Philippe Christanval
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Philippe Charles Lucien Christanval | ||
| Date of birth | 31 August 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Paris, France | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1995 | Clairefontaine | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2001 | Monaco | 81 | (1) |
| 2001–2003 | Barcelona | 31 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | Marseille | 13 | (0) |
| 2005–2008 | Fulham | 36 | (1) |
| Total | 162 | (2) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000–2002 | France | 6 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Philippe Charles Lucien Christanval (born 31 August 1978 in Paris) is a retired French footballer who played as a centre back. During his career, he played top-flight football in France, Spain and England, and earned six full international caps, as well as a selection to the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
His career began at AS Monaco in 1999, where he made 81 appearances, scoring one goal. They won the 1999-2000 league title, earning him the title of Young Player of the Year, and he made several UEFA Champions League appearances. In January 2001, it was reported that Monaco were considering exchanging him for Frank LeBoeuf of Chelsea.
Christanval was then signed by Barcelona of Spain's La Liga for a £6.5 million fee in June 2001, the team he supported as a child. After being released from Barcelona in 2003, he joined Marseille on 18 July on a four-year contract. They reached the 2004 UEFA Cup Final in his first season, but he was an unused substitute as they lost 2-0 to Valencia.
After two weeks on trial at Arsenal, their manager Arsène Wenger opted not to sign Christanval. He then joined another Premier League London team, Fulham, on 9 September 2005. Upon his signing, manager Chris Coleman stated:
"He can be captain for the next five years if he shows the same consistency and level of performance."
In his first appearances at Fulham, he found himself playing in defensive midfield with Papa Bouba Diop. He was later moved back to his typical position. His only Premier League goal was a late equaliser in a 3–3 draw with West Ham United on 13 January 2007.
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