Yoann Gourcuff

At 38 years old, Yoann Gourcuff has this physical status:

Yoann Miguel Gourcuff (born 11 July 1986) is a French professional footballer who is a free agent.

He operates mainly as an attacking midfielder, but can also be utilized as a withdrawn striker and is described as a "playmaker of real quality" who "is an accomplished passer of the ball".

Gourcuff has been described by former French international David Ginola as the best French player of his generation.

His talent, elegant playing style, tenacity on the pitch, technical skills and precocious ability have drawn comparisons to French legend Zinedine Zidane.Gourcuff is the son of Christian Gourcuff.

In 2001, he followed in his father's footsteps and joined Rennes.

After progressing through the youth ranks and making the senior team, Gourcuff quickly became a fan favorite among supporters and his individual achievements soon led to interest from clubs abroad, which resulted in a move to Italian club A.C.

Milan.

Gourcuff achieved many club honours despite not being able to break into the starting eleven, which resulted in the player being sent on loan to Ligue 1 club Bordeaux in his home country of France.

Following a successful season, in which Bordeaux captured the league and league cup double and Gourcuff attained several individuals honours, he signed with the club permanently.

Gourcuff is a former winner of the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and, in December 2009, was named the French Player of the Year for the 2009 calendar year.

In August 2010, he joined Olympique Lyonnais on a five-year contract. Gourcuff is a French international.

Prior to playing at senior level, he played on the under-19 team that won the 2005 European Under-19 Football Championship.

Gourcuff made his senior national team debut in August 2008.

He scored his first international goal two months later against Romania.

Gourcuff made his first major tournament appearance for France at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Since joining the national team, he has been inserted into the playmaker role, a position that was vacated and never filled following the retirement of Zidane in 2006.

Early and personal life

Gourcuff was born in Ploemeur, Brittany to parents Dr. Marine Thalouarn and Christian Gourcuff, both of whom are Bretons. He comes from a very athletic family: his mother was a basketball player, his older brother, Erwan, is a competitive swimmer and cyclist, while his father was a former footballer who played for several clubs in such countries as France, Switzerland, and Canada. However, his father was best known for his time at Rennes, Lorient, and Le Mans. Gourcuff's father later moved into managerial roles, having stints at Rennes, Le Mans, Lorient (three times), and Qatari club Al-Gharafa. As a youth, the younger Gourcuff excelled at both football and tennis, becoming the top player of his age group (12), but eventually opted to focus on football. While beginning his career as a football player, Gourcuff admired and drew inspiration from the playing style of the Brazil national team from the 1970s, whom he discovered from watching tapes with his father. He often attempted to emulate the skills of Brazilian legend Pelé.

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Club career

Gourcuff began his career with Lorient, who were, at the time, run by his father Christian in 1992. During his time in Lorient, he also worked at PEF Ploufragan, a regional academy that is located in the Brittany region that prepared players identical to the Clairefontaine academy in the Île-de-France. The father's move to Stade Rennais, Gourcuff, was triggered by his father's death, and the club's aspirant (youth) deal was signed in 2001. Gourcuff spent two years in the club's youth academy and, while competing nationally in the system, he was part of the team's under-19 team that defeated the Coupe Gambardella in 2003. In the final match at the Stade de France, Rennes defeated Strasbourg 4–1. In the club's first goal, Gourcuff scored. Future club and international teammates Jimmy Briand and Sylvain Marveaux were among those on the squad with Gourcuff.

The 2003–04 season begins with an announcement. Gourcuff was promoted to the team's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, and he played in 15 games and scored two goals before being promoted to the senior team by boss Laszlo Bölöni in November 2003. In the Coupe de France as a replacement, Gourcuff made his professional debut on January 25th, 2004, defeating Croix-de-Savoie 2–0 on January 25. He made his league debut in a 2–0 loss to Auxerre on February 7th, appearing as a replacement. He had been recalled to the reserve team after the match. In late March, Gourcuff returned to the senior team as a replacement for two more substitute appearances against Strasbourg and Lille. With a 3–1 victory over Bordeaux on 18 April, he got off to a good start in his first professional appearance. In a 4–0 victory over Montpellier, Gourcuff got off to a promising start in his second match day of the season by assisting on a goal.

Gourcuff moved between the club's reserve team and the senior team for the second straight season under Bölöni. He played in nine games with the reserve team and 21 with the senior team. With the former team scoring no goals and giving one assist, the Gourcuff team only played six games and providing one assist. He was reassigned from Bölöni's number 10 shirt and given a starting position within the team in 2005-06 season. Gourcuff played in 42 total games and scored six goals in his first season as a starter. In a UEFA Cup first round tie against Spanish club Osasuna, he formed midfield partnerships with fellow Frenchman Olivier Monterrubio and Swede Kim Källström, making his European debut on September 15th. Rennes secured the tie 3–1 on aggregate and were later barred from the competition's group stage portion. Gourcuff's first professional goal against Monaco in a 2–0 victory three days after his European debut on September 18th. In November, Gourcuff scored goals in back-to-back matches against Troyes and Toulouse. Gourcuff went on a scoring spree in the second half of the season, scoring three goals in a span of four weeks. In a 4–1 away victory over Lyon on February 25, he scored the first of these goals on February 25, 2006. In back-to-back weeks of victories over Ajaccio and Metz, Gourcuff responded after going missing a week without a goal. Gourcuff was involved in all four of Rennes' games until Marseille, where the club was defeated 3–0 by Marseille in the Coupe de France. Rennes finished the season in 7th place in the league, resulting in the club qualifying for the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Gourcuff's career began with 80 appearances, six goals, and nine assists.

Following the season, Gourcuff was linked to a number of top European clubs, including Dutch club Ajax, Spanish club Valencia, and English club Arsenal. He joined Milan, Italy. With the transfer fee being priced at €4.58 million, he agreed to a five-year deal. In the club's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie against Serbian club Red Star Belgrade, Gourcuff was given the number 20 shirt and made his competitive debut for the Rossoneri on August 9, 2006. As Milan defeated the match 1–0, he came as a replacement in the 81st minute for Andrea Pirlo. Gourcuff scored his first career goal for the club against AEK Athens in the Champions League group stage, beating the club 3–0. In a 1–0 win over Ascoli, Gourcuff didn't make his Serie A debut until September 20th. Gourcuff rotated between the starting lineup and the bench, caping the season by scoring in Milan's last match of the Seria A season; a 3–2 loss to Udinese. Despite not being able to participate in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final, which Milan won, Gourcuff did win a winner's medal with the club as a result of his participation in the group stage and knockout round matches.

Gourcuff was drafted in the squads that competed in the 2007 UEFA Super Cup and the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup, but he did not appear in the former match and appeared infrequently in the second round, owing to Milan's triumph in the UEFA Champions League. In the 2007–08 Serie A season, Gourcuff struggled for playing time as he was in direct competition with Brazilian international and 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year winner Kaká. Gourcuff's growth and attitude at the club were also challenged by boss Carlo Ancelotti, who bluntly said that the player had psychological issues. In 15 league games for the club, only four were played, with Gourcuff starting only four. In a 5–0 win over Sampdoria on October 31, he scored his second goal of the season. After being on duty as a halftime substitute, Gourcuff scored in the 90th minute by Filippo Inzaghi in Milan's 2–1 win over Palermo. In seven of Gourcuff's final nine games of the season, he was an unused substitute in seven of them. He assisted with the team's final goal against Reggina in Gourcuff's last game at the club.

Following the season, Milan vice President Adriano Galliani announced that Gourcuff would be loaned to French club Bordeaux for the whole 2008–09 season to give him more playing time. Former Milan captain Paolo Maldini said in an interview with French newspaper L'Equipe in 2010 that Gourcuff lacked discipline while on the team and often distanced himself from the team, citing the player's inability to learn the Italian language. Gourcuff did not give his all during his time in Milan, according to Maldini, and the player himself knew it. Gourcuff did not respond to the comments, but his father Christian did, pointing out to France Football that there was some sort of conspiracy out there aiming to tarnish his son's reputation. In reaction to Maldini's allegations, the elder Gourcuff said his son "took two hours (of Italian language courses) per day and that "he is passionate about tactics" and that he was "limited tactically" and that he was unwilling to learn Italian. In reaction to Maldini's remarks, Gourcuff was also defended by his club president Jean-Louis Triaud at his former club Bordeaux, who said in reaction to Maldini's words, "Yoann is not like that." It's odd that a number ten who does not participate in the club is a little odd. This does not correspond to what we saw with Yoann at Bordeaux at all. He was well integrated with his coworkers and collaborated with them on the ground. He had a lot of good memories here.

On his debut against Caen in a 2–1 victory and also helping Bordeaux claim their second Trophée des champions title, Gourcuff quickly settled himself into the squad for the 2008–09 season. He scored Bordeaux's 4th and final goal in the team's 4–0 victory over Vannes in the Coupe de la Ligue final. On the third goal, Gourcuff was also involved in the assist. In Bordeaux's Champions League campaign against Roma and CFR Cluj, he scored two goals. In a 4–0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on January 11, 2009, Gourcuff scored a goal that had been voted the goal of the season by fans. Gourcuff turned with a quick flick from his right foot to his left, causing Sammy Traoré to lose control, before bringing the ball back to his right foot and blasting it past Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Mickain Landreau with the outside of his right foot.

In a 2–1 victory over Nantes and Lille in a 2–2 draw, Gourcuff scored his fifth and sixth goals, respectively. After being goalless in the league for seven weeks, Gourcuff regained control of scoring against Le Havre relegation-bound. In a 3–2 victory, Gourcuff scored his first career double against Rennes, his former club. Gourcuff maintained his form in all three games, against Sochaux, Valenciennes, and Le Mans, giving him a total total of 12 league goals for the season. Bordeaux won all three games, effectively putting them in first-place position going into the season's final week. Bordeaux eventually won the league for the sixth time in the club's history. As a result of its Coupe de la Ligue victory, the club also achieved its second straight double. Gourcuff was named UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year for his efforts during the 2008-09 season. He was also selected in the company's Ligue 1 Team of the Year. His performances in the 2008–09 season earned him a nomination by France Football for the 2009 Ballon d'Or prize, which was won by Lionel Messi as Gourcuff finished in 20th place with six points.

The player's return to Milan for the 2009-10 season will be open to him thanks to Gourcuff's outstanding season. However, the club's plans were put on hold after learning of Bordeaux's intention to fulfill Gourcuff's buy-out clause in the loan agreement. Despite general manager Adriano Galliani and new boss Leonardo's efforts to convince Gourcuff to return, it was confirmed that Bordeaux had signed Gourcuff permanently from Milan with Gourcuff agreeing to a four-year contract. The transfer cost was €13.6 million.

Gourcuff earned his fourth silverware with Bordeaux on July 25, 2009, beating Guingamp 2–0 in the 2009 Trophée des Champions championship. Man of the Match was named as a result of his exploits. He scored a double against Lens in the club's first match of the league season two weeks later. The final results were 4–1. With 12 wins, the club tied for the most consecutive victories in league play. He scored another set of goals on August 23, this time against Nice in a 4–0 win.

Gourcuff assisted Bordeaux's only goal in the club's opening 1–1 draw against Italian club Juventus, who scored Jaroslav Plail. Gourcuff sustained a groin injury in the club's 1–0 victory over Maccabi Haifa, which forced him to miss two league matches and an international call-up on September 30. Both matches were lost by Bordeaux. He rejoined the team for Bordeaux's back-to-back matches with German club Bayern Munich. Gourcuff missed a penalty after attempting to cheekily chip the ball over goalkeeper Hans-Jörg Butt in Bordeaux's 2–0 victory at the Allianz Arena in the first match, but he made amends by scoring the game-winning goal in the second match. The group stage portion of Bordeaux was eventually concluded undefeated.

Gourcuff saw a drop in form in league play during the majority of November and early December, with no assists. In the club's midweek 1–0 victory over Montpellier on November 16, manager Laurent Blanc said Gourcuff had lacked optimism after recovering from his injury following Gourcuff's second penalty miss of the season. However, three days later, Gourcuff returned to form, scoring a goal and assisting on the other three goals in Bordeaux's 4–1 win over Lorient. He was named by magazine France Football as the Year's Outstanding Player of the Year for 2009, beating out Nicolas Anelka, Hugo Lloris, Thierry Henry, and Franck Ribéry; the latter had won the award the previous two seasons.

In Bordeaux's shutout victory over Greek club Olympiacos in the first leg of its UEFA Champions League knockout round match, Gourcuff assisted on his only goal, scored by Michal Ciani, on Sunday. In the second leg, he scored the first goal in the 5th minute after receiving a free kick to put Bordeaux up 2–0 on aggregate. Bordeaux defeated Lyon in the quarter-finals after the team advanced to the quarter-finals with a 3–1 aggregate scoreline. In the first leg, which Lyon defeated 3-1, Gourcuff scored the assist on an away goal scored by Marouane Chamakh. Bordeaux scored a first-half goal in the first leg but was unable to score another as Lyon advanced to the semi-finals on a 3–2 aggregate scoreline. During the early stages of the game against Lorient, Gourcuff sustained a recurring groin injury. Despite showing signs of injury, Gourcuff stayed in the game until the end of the first half. Gourcuff missed Bordeaux's last five league matches due to injury. In the five games that culminated in Bordeaux losing to qualify for European competition next season, the club won two victories, one draw, and two losses, resulting in the club losing both.

Gourcuff played in Bordeaux's first three league games of the season in 2010-11. On the eve of the team's match against Paris Saint-Germain, the midfielder had warned Bordeaux officials that he wanted to join Lyon on August 22, 2010, according to French media. Later, Gourcuff was relegated to the bench for the match. He appeared as a replacement in the club's last match and assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Ciani in injury time.

Lyon revealed on its website on August 23 that the club had reached an agreement with Bordeaux for the transfer of Gourcuff. After finishing his medical on August 25, Gourcuff signed a five-year deal with the club for a sum of €22 million, which will be paid in three installments by December 31. In the team's 2–0 loss to Lorient on August 28, Gourcuff wore the number 29 shirt for his club debut. In the match against the injured César Delgado, Gourcuff appeared as a substitute. In Lyon's 3–1 victory over Lille, he scored his first goal for the club. Gourcuff scored his first goal in the team's 4–3 group stage loss to Portuguese club Benfica on November 2nd. In back-to-back weeks against Nice and Lens, he helped with game-winning goals in mid-November.

"I was disappointed and dissatisfied" with his Lyon debuts in early February, and Gourcuff said he was "disappointed and dissatisfie" with the club's results, adding "I wanted a lot more of myself" and "It's clear that my attacking contribution was not sufficient." Although Gourcuff admitted that he was struggling to adapt to the style of boss Claude Puel, the player later stated that his remarks had been misinterpreted. In Lyon's 4–0 victory over Nancy, two weeks after he made his remarks on February 18, 2011, Gourcuff scored his third goal in the club's 4–0 win over Nancy. In a 3–0 victory over Lens on April 10, he was scoreless for the next two months, his only statistical output being an assist on a Jimmy Briand goal. In a 3–2 win over Montpellier on Saturday, Gourcuff scored the match-winning goal after appearing as a replacement two minutes before. After suffering an adductor injury in a 2–0 loss to Toulouse a week later, his season was over prematurely. With 36 appearances, four goals, and five assists, Gourcuff concluded his debut season at Lyon.

Lyon revealed on July 26th that Gourcuff would need ankle surgery in order to resolve a niggling ankle injury complaint. The surgery had left Gourcuff out for the remainder of the 2011–12 pre-season campaign. In September 2011, he suffered a setback in preparation, which prevented the player from making his debut under new manager Rémi Garde against Marseille on September 18th. In a 3–1 victory over Nancy, Gourcuff made his season debut a month later, playing as a substitute. In a 2–0 victory over Saint-Étienne, two weeks later, he scored his first goal of the season.

Since joining Lyon, Gourcuff suffered with injuries, missing more than 90 games due to injuries during his time with the club.

Yoann Gourcuff's former club Rennes has agreed to a one-year contract. He was officially unveiled on September 16, 2015. FC Lorient, the club's first game for the club, was against local rivals FC Lorient in January 2016. Gourcuff was in the penalty area with a chance to attack but was unfortunately interrupted by one of his own teammates, Cheikh M'Bengue. The playmaker was kept out of action for another month due to his tackle. He returned in February and gradually began to put together a series of games, during which his boss Rolland Courbis revealed that he was only working at "60 percent of his capacity" and that each week was getting better. In a 5–2 win over Marseille on March 18, Gourcuff finally managed to score twice for Rennes on March 18, 2016. These two dreams came exactly ten years after he had set out in a Rennes shirt. Rennes released Gourcuff in June 2018, having only appeared in ten league matches this season.

Gourcuff, a free agent from Dijon in July 2018, has signed a one-year deal. In a 2–1 league victory over Montpellier on August 11, he made his 87th minute appearance for the club as an 87th minute substitute. His deal with the club was ended by a mutual deal on January 23rd, having made only eight appearances for the club, effectively ending his career at the club for the remainder of the season.

Yoann's father, Christian, confirmed that he had pulled out of playing in October 2020.

International career

In a 0–0 draw with Spain on 18 September 22, Gourcuff was capped for France at the schoolboy level, earning his first youth cap with the under-17 team. In a friendly match against the Czech Republic on February 5, 2003, he scored his first goal for the team. The squad failed to qualify for the 2003 UEFA European Under-17 Championship with Gourcuff's under-17 team accumulating twelve appearances and two goals. Gourcuff made only four appearances with the under-18 team scoring his only goal in a 2–2 friendly draw with Ukraine on October 30th. With the under-19 team, Gourcuff returned to international prominence, and he was a member of the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship winning team. In the first qualifying round and Spain in the Elite Round, Gourcuff scored goals against Armenia and Spain. France's qualification for the tournament was secured after a 1–0 win over Spain. In a 3–1 victory over Norway, Gourcuff scored a hat-trick, with two penalty kicks and scoring in the run of play. In the team's 3–2 victory over Germany, he scored two goals and saw the entire match against England. France defeated France 3–1 for its sixth under-19 title and first international recognition, while Gourcuff earned his first international recognition. Gourcuff played in 17 games and scored seven goals for the under-19 team in total.

In a preparation friendly match against Croatia for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, Gourcuff made his debut for the under-21 team on May 18th. As France progressed to the Netherlands, Gourcuff was the team's lone underage player and appeared in all four of the team's matches. In a 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match against Slovenia, Gourcuff scored his first under-21 goal. However, France failed to qualify for the tournament. For the first time in a 1–0 loss to Norway on March 27, 2007, Gourcuff captained the under-21 team. He missed the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-offs against Germany due to injury. On aggregate, France lost the tie 2–1 on aggregate. The bad news brought Gourcuff's under-21 career to a halt.

On August 11, Gourcuff received his first call up to the team's friendly match against Sweden, which was played on August 20th. He earned his first cap in the match as a replacement in the 92nd minute after France's 3–2 triumph was all but confirmed. In a 2010 World Cup qualification match against Romania, he scored his first goal for Les Bleus. The spectacular goal from nearly 30 yards out won the match at 2–2, ensuring that France's position in the group was secure. Since the match against Serbia was held a month before the match against Romania, manager Raymond Domenech has installed Gourcuff in the attacking midfield position, just behind the striker, a position that has yet to be filled since the 2006 World Cup. In the team's 1–1 draw with Tunisia on May 30, Gourcuff assisted on the equalizing goal scored by William Gallas on the 30th anniversary of the team's 1–1 draw.

Gourcuff was a member of France's 23-man team that competed in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the team's first group stage match against Uruguay on June 11, 2010, Gourcuff made his FIFA World Cup debut. With Gourcuff being substituted out in the second half, the match came to a conclusion 0–0. Just Fontaine, a former international, said the match was "lost" during the match against Uruguay. Franck Ribéry and striker Nicolas Anelka had deliberately "frozen" Gourcuff in the Uruguay match, according to the media. In the team's last group stage match against South Africa, Gourcuff was kicked off in the first half after the referee found that he intentionally elbowed an opponent in the face. France lost the match 2–1, resulting in its expulsion from the tournament.

Gourcuff missed two calls ups to the national team in August and September due to his red card suspension in the World Cup. He was called back to the team by his former Bordeaux Laurent Blanc's former manager in October 2010 for UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Romania and Luxembourg. Gourcuff came as a replacement in the team's 2–0 victory over Romania, scoring the final goal. He was brought into the starting lineup against Luxembourg and was instrumental in the opening goal scored by Karim Benzema and scoring his second goal in another 2–0 victory.

Gourcuff was not selected in France's squad for UEFA Euro 2012 but not included.

He was recalled by new coach Didier Deschamps for a friendly match with Italy on November 8, 2012. He appeared in the match as a 73rd-minute replacement for Mathieu Valbuena.

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