53 Facts About Robert Pires

Robert Emmanuel Pires was born on 29 October 1973 and is a French football coach and former professional player.

Robert Pires is widely considered as one of Arsenal's greatest ever players.

Robert Pires was voted by Arsenal fans as the sixth greatest player in the club's history.

Robert Pires played the majority of his career as a left winger, but could play all across the midfield or in a position to support the forward line.

Robert Pires was born in Reims, France, to a Portuguese father and Spanish mother.

Robert Pires confessed he had difficulty in school because he did not speak French well at the time, due to the fact his parents only spoke Spanish and Portuguese.

At the age of 15, Robert Pires left school and began his dream of a career in football with a two-year sports degree course in Reims.

At the insistence of his mother, Robert Pires continued with Reims and eventually was called up four years later.

Robert Pires is a graduate of the FC Metz youth academy, making his senior debut in 1993 against Lyon.

Robert Pires made his debut as a substitute against Sunderland on 19 August 2000.

Against Aston Villa, Robert Pires chased after a long ball by Freddie Ljungberg, and lobbed the ball over the pursuing George Boateng, and finished off the move with a delightful lob over Peter Schmeichel.

Robert Pires led the Premier League assist charts and was voted both FWA Footballer of the Year and Arsenal's player of the season, as Arsenal won the league title.

Robert Pires provided the assist for Dennis Bergkamp when he scored his memorable pirouette goal against Newcastle United.

However weeks later against the same opposition in the FA Cup Robert Pires suffered a cruciate ligament injury.

Robert Pires was voted the Premier League Player of the Month for February 2003.

Robert Pires capped off his season by scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup Final against Southampton.

Robert Pires showed football fans his sublime technique, skills and finishing, most notably with his goals against Liverpool, Bolton Wanderers, and Leeds United.

Robert Pires showed his playmaking skills in a goal against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, in which Pires was the architect in building up the goal, and capped off the move with a goal to score Arsenal's 2nd goal of the game.

Robert Pires finished that season with an impressive tally of 14 goals and seven assists in the Premier League.

Robert Pires was Arsenal's second top scorer and had the joint amount of assists that season.

Robert Pires picked up a second FA Cup winners' medal; he scored in the semi-final against Blackburn Rovers and then Arsenal beat Manchester United on penalties in the final.

Robert Pires was replaced by Edu in the 2nd half of extra time in that match.

Robert Pires successfully tackled Patrick Vieira and fed the ball to Thierry Henry who passed to Fabregas to score Arsenal's first goal, the first time that Robert Pires had gotten the better of Vieira.

However, Robert Pires was substituted after only 18 minutes when goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off and had to be replaced with Manuel Almunia.

In keeping with the club's policy regarding players over 30, Robert Pires was only offered a 12-month extension to his contract, which expired in June 2006.

In May 2006, Robert Pires agreed to an offer from Villarreal after a month of speculation, during which time he and Arsenal defeated Villarreal in the Champions League semi-final.

One of the main reasons Robert Pires gave for leaving Arsenal was that he felt he was no longer a first choice under manager Arsene Wenger.

Robert Pires additionally suggested that Wenger's decision to withdraw him in the UEFA Champions League Final showed he had slipped in the eyes of his French boss.

Robert Pires said that he felt hurt by how Wenger did not trust him anymore, which was a major factor that convinced him that it was time to move on from Arsenal.

In May 2006, Robert Pires agreed to join Spanish side Villarreal on a two-year contract.

Robert Pires joined on a free transfer, subject to passing a medical, bringing to an end his six-year career as an Arsenal player.

However, on 18 August 2006, Robert Pires damaged the cruciate ligament in his left knee in a friendly match against Cadiz and required corrective surgery to alleviate the problem, which kept him out of action for seven months in his new club in Spanish top flight.

Robert Pires finally recovered from knee injury and made his first league appearance for Villarreal as a second-half substitute when he was named in Villarreal's squad to face Real Sociedad on 17 March 2007.

Villarreal ended the season in 5th spot wherein Robert Pires played crucial roles in helping Villarreal with the late charge up winning each of their final eight games and an entry into the UEFA Cup.

Against Barcelona at El Madrigal, Robert Pires' technique earned the Yellow Submarine two penalties which were duly converted by captain Marcos Senna.

In 2009, Robert Pires faced former club Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute in the first leg and playing the full 90 minutes at the Emirates Stadium.

Robert Pires was told in May 2010 that his contract would not be extended and he would have to look for a new club during the summer as Villarreal will be "changing their philosophy".

In October 2010, it was reported that Conference National club Crawley Town intended to talk to Robert Pires about joining them for some part of the season, but the player's spokesman said they were "not aware of any interest" from that club.

In September 2011, Robert Pires made a guest appearance for Scottish Premier League side Hibernian in Ian Murray's Testimonial match at Easter Road.

In September 2013, Robert Pires made a guest appearance for Premier League Aston Villa in Stiliyan Petrov's Testimonial match at Celtic Park.

In July 2014, Robert Pires announced a comeback to promote the launch of the Indian Super League.

On 25 February 2016, Robert Pires announced his retirement from professional football.

Robert Pires expressed interest in and was approached by Arsene Wenger with regard to coaching.

Robert Pires was part of France's 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning squads, but had to miss the 2002 World Cup due to an injury he sustained playing for Arsenal.

Robert Pires played in 1996 Olympic Games and Euro 2004.

Robert Pires won 79 caps for his country and scored 14 goals.

Robert Pires provided a golden goal assist during his international career, providing David Trezeguet with the match-winning ball in the Euro 2000 final.

In 1992, during his initial year at FC Metz, Robert Pires met his first wife, Nathalie.

Robert Pires told The Daily Mirror that his divorce ruined him and affected him professionally, interfering with his concentration and sleep.

Robert Pires blamed it for his odd behavior, such as publicly fighting with French coach Raymond Domenech in early 2004.

Shortly after the split from Nathalie, Robert Pires met French model Jessica Lemarie through mutual friends.

Since then, Lemarie and Robert Pires have married and had a son named Theo, born 11 July 2007.

On 17 January 2012, Robert Pires became an ambassador for Grassroot Soccer, an international non-profit that uses the power of football to educate, inspire, and mobilize communities to stop the spread of HIV.