#8 Yoann Gourcuff Country: France Height: 1.85 m6-0 Birthdate: 11/07/1986 Position: Midfielder Weight: 79 kg174 lbs Birthplace: Ploemeur, France Team: Bordeaux League: France Ligue 1

Bio

A tricky attacking midfielder, many claim that Yoann Gourcuff has the potential to become as important as Zinedine Zidane was to the French national team. Gourcuff started his career with Stade Rennais, where he signed a youth contract in 2001. Just two years later he had signed a professional contract with them and scored seven goals in his first season. The following season he was given a more important role in the first team and led the side to a respectable 7th in Ligue 1. This began to attract attention from Europe, with Valencia, Arsenal and AC Milan showing strong interest. Gourcuff opted for AC Milan in the summer of 2006. He began his career at the San Siro well, but he was never going to displace Kaka from the starting line up. Growing increasingly frustrated, he made the decision to seek first team football elsewhere. He decided to move back to France and a loan deal to Bordeaux was arranged, a deal which became permanent the following year. There he is one of the most consistent players in the squad, and his goal scoring form and terrific playmaking skills made him a fans' favourite. Since making his debut for France in 2008, Gourcuff has developed into an important player for his national side. He appeared in ten of their World Cup qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup.

Player Stats