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William Gallas
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William Gallas, (born August 17, 1977), is a French footballer
who plays for Chelsea F.C. in the English Premier League. He
wears the number 13 shirt and is a defender who prefers to play
in the centre, but he can also play at full-back on either side
of the pitch.
He was bought by Claudio Ranieri from Marseille in May 2001 for
£6.2 million. Under Ranieri Gallas developed centre back
partnerships with Marcel Desailly and later with John Terry and
also played at right-back sometimes. William has developed into
a fantastic defender, and his partnership with John Terry at the
centre of Chelsea's defence is one of the most formidable in the
world, they once went an exceptional 16 games together without
conceding a single goal. His main attributes are his ability to
mark players and read the game, but his most prized asset is his
pace, being able to keep up with the likes of Thierry Henry.
This makes William the perfect partner for the more solid and
hard tackling Terry but with ability like his, he would fit into
any team with ease.
Because of the recent injury to Wayne Bridge, Gallas was forced
to play out of position at left-back during the later part of
the 2004/2005 season, something he grew frustrated at as he
prefers to play in the centre of defence. Because of this he has
been linked with clubs such as Arsenal and Barcelona but José
Mourinho's purchase of Asier Del Horno from Athletic Bilbao for
£13 million, Gallas has retaken his role along side John Terry
in the centre-back position.
National Team
Gallas is also a regular member of the French national team,
making his full France debut in a 5-0 demolition of Slovenia in
a Euro 2004 qualifier in October 2002. He then played for his
country in that tournament's finals. |
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