Bixente Lizarazu looked back on the biggest emotions he experienced during his football career.
After hanging up his boots in 2006 and a final stint with Bayern Munich, Bixente Lizarazu has not completely left the world of football. Today a consultant for L’Équipe and Franceinfo, but also a commentator on TF1, the Basque has successfully retrained after a football career rich in success and emotion.
On the occasion of the release of his book “Living on sports to stay in shape”, published by Flammarion, Bixente Lizarazu answered questions from readers of Ouest-France. The former left-back thus returned to his greatest emotions during his playing career, he who notably won the World Cup and the Euro with the Blues, as well as the Champions League with Bayern Munich.
“I felt like I was the king of the world”
“I felt like I was the king of the world (after winning the World Cup and the Champions League, editor’s note)he indicated. There is nothing more extraordinary than winning the World Cup in your country. And for me, it was also very important to lift the Champions League with Bayern Munich. It was a culmination, the most beautiful club competition. After 1998 (World Cup), 2000 (Euro) and 2001 (Champions League), I finally told myself that things were starting to get pretty good. »
The 98 world champion was then asked if it wasn’t difficult to stay motivated after winning so many major titles. “It can be… But for me, it wasn’t, he retorted. Before the World Cup, I had a difficult period, pubalgia. I suffered a lot from it, I questioned myself to try to find solutions, to heal myself. Suddenly, I had the slab. It wasn’t enough for me to just be world champion, I also wanted to win club titles. When I returned after the World Cup, Bayern told me: “We are proud that you are world champion, but now we want you to help us win titles and the Champions League. » The message was clear. (…) The World Cup was not an end goal, I still had a lot of things to achieve. »
