 1998.

AS Monaco

Giuly was signed by Monaco in the winter break on January 1998. The transfer fee was €7.5 million (£6.6 million), although the fee was then assessed at 42 million francs, which was a considerable sum at that time.

Just 10 days after playing for Lyon against Marseille, Giuly made his debut for AS Monaco against them in a 1–1 draw on 20 January 1998. Giuly scored his first goal for Monaco in a 5–2 win over Bordeaux in May 1998, on the final day of Ligue 1. In his first half-season with Monaco, he made a total of 12 appearances, scoring once.

In the 1999–00 season, Giuly proved to be a key member in the Monaco squad on its right side, as he led his team to the Ligue 1 title for the first time since 1997. The next season turned out to be a troublesome campaign, after Monaco finished in eleventh place in the league. Giuly scored 7 goals in 30 appearances. In the 2001–02 season, Giuly started strongly with two goals against Paris Saint-Germain and Lens respectively, before he suffered ruptured ligaments in his right knee which kept him sidelined for almost the entire season and ruined his chances of playing in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The 2002–03 season was decisive for Giuly. He made his return from injury in a match against Troyes in a 4–0 win on 3 August 2003. In the 2003 Coupe de la Ligue Final between Monaco and Sochaux, Giuly captained the side and scored a brace in a 4–1 win to win the Coupe de la Ligue for the first time in clubs history. His good performance at Monaco led him being selected in the FIFA Confederations Cup which France won.

At the start of the 2003–04 season – Giuly's last with Monaco – he scored a superb overhead kick during a league match against Lens with an assist from Jérôme Rothen, having suffered an injury that kept him out for a week prior to the game. While the club floundered in the race for the Ligue 1 title, they had a fantastic run in the Champions League progressing through the Group Stage (where Giuly scored goals at home to AEK Athens and Deportivo La Coruña) and making it through to the knockout stage. Here, Monaco eliminated Lokomotiv Moscow, Real Madrid (in which he scored a brace in the second leg) and Chelsea. Giuly captained Monaco in the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, where they lost 3–0 to José Mourinho's Porto. This was a particularly galling defeat for Giuly because he suffered a groin injury early in the match, forcing him to leave the field in the 23rd minute (being replaced by Dado Pršo). Without Giuly on the pitch, the club's task of winning the final was even more compromised. Even Manager Didier Deschamps admitted that losing Giuly was a "big blow" and said "Giuly's injury was not good news for us – he is a very important player for us on the offensive side." This turned out to be his last appearance in a Monaco shirt.

Barcelona

Barcelona paid about €7 million to Monaco in order to sign Giuly on 28 June 2004, with Giuly signing a three-year deal. On 29 August 2004, Giuly scored on his debut for Barcelona against Racing de Santander in a 2–0 win and played 90 minutes. On his move, Giuly was happy after enjoying a successful start to life in Spain.

Giuly helped Barcelona to win La Liga in the 2004–05 season, ending a 6-year championship drought. He was the second top scorer for the club scoring 11 goals. Although his season was disrupted by several muscle injuries, Giuly was able to fulfil his promise to reach double digits in goals in his first year at his new club.

In 2005–06 he helped win the Spanish title again, as well as capture the second Champions League trophy for the Catalan club. Giuly propelled Barça into the Champions League Final by scoring the only goal in their semi-final against AC Milan. After the match, Giuly said he had called on his team-mates to keep calm and finish the job. He said "Ronnie passed me the perfect ball. I attempted a shot from the left, the ball went in, so much the better! Now we've got one foot in the final, we have to remain cool and work hard to try and go all the way."

He played the full 90 minutes in Paris as Barcelona came from a goal down to beat Arsenal 2–1 at the Stade de France. Giuly subsequently scored, but the goal was ruled out due to the foul resulting Jens Lehmann sending off (making him the first player and only goalkeeper to ever be sent off in a Champions League/European Cup final). FIFA President Sepp Blatter has always said he felt Giuly's goal should have stood.

In the 2006–07 season, Giuly, although still a key member of the Barça squad, eventually lost his starting spot in the team, when Lionel Messi was promoted from the club's youth ranks. This resulted in Giuly saying his farewell to Barça.

Roma

On 17 July 2007, Giuly signed for Roma on a three-year deal with Barcelona being paid £2.2million. A month later, he won his first trophy with his new club, winning the Italian Super Cup against the Inter Milan (0–1). On 26 August 2007, Giuly made his league debut for Roma in a 2–0 win over Palermo. The next game on 2 September 2007, Giuly scored his first goal in a 3–0 win over Siena. In the Champions League Group Stage, Giuly scored and provided assist for Mirko Vučinić in a 4–1 win over Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv on 27 November 2007. In the Coppa Italia last 16 second leg, he also scored and provided two assists for Mancini and Roma fan favourite Francesco Totti in a 4–0 win over Torino on 16 January 2008.

However, Giuly's only season at Roma had him scoring more than many starting players which made him in the top five scorers at the club for the season he spent at Stadio Olimpico.

Paris Saint-Germain

Desiring to return to France for more playing time, Giuly was coveted by Monaco, Marseille and Lyon but on 18 July 2008, he signed with Paris Saint-Germain on a three-year deal, with PSG paying a transfer fee reported to be €2.5 million to Roma. On 9 August 2008, Giuly made his debut for PSG against his former club Monaco in a 1–0 loss. After an early season goal drought, marked by injury, he scored his first goal for PSG during their 1–0 win over Lille on 10 November. He scored his second goal against Le Havre and lead the team to a victory against Lyon, scoring a header against his first club. He scored his first brace of the season on 7 February 2009 against Nantes. In his first season at the club, PSG had moderate success in Ligue 1, finishing in 6th place and narrowly missing out on European play due to inferior goal difference.

In his second season (2009–10), PSG's league form was much worse and they finished in 13th place. He scored the first goal for the Parisian team against Montpellier (1–1) on the first day of the championship and scored again in their second fixture against Le Mans, as well as in their fifth fixture – against Lyon. That season, PSG won the Coupe de France, beating his former team AS Monaco in the final.

In his third and final season (2010–11), he started by scoring in play-off round of the Europa League, away at Maccabi Tel Aviv. In Ligue 1, PSG pushed up in the league table, especially after the arrival of winger Nenê, who had transferred in the summer of 2010. On 27 October 2010, Giuly scored against Lyon in Coupe de la Ligue, allowing PSG to win the match 2–1. Giuly scored 4 goals in the league that season, against Montpellier, Brest, Sochaux and Nice, and also made eight assists. On 29 June 2011, Giuly's contract with PSG was not renewed upon expiry.

Return to Monaco

He spent the summer of 2011 training with his former club Monaco. On 9 August 2011, Giuly signed a two-year contract with the Ligue 2 side. His move back to Monaco was a surprise to the Monegasque supporters, though the club's goal was to return to Ligue 1 within the year. He got back the number 8 jersey he wore during his first spell at the club. A negotiated reconversion within the club was included in the contract. In his first game, the club lost 1–2 against the Stade de Reims. On 29 August 2011, Guily scored his first goal in over 7 years at AS Monaco in a 2–2 draw against Lens. On 14 January 2012, Giuly scored his second goal in a 1–0 win over Istres. On 13 April 2012, Giuly scored his third goal in a 2–0 win over Metz. Upon his return, he established himself in the starting eleven throughout the season.

Ahead of the 2012–2013 season, Giuly found himself being frozen out of the first team by newly appointed manager Claudio Ranieri and lost the captaincy to Andreas Wolf. On 27 July 2012, Giuly left Monaco by mutual consent after just one year. In a friendly match against Tours, the club hosted a ceremony in his honour. Giuly said "Monaco has allowed me to express the best years my life as a footballer. I want to thank the leaders for the conditions in which I ended my adventure with the ASMFC."

Lorient

On 31 July 2012, Giuly signed for Lorient on a one-year deal on a free transfer. Giuly made his debut, coming on as a substitute for Yann Jouffre, in a 2–1 win over Montpellier and two weeks later, on 1 September 2012, Giuly scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–0 win over Nancy. Then, four months later, in the second round of Coupe de France, Giuly scored his last career goal, in a 1–0 win over Sedan.

Towards the end of the season, on 11 May 2013, Giuly announced his retirement. Giuly ended his professional career on 26 May 2013 in a home game against his former club Paris Saint-Germain, in the final round of the season. Giuly left the pitch in the 72nd minute to standing ovations, and was even awarded a jersey with his old number by the visitors. His last appearance was also his 401st appearance in Ligue 1.

Monts d'Or Azergues Foot

Following his retirement, Giuly returned to Monts d'Or Azergues Foot, the team where he started his career. On 4 January 2014, Giuly inspired his team to a penalty shootout win over Ligue 2 Istres in the Coupe de France.

International career

Giuly has been capped for France, but was removed from his country's Euro 2004 squad due to a leg injury he sustained in the 2004 Champions League Final.

Giuly was not selected for the French 2006 World Cup squad, as young Marseille playmaker Franck Ribéry was selected over Giuly. However, with Djibril Cissé having broken his leg in a World Cup warm-up match against China, Giuly could have been called up, but he asserted after the initial France squad was announced that he would go on holiday to Dubai and Kish instead of waiting idly in the stand-by squad, and Sidney Govou was called up instead. Despite this, Domenech opened a door for Giuly whether he want to play for the national team.

He also qualifies for the non-FIFA affiliated team of Corsica, having been called up for their 31 May 2011 friendly with Bulgaria.

Style of play

During his career, Giuly has been employed as a wide midfielder and as a second striker playing behind and to the side of an out-and-out forward. He is known to play a direct style by running straight at defenders with pace. At Barcelona, Giuly played on the right side of a three-man forward line, usually playing alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o.

Personal life

On 15 May 2007, Giuly’s autobiography "Giuly by Giuly" was published by Hugo & Co.. In the autobiography, Giuly settles accounts with former France coach Raymond Domenech, including revelations about his alleged affair with Domenech’s partner Estelle Denis.

From September 2006 to March 2007, Giuly worked as a columnist each Thursday in Luis Attaque on Radio Monte Carlo (RMC). In 2010, he created 'Ultimate Player', a service company for professional footballers. The company employs 40 people.

Giuly tested positive for the H1N1 (Swine flu) virus in October 2009 along with two PSG teammates, Jérémy Clément and Mamadou Sakho. This led to the league postponing Marseille's match with Paris St Germain.

In January 2013, Monts d'Or Azergues Foot named their home stadium after Giuly as "Stade Ludovic Giuly".

Career statistics

As of 4 April 2015.

Club

International

Individual