Arriving in the Principality at the age of 17 to complete his training, the former central defender played 193 matches with the Rocher club, notably reaching the final of the Coupe des Coupes in 1992, before becoming world champion in 1998.
Born in Point-à-Pitre, Lilian Thuram arrived on the Rock to finish his training shortly before he turned 17, after spending time in the Paris region during his younger years. A whirlwind training course that almost came to an end when a surgeon told him that his career was over following a knee operation. And yet, less than a year later, Lilian Thuram made his professional debut under the aegis of Arsène Wenger who started him against Toulon.
Fully integrated into the first team, the Guadeloupean discovered the joys of the European Cup by starting twice against Norrköping and Feyenoord during the 1991-1992 edition of the Cup of Cups. Substitute in the final between AS Monaco and Werder Bremen, he played 19 championship matches and saw the Rocher club finish in second place after a merciless battle with Olympique de Marseille.
Lilian Thuram then established himself as an indisputable starter in the Monegasque central defense and competed with the Club in the 1994 Champions League, where a new European epic took shape for the Rouge et Blanc.
Winner successively of AEK Athens then Steaua Bucharest during the preliminary rounds, AS Monaco reached the group stage and managed to reach the semi-final thanks to a second place synonymous with qualification. An important member of Arsène Wenger's team, he played in all the matches and even scored a goal against Spartak Moscow on the first day. The adventure finally ends at the gates of the final against AC Milan, future winner of the edition.
After this, the central defender had two other full seasons (42 and 44 games played). His excellent performances inevitably aroused envy and it was in Parma that he decided to continue his career. He therefore left the principality after seven years at the Club, at the end of Euro 1996, with 193 matches on the clock and 11 goals, including five in 1995-1996 only.
Unsurprisingly, he flourished in Emilia-Romagna where he won three titles in 1999 (Italian Cup, Italian Super Cup and UEFA Cup). Transferred to Juventus Turin in 2001, he became a double Italian champion and again won the Super Cup. On the European scene, he was a finalist in the 2003 edition of the Champions League before joining FC Barcelona in 2006 where he won the Spanish Super Cup.
But the Guadeloupean Giant is above all recognized for his historic career with the French team. Previously holder of the record for selections with the Blues (142), – he was recently overtaken by Hugo Lloris (145) -, the central defender is notably part of the golden generation which won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 A real accomplishment for the player who became a Legend thanks to his double against Croatia in the semi-final in 1998, which were his only two goals in the French jersey.
