Robert Pirès

Arsenal's elegant French winger, voted FWA Footballer of the Year in 2002 and a key member of the Invincibles.

Robert Laurent Pirès was born in Reims in 1973, the son of a Portuguese father and Spanish mother. He developed at Metz before moving to Marseille and then Arsenal in July 2000 for £6 million — Arsène Wenger's trusted eye for French talent. His five seasons at Highbury were among the finest by any foreign player in the Premier League. His 2001-02 season produced 15 league goals and the FWA Footballer of the Year award as Arsenal won the Double. He contributed 9 assists in his first full season, setting a then-Premier League record. He was part of the Invincibles squad (2003-04), contributing 14 league goals and 9 assists. He earned 79 France caps, scoring 14 goals, and won the World Cup in 1998 and European Championship in 2000. He suffered a serious knee ligament injury against Newcastle in March 2002 that cost him the rest of that season — including the World Cup. He moved to Villarreal in 2006 where he played four impressive seasons before brief spells at Aston Villa and Goa FC in India. His combination of left-foot creativity, ability to drift inside from the left and eye for goal made him one of Arsenal's most elegant and effective players. His partnership with Thierry Henry — two Frenchmen brought to London by Wenger — was the most celebrated in Arsenal's Premier League history.

• Premier League 2002, 2004 (Arsenal – Invincibles)
• FA Cup 2002, 2003
• FIFA World Cup 1998 (France)
• UEFA Euro 2000
• FWA Footballer of Year 2002