Frank Leboeuf

Franck Alain James Leboeuf (French: [fʁɑ̃k lə.bœf], typically anglicised as Frank Leboeuf, born 22 January 1968) is a French actor, sports commentator and former French international footballer who played as a centre back. With the French 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 5 years at Chelsea. Since the conclusion of his playing career, Leboeuf has transitioned to acting, appearing in stage and film productions.

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]
Playing position(s) Centre back[4]
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)
Total 480 (89)
National team
1995–2002 France 50 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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 Stade Rennais 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 Olympique Marseille, before finishing out his career in Qatar.[9]

International career

For France, Leboeuf was capped 50 times, scoring four goals. Although he was mainly a substitute in the 1998 World Cup, he stepped in for red carded Laurent Blanc to play in the final,[10] a 3–0 win against Brazil, a match in which he famously man-marked Ronaldo. In the final Ronaldo was able to make only a couple of his trademark runs thanks to Leboeuf’s defensive performance.

Leboeuf received a winner's medal at Euro 2000. He then played at the 2002 World Cup.

International goals
Scores and results list France's goal tally first.
International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.6 September 1995Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, Auxerre, France Azerbaijan5–010–0Euro 1996 qualifier
2.8–0
3.9 June 1999Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain Andorra1–01–0Euro 2000 qualifier
4.26 May 2002Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea South Korea3–23–2Friendly

Playing style

A cultured centre back, Leboeuf was noted for his long range passing ability[11] and also for his consistent penalty-taking throughout his career. He took more than 20 penalties for Chelsea, missing just 3 times.

Acting

In 2001, whilst still playing football for Chelsea, Leboeuf had made his first acting appearance in the film Taking Sides.[11][12]

Following his retirement from competitive football, Leboeuf spent 2 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.[13] Leboeuf studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute in West Hollywood, keeping a low profile, and won his first acting role as a television commentator for a pay cheque totalling $100, which he keeps as a memento.[8]

Leboeuf acted in several theatre plays in France,[11] including starring alongside Jean-Francois Garreaud in L'intrus in 2010[14] 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[10][11] and a doctor in the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.[15]

Other media

Leboeuf works as a sports commentator and analyst for RMC and ESPN in the United States.[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.[16] 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.[14] In 2014, Leboeuf made an appearance in the television comedy series Nos Chers Voisins[8][17] and began writing a column for Téléfoot.[12]

Personal life

Leboeuf is married to actress Chrislaure Nollet[11][18] and has two children, Jade and Hugo, from his first marriage to Beatrice.[6] His amateur sporting hobbies include tennis, swimming and boxing.[8]

Following the 1998 World Cup, he was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1998.[1]

Honours

Strasbourg

Chelsea

Al-Sadd

Al-Wakrah

  • Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2004–05[24]

France

Orders

  • Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur: 1998[1]

References
  1. "Décret du 24 juillet 1998 portant nomination à titre exceptionnel" [Decree of 24 July 1998 appointing on an exceptional basis]. Journal Officiel de la République Française (in French). 1998 (170): 11376. 25 July 1998. PREX9801916D. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  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
  6. 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. Fisher, Stewart (13 September 2011). "Frankly, Leboeuf does give a damn". Herald Scotland. Newsquest. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  8. Kahl, Val. "Frank Leboeuf". Welcome Magazine (in French). Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  9. "Frank Leboeuf". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 10 December 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  10. 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.
  11. Whelan, David (17 November 2014). "An Interview with Frank Leboeuf". Vice. VICE Media LLC. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  12. Lesdos, Marianne. "Frank Lebœuf: en pleine lucarne". Gala (in French). Prisma Média. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  13. Philip, Robert (5 March 2008). "Frank Leboeuf ready to act on the ball". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. "Koh-Lanta, le choc des héros : Frank Leboeuf... le gagnant ?". Le Parisien (in French). Éditions Philippe Amaury. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  17. "Laetitia Milot en bikini, Frank Leboeuf très agressif dans 'Nos Chers voisins' !". Pure People (in French). PureMédias. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  18. "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
  19. "Frank Leboeuf". L'Équipe. Éditions Philippe Amaury. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  20. "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.
  21. "Keane sees red as Chelsea triumph". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 August 2000. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  22. "1998: Poyet strikes late for Chelsea". UEFA.com. UEFA. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  23. 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.
  24. "Nilmar sounds warning as Sheikh Jassim Cup begins". Gulf Times. Gulf Publishing and Printing Company. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  25. "Match Report". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  26. "France 2 - 1 Italy". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. 2 July 2000. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  27. "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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