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Lilian Thuram

Lilian Thuram
Thuram in 2013
Personal information
Full name Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien[1]
Date of birth (1972-01-01) 1 January 1972 (age 53)[2]
Place of birth Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre back, right-back
Youth career
1981–1982 Portugais de Fontainebleau
1983–1984 Fontainebleau
1985–1987 Melun
1987–1988 Melun-Fontainebleau
1989–1990 Fontainebleau
1990–1991 Monaco
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1996 Monaco 155 (8)
1996–2001 Parma 163 (1)
2001–2006 Juventus 144 (1)
2006–2008 Barcelona 41 (0)
Total 503 (10)
International career
1994–2008 France 142 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1998
Runner-up 2006
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2000
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner 2003
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (French pronunciation: [liljɑ̃ tyʁam];[4] born 1 January 1972) is a French author, philanthropist and former professional footballer who played as a defender. Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his era, he was a quick, powerful and versatile player, capable of playing both as a centre-back or as a right-back, and was competent both offensively and defensively.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

He began playing football professionally in his homeland with Monaco and played in the top flight in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, with notable stints in Serie A with both Parma and Juventus before finishing his career with Barcelona. With France, Thuram was a key player for the team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup; his side also won UEFA Euro 2000, and he helped them to runners-up at the 2006 World Cup. Thuram was the most capped player in the history of the France national team with 142 appearances between 1994 and 2008 until Hugo Lloris surpassed the mark in 2022.

Thuram has been described as a "studious" figure off the pitch;[11] in 2010, he became a UNICEF ambassador, and has stood out for his initiatives to fight against racism.[12] He founded the Fondation Lilian Thuram, which aims to educate people about racism.[13]

  1. ^ "Décret du 24 juillet 1998 portant nomination à titre exceptionnel" [Decree of 24 July 1998 appointing on an exceptional basis]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 1998 (170). 22 June 1998. PREX9801916D. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  2. ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Lilian Thuram". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  4. ^ Lilian Thuram (2012). Lilian Thuram, Vidéo de soutien pour l'égalité des droits (YouTube) (in French). Projet Entourage. Event occurs at 0:01. Retrieved 28 January 2012. Bonjour, je m'appelle Lilian Thuram.
  5. ^ "Ranked! The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years: full list". FourFourTwo (253 ed.). 13 February 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  6. ^ "50 Greatest Defenders in World Football History". bleacherreport.com. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Best 100 Football Defenders of All Time History". thefootballlovers.com. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  8. ^ Marland, Daniel (30 March 2022). "The 25 Greatest Defenders Of All Time Have Been Named And Ranked By Fans". sportbible.com. SPORTbible. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  9. ^ "The 50 best defenders in football history ranked by fans". GiveMeSport. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Best defenders of all time - ranked". 90min.com. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Euro 2000 Profile: Lilian Thuram". BBC. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Il campione Lilian Thuram a Treviso contro il razzismo" (in Italian). Treviso 24. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  13. ^ https://www.thuram.org/

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