[70], On 17 January 2012, 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. His first season saw Marseille miss the French league title by a point and they also lost the 1999 UEFA Cup Final to Parma. The UEFA word, the UEFA logo and all marks related to UEFA competitions, are protected by trademarks and/or copyright of UEFA. I was proud to be given the chance to play for the French national team.

A former France international, Pires earned 79 caps between 1996 and 2004 for his country, including winning both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. [citation needed], On 11 July 2008, Arsenal fans voted Pires as the club's sixth greatest player of all time. [65] He scored his first league goal on 13 November 2014 in a 4–1 away win over Delhi Dynamos. [citation needed], On the official Arsenal matchday program for the game against Wigan Athletic on 11 February 2007, Pires revealed his heartbreak of being substituted so early on during the Champions League final. He won the Golden Ball (for most outstanding football) and Golden Shoe (for most goals scored) awards at the 2001 Confederations Cup in South Korea/Japan. It was the whole package. My aim in every match and every training session was to play well. [48], On 16 November 2010, Aston Villa boss Gérard Houllier had been in talks with representatives of Pires. His performance in Villa's 4–1 win was described by Sky Sports as "his most influential" since joining the club. [5], Pires played the majority of his career as a left winger, but could also play all across the midfield or in a position to support the forward line.

[40] Pires played his last game for Arsenal in the UEFA Champions league final against Barcelona, in which he was substituted for replacement goalkeeper Manuel Almunia after Jens Lehmann was sent off. I regret those things, but I don’t regret the injuries because they are part and parcel of the game and you can’t do anything about them. Of course, I won a few titles, the World Cup, the EURO, the Premier League… I wouldn’t swap them for anything in the world, but I would really love to have a French league title with Metz on my CV. Pires scored his first league goal on his return from injury in a 3–3 draw away to Real Betis on 31 March 2007. [66], Pires was released by FC Goa on 13 March 2015. These Are The 10 Best-Paid Television Stars In The World, Photo: house/residence of friendly fun talented 22 million earning Paris, France-resident, Robert Pirès with cool, beautiful, cute, Wife Jessica Pic, Caught Smoking: These Are The 60 Most Shocking Celebrity Smokers, These 50 Celebrity Tattoos Went Horribly Wrong, The Scorpio with shirtless athletic body on the beach, Top 50 Most Shocking Pictures Ever Made of Celebrities Without Makeup, 30 Whopping Homes & Cars Of Celebrities That Will Amaze You, Top 55 of World’s Richest Actors – Current Net Worth, Top 50 Craziest Tattoos Of Celebrities in 2020, Top 15 Highest-Paid Soccer Players (Salary & Net worth), June Shannon & The Success Of Mama June In Reality TV, How Kirsten Storms Became A Successful Actress While Overcoming Illness And Severe Stress, Lisa Vicari, and Why She’s Called The German Cate Blanchett, Robin Dearden and Bryan Cranston Are One of The Happiest Couples in Hollywood, Mor Shapiro Doesn’t Like The Spotlight As Much As Her Husband Ben Shapiro, Arlene Silver Doesn’t Give A Sh*t What Anyone Thinks About Her Older Husband, PewDiePie Height: PewDiePie Is One Of The Tallest Men On YouTube.

Against Aston Villa, 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. At Marseille, Pires had a mixed two-year stay.