Frank Leboeuf
Leboeuf in 2011
Personal information
Full name Franck Alain James Leboeuf[1]
Date of birth (1968-01-22) 22 January 1968[2]
Place of birth Marseille, France
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back[4]
Youth career
1984–1986 Toulon
1986–1987 Hyères
1987–1988 Meaux
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1991 Laval 69 (11)
1991–1996 Strasbourg 189 (48)
1996–2001 Chelsea 144 (17)
2001–2003 Marseille 51 (5)
2003–2004 Al-Sadd 17 (6)
2004–2005 Al Wakrah 10 (2)
2006–2007 Hollywood United
Total 480 (89)
International career
1995–2002 France 50 (4)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Winner1998
UEFA European Championship
Winner2000
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner2001
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Franck Alain James Leboeuf (born 22 January 1968), typically anglicised as Frank Leboeuf, is a French actor, sports commentator and former footballer who played as a centre-back. With the France national team, Leboeuf won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2000 European Championship as well as a number of domestic trophies, most famously during his five years at Chelsea. Since the conclusion of his playing career, Leboeuf has transitioned to acting, appearing in stage and film productions.

Club career

Leboeuf was born in Marseille[5] and raised in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer.[6] He was introduced to football by his father, a former Rennes coach,[7] who trained children in the sport.[8] After starting his career in 1986 in the lower divisions of the French leagues, Leboeuf moved to Laval in 1988. In 1991, he moved to Strasbourg and played there until 1996, when he made a switch to English club Chelsea for £2.5m.

He played over 200 games for the club and scored 24 goals, mainly from penalties and set pieces.[9] With Chelsea, he won two FA Cups, one League Cup and one Cup Winners' Cup.[9] He left in 2001 for club Marseille, before finishing out his career in Qatar.[9] Despite his numerous accolades, Leboeuf never won a first-division title in Europe or the UEFA Champions League.[10]

International career

For France, Leboeuf was capped 50 times, scoring four goals. His first two came on 6 September 1995 in a Euro 96 qualifier at home to Azerbaijan, contributing to a 10–0 win that remains France's record.[11] Although he was mainly a substitute in the 1998 World Cup (Played 3, Started 2, DNP 4),[12] he stepped in for red carded Laurent Blanc to play in the final,[13] a 3–0 win against Brazil, a match in which he man-marked the highly rated striker Ronaldo.[14]

In a Euro 2000 qualifier on 9 June 1999, Leboeuf scored the only goal from the penalty spot with five minutes to go as world champions France struggled away to amateurs Andorra.[15][16] He received a winner's medal at the finals in Belgium and the Netherlands, though Blanc and Marcel Desailly were the preferred defensive partnership, including in the final.[17][18]

He scored a late winner against co-hosts South Korea on 26 May ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup (3–2).[19] Holders France were eliminated in the group stage in a shock, and he retired from the team.[20]

International goals

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Leboeuf goal.
List of international goals scored by Frank Leboeuf
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
16 September 1995Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, Auxerre, France Azerbaijan5–010–0UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
28–0
39 June 1999Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain Andorra1–01–0UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
426 May 2002Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea South Korea3–23–2Friendly

Style of play

A cultured centre-back, Leboeuf was noted for his long range passing ability [21] and also for his consistent penalty-taking throughout his career. He took 15 penalties in competitive games for Chelsea, missing just 2 times.

Acting

Leboeuf in 2011

In 2001, whilst still playing football for Chelsea, Leboeuf had made his first acting appearance in the film Taking Sides.[21][22]

Following his retirement from competitive football, Leboeuf spent two years living in Los Angeles. During this time he played for amateur team Hollywood United, alongside celebrity team-mates such as Vinnie Jones, Steve Jones and Anthony LaPaglia.[23] Leboeuf studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute in West Hollywood, keeping a low profile, and won his first acting work as a TV commentator, for a pay cheque totalling $100, which he keeps as a memento.[8]

Leboeuf acted in several theatre plays in France,[21] including starring alongside Jean-Francois Garreaud in L'intrus in 2010[24] and a role in the play Avec Ma Belle Mère et Moi.[8] In 2014, Leboeuf played a French Resistance fighter in the World War II film Allies[13][21] and a doctor in the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.[25]

Other media

Leboeuf works as a sports commentator and analyst for RMC and ESPN in the United States and he writes a column for Chelsea News in the UK.[26][7][8] In 2010, he was a contestant on the reality television show Koh-Lanta in the Koh-Lanta, le choc des héros special series.[27] He was forced to depart the show after two episodes due to a back injury he had suffered in a car accident shortly before the series commenced.[24] In 2014, Leboeuf made an appearance in the television comedy series Nos Chers Voisins[8][28] and began writing a column for Téléfoot.[22]

In 2019, Leboeuf competed on the first season of Mask Singer, the French version of the global franchise Masked Singer, disguised as a peacock.[29]

Personal life

Leboeuf is married to actress Chrislaure Nollet[21][30] and has two children, Jade and Hugo, from his first marriage to Beatrice.[6] His amateur sporting hobbies include tennis, swimming and boxing.[8]

Franck Leboeuf is the cousin of the hotelier Philippe Leboeuf.[31]

Following the 1998 World Cup, he was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1998.[1]

Honours

Strasbourg

Chelsea

Al-Sadd

Al-Wakrah

France

Orders

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Décret du 24 juillet 1998 portant nomination à titre exceptionnel" [Decree of 24 July 1998 appointing on an exceptional basis]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 1998 (170). 25 July 1998. PREX9801916D. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  2. ↑ "Frank Leboeuf". ESPN. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "Frank Leboeuf: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "Frank Leboeuf". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  5. ↑ (in French) FFF Statistics Archived 21 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 Stammers, Steve (9 June 2000). "Leboeuf ready to answer fans' prayers". ESPN Soccernet Euro 2000. ESPN. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  7. 1 2 Fisher, Stewart (13 September 2011). "Frankly, Leboeuf does give a damn". Herald Scotland. Newsquest. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kahl, Val. "Frank Leboeuf". Welcome Magazine (in French). Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Frank Leboeuf". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 10 December 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  10. ↑ ""Confirmed your agenda against Cristiano" - Fans react furiously as video of former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf trolling Cristiano Ronaldo emerges". Sportskeeda. 29 March 2023.
  11. ↑ Faure, Mathieu (6 September 2015). "Le jour où la France en a collé 10 à l'Azerbaïdjan" (in French). So Foot. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  12. ↑ "Frank Leboeuf in the World Cups". The Soccer World Cups.com.
  13. 1 2 Walsh, Aly (6 September 2013). "Former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf shooting feature film". Derby Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  14. ↑ Bennett, Roger (21 May 2014). "World Cup Moments: Frank Leboeuf". ESPN FC. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  15. ↑ "Andorra rank underachievers". The Irish Times. 28 March 2001. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  16. ↑ "Quand Frank Leboeuf sauvait les Bleus contre Andorre, en 1999". L'Équipe (in French). 11 June 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  17. ↑ "Leboeuf gets frank with Zizou". BBC Sport. 26 June 2000. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "France win Euro 2000". BBC Sport. 2 July 2000. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "Leboeuf sinks brave Koreans". BBC Sport. 26 May 2002. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  20. ↑ "Leboeuf delays retirement". BBC Sport. 29 June 2002. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Whelan, David (17 November 2014). "An Interview with Frank Leboeuf". Vice. VICE Media LLC. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  22. 1 2 Lesdos, Marianne. "Frank Lebœuf: en pleine lucarne". Gala (in French). Prisma Média. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  23. ↑ Philip, Robert (5 March 2008). "Frank Leboeuf ready to act on the ball". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  24. 1 2 Thomas, Julien (5 April 2010). "Frank Leboeuf (Koh-Lanta) : "Je suis déçu"" (in French). Tele-Loisirs. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  25. ↑ Meffre, Benjamin (15 August 2014). "Bande-annonce : Frank Leboeuf est chirurgien dans "The Theory of Everything"". Ozap.com (in French). PureMédias. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  26. ↑ Leboeuf, Frank (January 2023). "Frank Leboeuf Author Page". Chelsea News.
  27. ↑ "Koh-Lanta, le choc des héros : Frank Leboeuf... le gagnant ?". Le Parisien (in French). Éditions Philippe Amaury. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  28. ↑ "Laetitia Milot en bikini, Frank Leboeuf très agressif dans 'Nos Chers voisins' !". Pure People (in French). PureMédias. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  29. ↑ "Franck Leboeuf, le Paon de "Mask Singer", a joué dans le biopic de Stephen Hawking, nommé aux Oscars". Huffington Post. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  30. ↑ "Nathalie Garçon fête le lancement de "Garde-Robes"". Paris Match (in French). Hachette Filipacchi Médias. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014. ...et de Franck Leboeuf, venu aux côtés de sa compagne, l'actrice Chrislaure Nollet
  31. ↑ "Philippe Leboeuf, meilleur hôtelier du monde". 12 November 2018.
  32. 1 2 "Frank Leboeuf". L'Équipe. Éditions Philippe Amaury. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  33. ↑ "1995: Bordeaux lay down Intertoto gauntlet". UEFA.com Archive. UEFA. 1 August 1995. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  34. ↑ "Keane sees red as Chelsea triumph". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 August 2000. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  35. ↑ "1998: Poyet strikes late for Chelsea". UEFA.com. UEFA. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  36. ↑ Falla, Laurent (12 December 2011). "Franck Leboeuf : "Les Qataris sont des businessmen avant tout"". Metro News (in French). Metro International. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  37. ↑ "Nilmar sounds warning as Sheikh Jassim Cup begins". Gulf Times. Gulf Publishing and Printing Company. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  38. ↑ "Match Report". FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  39. ↑ "France 2 - 1 Italy". The Guardian. 2 July 2000. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  40. ↑ "Classy France outplay Japan". BBC Sport Online. BBC. 10 June 2001. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
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