Sylvain Wiltor is a celebrated French striker. Champion of France and England, participant of European and world championships. One of the main scorers of the Arsenal football club in the period from 2000 to 2004.
early years
Sylvain Wiltore, whose photo can be seen in the material, was born on May 10, 1974 in the suburbs of Paris - Saint-Saint-Denis. At the age of 17 he got into the football academy of the French club Rennes. For a team that has never been stable, young Sylvain Wiltor played 5 full seasons. During this time, the striker took part in 125 matches, scoring 31 goals.
The successful game of the young striker, aimed at team action, as well as a fairly high performance allowed Rennes to move from the second French league to the country's top division. Soon, the player’s outstanding abilities were noticed by serious clubs with great ambitions.
Performances for Bordeaux
At the age of 25, Sylvain Wiltore received an extremely tempting offer from one of the leaders of the French championship - the Bordeaux club. In the new team, the game of a talented striker has become even brighter. In the 1999/2000 season, the club won the championship, and the player himself won the race of the top scorers in the country's top division, distinguishing himself with 22 goals scored.
The very next year, leading clubs in Europe laid eyes on Viltor. Soon, the leadership of “Renna” it became clear that to keep a talented striker, who played for the club only a season, most likely, will not succeed.
Transfer to Arsenal
Sylvain Wiltore, whose goals in the French championship made him a real star of the championship, signed a contract with London's Arsenal at the beginning of the 2000/2001 season. In the team, the 26-year-old striker was at the peak of form.
Viltor managed to quickly adapt to performances in the new championship, largely thanks to the work with the French coach Arsene Wenger and the abundance of legionnaires from this country in the team. Within a few months, Sylvain became one of the leaders of the team.
However, life in a London club was not so cloudless for the striker. In addition to Thierry Henry, with whom Viltore had to compete in his native position, the football player constantly fought for a place in the squad with another talented striker - Dennis Bergkamp.
Soon, due to high competition for a place in the line of attack, the Arsenal coach was forced to transfer Sylvain to midfield. Despite the circumstances, the player still helped out the team in the most significant fights, scoring goals in the right minutes. In addition, the player was repeatedly marked with hat tricks.
In total, Wiltor spent 4 full seasons in London. During this time, the footballer played 175 matches in various tournaments and scored 49 goals. Such impressive statistics subsequently allowed him to be on the list of the best players in the English club in the history of his existence.
Homecoming
After 4 years at Arsenal, regular injuries and the highest competition for a place in the squad made Viltor think about changing the club. Returning to France, the striker joined the developing club "Lyon", which made big plans for winning prestigious European trophies, forming a team of the best players in the country.
The coaching staff of the team preferred the attacking schemes of the game. Therefore, in some matches on the field there were up to 4 strikers. In such a construction, Wiltor, who had experience in playing in the midfield, quickly became the club’s main playmaker. Over 3 seasons, Sylvain won with his Lyon partners 3 consecutive championships, having won 82 matches in which he scored 20 goals and numerous assists.
Interesting Facts
Sylvain Wiltor had the glory of a football player who knew how to score crucial goals. It is enough to recall his performances at the European Championships in 2000. Then the teams of Italy and France met in the final meeting. A minute before the end of the match, in which the Italians fought, Wiltor managed to restore parity. Already in the added time, the psychologically broken opponent missed another ball from
David Trezeguet. Thus, Italy had to forget about the champion title for a while.