Lilian Thuram is quite simply one of the greatest defenders in history. He was at least a great reference in Serie A in the 2000s, being a captain of Parma (1996-2001) then of Juventus (2001-2006). His career with the French team is obviously legendary: he is the 1998 world champion, being the hero of the semi-final against Croatia (scoring his only two goals for the selection!), won Euro 2000 and played until 2008 to be the record holder for selections (142 caps).
However, “Tuthu” could never have made his professional debut at AS Monaco. Arriving at the Principality’s training center at the age of 17, the Guadeloupean who grew up in Fontainebleau had knee surgery and needed eight months of convalescence. He made his debut at the age of 19, in May 1991, during a match in Toulon, coming on in place of Marcel Dib. Emmanuel Petit and Youri Djorkaeff, with whom he will be world champion, were starters.
Thuram: “ the surgeon told me that I also had to operate on the second knee”
Thuram was initially driven by a crazy desire to contradict the medical diagnosis… “I think this injury explains the career I had. Because the surgeon at the time told me that I was no longer going to be able to play at a high level, and so every training, every match, every season, I had the impression that it was something I had won and that everything could stop! That means that every time, I had fun, for fear that everything would be stopped”tells the father of Marcus and KhĂ©phren on the AS Monaco website.
First declared unfit to play football, he could then have returned to billiards. “This famous surgeon told me that I also had to operate on the second knee, which I refused to do (smile). So it has followed me throughout my career. I have always looked after myself very well, stretched myself, because of this fear. I did everything necessary to take care of myself, which allowed me to last over time and truly live my career! I was the happiest man every time I was in training or on the pitch. » The rock of Arsène Wenger made his debut for the Blues in August 1994, at the same time as Zinédine Zidane, during a friendly match against the Czech Republic.
