Small size, big champion!

"Liza" first shot to fame as part of the famous "Zidane-Dugarry-Lizarazu" trio. But at the Girondins de Bordeaux, recognition for these three legends came in reverse order. It was Lizarazu who first turned professional with Bordeaux, making his Division 1 debut at left back…

After a string of impressive performances on the wing or as an attacking midfielder for the reserves, the irrepressible 18-year-old made his professional debut against Stade Malherbe de Caen (3-0), coming on to replace Zoran Vujović in the 54th minute on 12th November 1988. The Girondins' boss that season was Aimé Jacquet, a coach that Liza would get to know well… Born in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Bixente started out with local youth side Les Églantins d’Hendaye before moving north to join the Bordeaux youth academy. That generation of young Girondins was packed with talent, and our club was at the forefront of European football. But Lizarazu was not daunted by any of that: he had an appetite for a challenge, and an endless passion for the sport. For all sport in fact, since he had also proven himself to be a gifted athlete in everything from racquetball to surfing, wrestling and a variety of Basque sports!  

The young man registered with the football league as Vincent Lizarazu was about to make his dreams come true: in the 1988-1989, season he played alongside Dominique Dropsy, Philippe Sence, Gilles Barragué (goalkeepers), Dominique Thomas, Jean-Christophe Thouvenel, Éric Péan, Zoran Vujović, Gernot Rohr, Didier Sénac, Alain Roche, Diégo Mujica, Jean-Amadou Tigana, Jesper Olsen, Éric Dewilder, Enzo Scifo, Bernard Genghini, Bernard Gimenez, Éric Cantona, Jean-Marc Ferreri, Yannick Stopyra, Marc Pascal, Jérôme Gnako, Clive Allen and a certain Christophe Dugarry! What a line-up ! And what an incredible adventure for a young man who was almost dropped from the academy at the age of fifteen because the coaches worried that he might be too "slight"... And while there was still plenty more progress to be made, he made 17 appearances in that maiden season. The youngster made himself thoroughly at home at Parc Lescure, as he continued to go from strength to strength…  

In the following season he also scored his first professional goal (1989-1990), in the victory over Brest Armorique F.C. on 30th August 1989 (3-0). By now the former winger had been switched to left-back on the advice of Didier Couécou, who replaced Aimé Jacquet in mid-season. This was supposed to be a temporary measure, when cover was required in defence for the away trip to face R.C. Strasbourg at Stade Meinau in February 1989 (3-2), but it turned out to be the start of something special...

But in the meantime, the 1988-1989, which started out so brightly for the ambitious young star, had proved to be a disappointing vintage. And a frustrating experience for managers and supporters alike. The assembled stars collectively underperformed, but the hardcore fans in the Virage Sud, not least the Ultramarines, found a glimmer of hope in the performances of this promising young academy graduate. Nevertheless, the Girondins finished 13th that season as old rivals Olympique de Marseille won the league title.

In the U.E.F.A. Cup, meanwhile (the equivalent of today's Europa League), Bordeaux were knocked out in the quarter-finals by a Napoli side led by the greatest footballer in the world: Diego Armando Maradona (0-1/0-0). Liza did not feature in that decisive quarter-final, but he got his first close-up view of football at the very top level. All the while he continued to improve and progress, proving that his relatively short stature (169cm) was no obstacle to putting in solid performances. Much more important was his impressive mental strength, which earned plaudits from the more experienced players in the squad. This "kid" was bound for bigger things, no doubt about it!

Rapid at the back, lighting fast on the counter-attack and a fearsome tackler, Lizarazu also knew how to score goals ! Along with Danish international Jesper Olsen, he terrorised defences up and down the country in the 1989-1990 season, a much happier year for Bordeaux. Bordeaux had the second best defence in the league that season, conceding just 25 goals (A.S. Monaco conceded 24), while also making effective use of their speedy wing-backs to strike opponents on the counter! Probing runs, one-twos, triangle, crosses, dribbles, dazzling bursts of speed: they had it all! Klaus Allofs, Piet Den Boer and Jean-Marc Ferreri made the most of the service laid on for them, scoring 14 goals each in D1 ! Bordeaux also had the second most prolific attack that season (51 goals), and logically finished second in the league (51 points) ; once again, Marseille were crowned champions (with 75 goals 53 points). OM were the dominant force in French football, and European football too… For all their strengths, the Girondins just couldn't keep up… 

All the while, Liza was establishing his reputation as the archetypal modern wing-back. The speed and confidence with which he ascended to the top level were impressive. Almost as impressive as his ball control and speed. Total : 42 appearances and 2 goals, including a full 38 games in D1 !

The following season saw Liza make his European Cup debut, going all the way to the last-16 where they were knocked out by a rampant A.S. Roma (5-0/0-2). Back in France, Bordeaux ended the 1990-1991 season in 10th place (O.M. were crowned champions yet again), but still ended up relegated to the second division (D2) for off-field financial misdeeds. Lizarazu kept the faith and remained loyal to his boyhood club, knuckling down in the second tier with total determination to return to the top flight immediately. Joining him in this battle was his old mate Christophe Dugarry, also a member of the first team squad since 1989…

That season was a tough experience, occasionally brutal in fact, but ultimately enriching, character-forming and successful… 

With Jean-Didier Lange and Alain Afflelou installed as co-presidents, and a total overhaul of the club's legal structure, Bordeaux set themselves a target of returning to the top flight within 2 seasons. As for the squad, Bixente was one of the leading figures in a collective now coached by Gernot Rohr, until recently a Bordeaux player !  Many of the more experienced players left when the Girondins were relegated, but the squad that lined up in D2 that year was not short of quality: Philippe Sence, Didier Sénac, Jean-Luc Dogon, Jean-Pierre Bade, Pascal Monbrun, Bernard Gimenez, Stéphane Plancque, Philippe Fargeon, Arnór Gudjohnsen and Dugarry were joined by new recruits Gaëtan Huard (gk), Michel Milojević, Philippe Raschke, Patrice Lestage, Jean-Michel Lavaud, Jean-Marc Ferratge (returning to the club), Thierry Fernier, Patrice Marquet, Philippe Lalanne (also returning to the club), Stéphane Lerda, Ronan Salaün and Rainer Ernst  

For the optimists among the fans, this was an interesting challenge; for the less sunnily-disposed, the second tier looked like a hard slog. But Rohr had a squad ready for combat, and despite the difficulty of adjusting to D2 Bordeaux got off to a strong start. Lizarazu, by now a pillar of the squad and one of the club's emblematic stars, fully embodied Bordeaux's fighting spirit.  After a season spent duking it out with teams who packed out their defences and aimed to shut down the midfield, the Girondins finished top of their pool and beat U.S. Valenciennes-Anzin 4-0 and 3-2 to earn the title of D2 Champions. A triumph of will, talent, style and determination - and for Liza, his first national title as a professional ! A season which would prove to be crucial in forging the future of this football club… A formative experience for the "kazko" ("stubborn" in Basque) and the new-look Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux ! Liza had discussed the mixed emotions this season inspired in an interview with the club's official match-day programme just before Christmas 1991 …

But a few months later, all doubts had been dispelled… Somehow he also found time to graduate with a degree in sports science that year, adding academic triumph to sporting glory… The "intellectual" of the squad now had no qualms about seeing out his contract with the club, which ran until the end of the 1994-1995 season. And which allowed him to forget all about the clause which gave him the option of leaving at the end of 1991-1992 if the club were still in the second division! During this transitional year, which he handled with grit and style, Lizarazu definitively established himself as one of the best full backs in France. His work ethic, stubbornness and the confidence shown in him by successive coaches (including Raymond Goethals in 1989-1990) drove him onwards and upwards to bigger things: more titles, more honours, and a place in the national side. Particularly with Euro 1992 just around the corner, not to mention the prospect of World Cup 1994 in the USA…

Things had changed as the club prepared for the 1992-1993 season. There was no doubt about it: this time round, the Girondins were determined to qualify for Europe! The young generation had come to the fore, encourage by new head coach Rolland Courbis. Éric Guérit and Jean-François Daniel joined from A.S. Cannes, along with one of the brightest talents in French football: Zinedine Zidane. At just 20 years of age, this prodigiously talented footballer had his whole glittering career ahead of him. And he chose to start that career in earnest in Bordeaux, alongside his good friends Liza and Duga. Courbis (manager from 1992 to 1994) worked hard to get the most out of this talented squad, constantly experimenting with new tactics and formations. That sometimes involved giving Lizarazu a more attacking role, particularly during the 1993-1994 season. Courbis reflected upon this period during an interview with France Football in 2015 :

In fact, Lizarazu had already won his first international cap the previous season, on 14th November 1992, playing at left back in a 2-1 victory over Finland at Parc des Princes, an early qualifying match for World Cup 94.

1992-1993 was an interesting season in many respects: many observers wondered whether the newly-promoted Bordeaux could keep their momentum going. But the foundations were all in place: a solid backbone, a team brimming with confidence and an astonishing array of talent. With Huard, Sence, Croci, Márcio Santos, Guérit, Sénac (captain), Dogon, Milojević, Grenet, Michel Flos, Philippe Lucas, Plancque, Daniel, Christophe Vecchioni, Marquet, « Zizou », Dugarry, Celso Moreira Valdeir and Salaün, this was a squad to be reckoned with! In fact the defence was so solid that Bordeaux were unbeaten at home all season! Huard once went for a total of 1176 minutes without conceding a goal (thirteen matches), a record which still stands today… Out on the left flank, Liza played a major role in this success: his incisive runs, explosive pace and fearsome tackling made him a huge asset to the team, as did his natural power and ability to read the game. The Girondins had the strongest defence in the league that season, conceding just 25 goals. Huard, Croci, Sénac, Santos, Dogon, Guérit and Liza (39 matches and 4 goals scored in all competitions, including 36 appearances in D1) were a hell of a team! Bordeaux finished the season in 4th place, just 5 points behind an Olympique de Marseille side who were champions not just of France, but of Europe too. Bordeaux had rebounded from one of the toughest spells in the club's history, and reestablished their top-flight credentials at the first time of asking.

The Girondins were back in Europe and, alongside captain Sénac, Liza was one of the natural leaders in the squad. He even wore the captain's armband on several occasions, as the squad continued to gel and progress. Lionel Perez (goalkeeper), Yannick Fischer, Marcel Dib, Richard Witschge, Philippe Vercruysse (returning to the club), Youssouf Fofana and Stéphane Paille were added to the playing staff, and soon settled in. The 1993-1994 season started well, with Bordeaux spending a decent spell in second place just behind eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. The Girondins were denied a top-3 finish on the final day of the season, losing out in extremis to Auxerre ! A second consecutive fourth place finish, this time on goal difference, but Bordeaux were now well and truly back in the upper echelons of French football. As it should be...

In Europe, meanwhile, Bordeaux lost out in the last-16 to a Karlsruher S.C. side led by Oliver Kahn. They even won the first leg of that tie, in the process going 56 home games without a defeat at home and extending a record-breaking run which had started on 13th April 1991! Alas, the return leg ended in a 3-0 defeat.

That season the Girondins had the second most prolific attack in the league, racking up 54 goals! Stéphane Paille was top scorer with 10, but Lizarazu's more attacking role saw him in second place, tied with Philippe Vercruysse, on 9 goals! Nine goals from 41 matches, including 32 in D1. The only negative point for Liza that season was that his temper sometimes got the better of him, and he picked up a slew of red and yellow cards for his troubles. On a happier note, in December 1993 he made an unofficial appearance with the 'national side' of the Basque Country, in a friendly against Bolivia played in Saint-Sebastian in front of 23,000 fans. It was to be his first and last appearance in Basque colours.

The Girondins had no intention of resting on their laurels, and António José Conceição Oliveira, better known as « Toni », who had recently won the Portuguese league with S.L. Benfica, was brought in to replace Courbis. William Prunier, Daniel Dutuel, Anthony Bancarel, Jean-Yves De Blasiis, Geoffray Toyes, Raphaël Camacho and Franck Histilloles also joined the playing staff. Once again Bordeaux got off to a strong start, but this season was far from plain sailing. The new coach tried to get the best from this talented squad, but his methods met with mixed results. The Girondins were dumped out of Europe in the last 16 by G.S.K. Katowice, and also exited the Coupe de la Ligue in the last 16 and the Coupe de France in the quarter finals. As the season drew to a close the team seemed to have lost its way, although Lizarazu was always a reliably solid presence in hard times. He played 40 matches and scored 3 goals that season. Toni did not make it to the end of the season, replaced in March by caretaker Éric Guérit. F.C. Nantes were champions that year, with Bordeaux down in 7th. There would be no European adventure for Bordeaux next season, unless..

Slavoljub Muslin, the Serbian coach of F.C. Pau, was recruited to oversee the 1995-1996 season, which got off to an improbably early start since the Girondins had qualified for the much-maligned Intertoto Cup. Victory would see them qualify for the UEFA Cup, which just goes to show that in European football anything is possible ! Liza and co. were in European action before the transfer market had closed, or even really opened! But the opportunity was theirs for the taking.   On 1st July 1995, I.F.K. Norrköping visited the Stade Municipal Lescure for the Girondins' first group match. The result was emphatic - a  6-2 win for Bordeaux - but barely 2000 fans turned out to watch it! Over the coming weeks Bordeaux beat Ireland's Bohemian F.C. and Danes Odense BK, with goals from Zidane, Prunier, Didier Tholot and… Lizarazu! And what a goal it was! A stinging shot from the left flank which slipped just under the bar to lodge itself in the back of the net.

A draw against H.J.K. Helsinki (1-1) saw Bordeaux finish top of Group 5, moving through to a knock-out tie with Eintracht Frankfurt which they promptly won 3-0. The quarter-finals saw the Girondins pitted against Sportclub Heerenveen, another victory in Bordeaux. The semi-finals were played over two legs, and Bordeaux found themselves drawn against recent rivals Karlsruher S.C., now helmed by Winfried Schäfer. The Girondins won the first leg in Germany 2-0, then drew the return fixture 2-2, with both goals scored by Lizarazu (including one from the penalty spot). The captain was proud of his troops, who were crowned Intertoto champions and handed a spot in the U.E.F.A. Cup !   

The 'real' European campaign started on 14th September in Macedonia, against F.K. Vardar Skopje. A comfortable 2-0 win for Bordeaux. The return leg on 28th September ended in a 1-1 draw, with Liza scoring from the penalty spot after being hauled down inside the box. He always seemed uniquely well-suited to taking penalties, an exercise in skill, confidence and calm. Next up were Rotor Volgograd, dispatched without too much trouble. Finally, in the last 16, Bordeaux found themselves faced with some more appetising opposition: Real Betis. Bordeaux won the first leg 2-0, and narrowly lost the return 2-1, despite a sensational performance from Zidane. But that margin was enough to send the Girondins through to the next round. It also helped to distract from what was turning out to be a fiasco of a season in the league: Bordeaux finished 16th, just five points above the relegation zone. The domestic cups were also a wash-out, and on 3rd February Muslin was sacked and replaced by Gernot Rohr. With relegation once again a very real possibility, this was turning into a real rollercoaster season for the Bordeaux faithful.

Having already battled past no fewer than ten opponents, Bordeaux found themselves drawn against a truly legendary club in the quarter-finals: AC Milan. Owned by Silvio Berlusconi and coached by Fabio Capello, Milan had a squad full of stars, a truckload of money and an immense trophy cabinet to show for it. The Girondins, meanwhile, had snuck in via the Intertoto Cup. The first leg at the San Siro on 5th March 1996 ended in a stinging 2-0 defeat for Bordeaux, the first game in that long European campaign in which they failed to score.

But nobody could have predicted what came to pass two weeks later, when Milan made the return visit to Parc Lescure. Freed from the pressure of expectation, Bordeaux pulled off the unthinkable and defeated Milan on a historic night in Bordeaux. Mario Ielpo (gk), Franco Baresi, Marcel Desailly, Alessandro Costacurta, Christian Panucci, Paolo Maldini, Roberto Donadoni, George Weah, Stefano Eranio, Patrick Vieira, Roberto Baggio, Tomas Locatelli, Demetrio Albertini and Paolo Di Canio endured an evening they would not soon forget! Led by captain fantastic Lizarazu, by now the figurehead of this squad and a firm favourite with the fans, the Girondins were buoyed by the incredible, unconditional support of the home crowd. Something magic happened when the players took to the field that night. Years later, Liza still had chills just thinking about it when he recounted it for the book "F.C. Girondins de Bordeaux 1881" (M6 Éditions), published in 2009. 

Bixente and his team mates knew that something big was afoot, and felt they could pull it off if they could only manage to grab an early goal. Tholot duly did just that, connecting with a cross from Liza to put Bordeaux ahead in the 14th minute. The rest is history, as Lizarazu himself recalled in an interview with Les Cahiers du Football in December 2016…

Zidane (two assists) and Dugarry (two goals) sealed the result in the second half. A historic 3-0 win which has since become part of club lore. Milan found consolation a few weeks later, when they were crowned Italian champions for the 15th time…

The dynamism and fever-pitch enthusiasm rolled over to the semi-final, against Vladimir Šmicer's S.K. Slavia Prague. For months now, the Girondins had been delighting fans of total football all over the continent. Facing a team well-packed with internationals (indeed the Czechs beat France to make the finals of Euro 1996 a few months later), Rohr's side won 1-0 in the first leg, away from home (Dugarry got the goal). Another 1-0 victory in the return fixture (goal from Tholot this time) put Bordeaux through to the final : a historic achievement! What's more, the two-leg format meant half of the final would be played right here in Bordeaux. Bayern Munich were Bordeaux's 13th opponents of the season in Europe; a number which lived up to its unlucky reputation in Bavaria, where a Bordeaux side missing both Zidane and Dugarry (suspended) were soundly beaten by a Munich side used to this sort of occasion.

On 1st May, Oliver Kahn Jürgen Klinsmann, Lothar Matthäus, Jean-Pierre Papin and co were 2-0 winners at the Olympia Stadion, in front of 65,000 roaring fans. Thomas Helmer and Mehmet Scholl got the goals that evening  (34' and 60')! Two weeks later, the question on everybody's lips was whether or not the Girondins would be able to pull of a repeat of the "miracle of Milan," in front of 35,000 fans worked up into a frenzy before the game had even begun. But Bordeaux were visibly tired at the end of a seemingly never-ending season, including a fairly hellish showing in D1. Franz Beckenbauer's side always looked one step ahead. All of Bordeaux's big names were present and correct for the occasion, but only until the 30th minute... when Lizarazu was quite literally cut up by Emil Kostadinov! The Bulgarian, already known as the man who prevented France from qualifying for World Cup 1994 (with a goal in the 93rd minute of the final qualifier, on 17th November 1993 at the Parc des Princes), had now ruled Lizarazu out of the European championships too! A scandalous challenge, and an unworthy end to an incredible adventure for Liza. The wound was twelve centimetres long and one centimetre wide, requiring an urgent visit to the nearby hospital!  He was replaced by Cédric Anselin, an inexperienced youngster of just 18. The match took on a very different tone, and the atmosphere was soured by the fact that Kostadinov did not receive so much as a yellow card. It was a terrible evening on all fronts, with Scholl (53'), Kostadinov (65') – so unfair! – and Klinsmann (78') sealing victory for the Bavarians. Bordeaux's only compensation came from the boot of Dutuel (76'). The stinging injustice of Liza's injury remains, but there is no denying that Bayern were the better team that night. Not only did they have more experience at this level, they also looked physically sharper. As Bixente himself later recalled to Les Cahiers du Football, it had been a draining season…

Physically and mentally "frazzled" at the end of an epic season, this band of local heroes finished the season in 16th place on 42 points, just 4 points ahead of F.C. Gueugnon in the relegation zone. For the last few games of the season, the starting XI was virtually a youth side…  

Bixente Lizarazu played just 23 matches in the league that season (scoring 3 goals), but he made no fewer than 17 appearances in Europe (5 goals) for a season total of 40 games played. As it turned out, that unhappy final against Bayern Munich was to be his final professional appearance for the Girondins de Bordeaux. This adopted son of the city has never quite got over the injustice of that unplanned farewell. Be that as it may, he holds a well-earned place in the club's Hall of Fame, with 299 appearances and 28 goals for the Girondins (including 25 at home!) between 1988 and 1996.

Like many other veterans of that gruelling season, Bixente decided to embark upon a new adventure and cement his reputation as a player at the very top level of the game. That new adventure began with Athletic Club Bilbao (1996-1997), and continued with F.C. Bayern Munich (1997-2004 and 2005-2006), as well as one season with Olympique de Marseille (2004-2005). On top of the Intertoto Cup won with the Girondins (1995), his trophy cabinet began to expand rapidly: Champions League (2001), the Intercontinental Cup (2001), the Bundesliga title (6 times), 5 German Cups, 5 League Cups and more.  And all the while, he was also racking up caps, trophies and accolades with the national side, winning the World Cup in 1998, Euro 2000 and two Confederations Cups (2001 and 2003). Richly-deserved rewards for a tenacious, powerful, talented and endlessly determined player. A fierce competitor, a peerless professional and a model of discipline, energy, fair play, technical ability and mental fortitude. A player who started out on the wing, then helped redefine the modern game with his counter-attacking style at wing back. A leader of men, at Bordeaux and elsewhere, and a champion on a truly international scale.

His dependability, his loyalty to the club through hard times and his commitment to the team earned the respect of all who knew him. Liza grew up and improved thanks to the Girondins, and vice versa. Lizarazu is a true Bordeaux legend, a fan favourite whose legacy at the club lives on.

1 The Intertoto Cup was a tournament previously played over the summer, featuring the best-placed European clubs who had failed to quailfy for the Champions League or U.E.F.A. Cup. The winners of this preliminary tournament were given a place in the U.E.F.A. Cup. 2 The full 1995-1996 squad also included: Lionel Perez, Franck Fontan (goalkeepers), Kodjo Afanou, Éric Guérit, Didier Sénac, Jean-Yves de Blasiis, William Prunier, Pascal Philippe, Yannick Fisher, Raphaël Camacho, Patrick Amrane, Cédric Anselin, Jean François Daniel, Laurent Fournier, Mirza Varešanović, Régis Castant, Jérôme Geffroy, Franck Histilloles, Kaba Diawara and Anthony Bancarel. 3 In 1995-1996, the U.E.F.A. Cup final (now known as the Europa League) was still played over two legs, making it the only European competition still using this format (the Champions League and Cup Winners' Cup had already switched to one-off finals). Since the 1996-1997 season, the U.E.F.A. Cup final has also been played as a single match on neutral ground.