 Leboeuf in 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Franck Alain James Leboeuf[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1968-01-22)22 January 1968 (age 58)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Marseille, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | 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
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Franck Alain James Leboeuf (born 22 January 1968), commonly known asFrank Leboeuf (French pronunciation:[fʁɑ̃kləbœf]),[n 1] is a French actor, sports commentator and former footballer who played as acentre-back. With theFrance national team, Leboeuf won the1998 FIFA World Cup andUEFA Euro 2000 as well as a number of domestic trophies, most famously during his five years atChelsea. Since the conclusion of his playing career, Leboeuf has transitioned to acting, appearing in stage, film productions and is a regular contributor atESPN FC.
Leboeuf was born inMarseille[8] and raised inSaint-Cyr-sur-Mer.[9] He was introduced to football by his father, a formerRennes coach,[10] who trained children in the sport.[11] After starting his career in 1986 in the lower divisions of the French leagues, Leboeuf moved toLaval in 1988. In 1991, he moved toStrasbourg and played there until 1996, when he made a switch to English clubChelsea for £2.5m.[citation needed]
He played over 200 games for the club and scored 24 goals, mainly from penalties andset pieces.[12] With Chelsea, he won twoFA Cups, oneLeague Cup, oneCup Winners' Cup and oneUEFA Super Cup.[12] He left in 2001 for clubMarseille, before finishing out his career inQatar.[12] Despite his numerous accolades, Leboeuf never won a first-division title in Europe or the UEFA Champions League.[13]
Leboeuf was capped 50 times for France, scoring four goals. His first two came on 6 September 1995 in aEuro 96 qualifier at home to Azerbaijan, contributing to a 10–0 win,[14] a then-record for France. Although he was mainly a substitute in the1998 World Cup (started 2 and played in 3 matches out of 7),[15] he stepped in forred cardedLaurent Blanc to play in the final,[16] a 3–0 win againstBrazil, a match in which he man-marked the highly rated strikerRonaldo.[17]
In aEuro 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 amateursAndorra.[18][19] He received a winner's medal at the finals in Belgium and the Netherlands, though Blanc andMarcel Desailly were the preferred defensive partnership, including in the final.[20][21]
He scored a late winner against co-hostsSouth Korea on 26 May ahead of the2002 FIFA World Cup (3–2).[22] Holders France were eliminated in the group stage in a shock, and he retired from the team.[23]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 1995 | Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps,Auxerre, France |  Azerbaijan | 5–0 | 10–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 2 | 8–0 | |||||
| 3 | 9 June 1999 | Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc,Barcelona, Spain |  Andorra | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 4 | 26 May 2002 | Suwon World Cup Stadium,Suwon, South Korea |  South Korea | 3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
A culturedcentre-back, Leboeuf was noted for his intelligence, composure, and long range passing ability. He also had a powerful long range shot, and was a consistent penalty-taker throughout his career.[24][25] He took 15 penalties in competitive games for Chelsea, missing just 2 times, and missing only 1 out of his 11 attempts from the spot in the Premier League.[26][27]
In 2001, whilst still playing football for Chelsea, Leboeuf had made his first acting appearance in the filmTaking Sides.[24][28] Following his retirement from competitive football, Leboeuf spent two years living inLos Angeles. During this time he played for amateur teamHollywood United, alongside celebrity team-mates such asVinnie Jones,Steve Jones andAnthony LaPaglia.[29] Leboeuf studied at theLee 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.[11] Leboeuf acted in several theatre plays in France,[24] including starring alongside Jean-Francois Garreaud inL'intrus in 2010[30] and a role in the playAvec Ma Belle Mère et Moi.[11] In 2014, Leboeuf played aFrench Resistance fighter in the World War II filmAllies[16][24] and a doctor in the Stephen Hawking biopicThe Theory of Everything.[31]
Leboeuf works as a sports commentator and analyst forRMC andESPN in the United States and he writes a column for Chelsea News in the UK.[32][10][11] In 2010, he was a contestant on the reality television showKoh-Lanta in theKoh-Lanta, le choc des héros special series.[33] 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.[34] In 2014, Leboeuf made an appearance in the television comedy seriesNos Chers Voisins[11][35] and began writing a column forTéléfoot.[36]
In 2019, Leboeuf competed on the first season ofMask Singer, the French version of the global franchiseMasked Singer, disguised as a peacock.[37]
Leboeuf is married to actress Chrislaure Nollet[24][38] and has two children, Jade and Hugo, from his first marriage to Beatrice.[9] His amateur sporting hobbies include tennis, swimming and boxing.[11]
Franck Leboeuf is the cousin of the hotelier Philippe Leboeuf.[39]
Following the 1998 World Cup, he was appointed aKnight of the Legion of Honour in 1998.[1]
Strasbourg
Chelsea
Al-Sadd
Al-Wakrah
France
Orders
...et de Franck Leboeuf, venu aux côtés de sa compagne, l'actrice Chrislaure Nollet
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