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Zidane, Anelka,
Pires, Vieira
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Ten Best: Failed French rumors
December 9, 2011
Ever since Bob Bradley convinced Youri Djorkaeff to don Metro's red and black, it seems that every French star worth a lick has been linked with our club. So here are the ten best failed rumors of Frenchmen coming to New York... And we had to leave out Mikael Silvestre and Djibril Cisse.
10) Laurent Blanc
The original rumor comes from the spring of 2005, when Djorkaeff was still settling with Metro. At that point, the 39-year-old Blanc has been retired for two years, but after he was spotted in the area, the NY Post reported that he was to meet with Bradley. We're not sure if the meeting took place, but Blanc stayed retired. He is now the coach of the French national team.
9) Sylvain Wiltord
The winger was rumored in 2008, with France's Le Parisien saying that he "is coveted by the New York Red Bulls. The proposal of the American club would be very interesting." Wiltord stayed in France, and is now with Nantes... Hey, that's Nick Sakiewicz's old stomping ground!
8) Claude Makelele
The Zaire-born midfielder's name was tossed around a lot during 2006 and 2007, and ESPN reported that RBNY "contacted Makelele about a possible transfer". He stayed with Chelsea before ending his career with PSG.
7) William Gallas
If the English press is to be believed, RBNY gave Gallas an offer in the summer of 2010, before settling on Rafa Marquez. His name popped up again during the last offseason. On second thought, could we get a do-over on that Marquez signing?
6) Marcel Desailly
Oooh, a rumor from the Mo Johnston era! Desailly was then doing a cash grab playing in Qatar, and talked to Mo's friend about MLS... Which apparently made him a target. We let Johnston explain: "[Desailly] was asking my friend how travel was in America, how the game's been played. He didn't think he'd be up for it. He thinks teams flew in a private plane."
5) David Trezeguet
Trezeguet and Titi Henry came through together with Monaco, and partnered up front for France for many years, so of course his name had to come up. And if Trezeguet's agent is to be believed, RBNY was after his client in both 2010 and 2011. And now he's been released from a club in the UAE... Get that rumor mill churning, Mr. Agent!
4) Patrick Vieira
"I would like to try an experience in the United States, Youri Djorkaeff has convinced me," the midfielder was quoted late in 2010. Apparently, the word "convinced" doesn't mean what we think it does, for Vieira finished up his career last May with Manchester City.
3) Robert Pires
We'll always have a soft spot for Robert Pires after he dismissed Philadelphia for being an ugly city. New York, on the other hand, is not. "Thierry has phoned me," Pires told the Birmingham Mail. "He called me and said 'come over and play with me' but there are no real offers yet." Henry had a rebuttal in the NY Post, "Robert is a very good friend of mine, but he likes to talk, I didn't speak to him about him coming. I would like you to put that CLEAR over there and I don't know why. I spoke to him yesterday and said why did you have to mention my name? If you wanted to say something, I think he's 37 soon, he should be able to talk as a grown man."
2) Nicolas Anelka
"Anelka set for Red Bulls", the English press declared early last year. Clearly, the English have a different definition for the word "set". The temperamental striker's pending arrival has been a persistent rumor for the past 12 months... But he recently took an offer in China instead.
1) Zinedine Zidane
Who else for the #1 spot? It seems that ever since his early retirement, Djorkaeff's pal has been linked with New York. There were rumbles in 2006, as Zidane's last gasp almost drove France to the World Cup. We last heard of it in 2008, after he was spotted at a Knicks game. Can't a man enjoy his basketball in peace?
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