Boos and a Beating: Yoann Gourcuff returns to Bordeaux

Yoann Gourcuff used to be a hero in Bordeaux. Then he left for Lyon. Now he’s not so popular. New contributor Andrew Burgess has more:

It was not hard to tell which Lyon player was in possession of the ball at the Stade Chaban Delmas at the weekend – listen out for the boos. Yoann Gourcuff, the 24-year old playmaker and hero in a Bordeaux shirt, was returning back to the city where he put himself on the footballing map following his record-breaking transfer across France. This time he would be wearing the shirt of the enemy: Olympique Lyonnais.

There is no less subtle way of saying it – Bordeaux made Yoann Gourcuff the player he is today. While not understating his development at AC Milan where he did achieve many club honours, he was unable to break into the starting eleven, which prompted his move to Bordeaux. Arriving in Gironde in time for the 2008–09 season, he immediately set Ligue 1 alight and scored on his league debut against Caen in a 2–1 victory. He also helped Bordeaux capture their 2nd Trophée des Champions title.

Incredibly, Bordeaux eventually won the league that year capturing only the sixth title in the club’s history, and also recorded only their second ever double after winning the Coupe de la Ligue. It was an incredible season all round, and for his own personal efforts Gourcuff was awarded the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.

Unsurprisingly, his parent club announced that they would be open to the star player returning to Milan, but Bordeaux were intent on meeting the €15 million buy-out clause included in the loan contract. Considering his impact, it was no wonder Bordeaux broke the bank to sign Gourcuff permanently.

Gourcuff would continue to play regularly and was arguably the first name on the teamsheet each week, a better prospect than if he had returned to Milan where he would have been in direct competition with stars like Ronaldinho.

During the next season in France, Gourcuff continued to shine and began attracting interest from Arsenal and other big-name clubs across Europe. Amongst supporters the wonder was just how long Bordeaux could fend off interest. The closing of transfer windows was warmly welcomed. Gourcuff was again voted in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year in 2009/10 and helped France qualify for the World Cup, winning his first international caps in the process. His playing style and ability inevitably drew comparisons to another French legend and former Bordeaux player Zinedine Zidane, and indeed it is his playmaker role that Gourcuff now occupies for the national team.

But then the atmosphere at Bordeaux started to grow tense, and success on the pitch decreased. The climax of the 2009/2010 season saw Bordeaux capitulate after a terrible run of form, slumping down the league table to finish a lowly sixth. Two wins, one draw, and two losses in the last five matches resulted in Bordeaux failing to qualify for Europe. There will be no Champions League – or Europa League – football at the Stade Chaban-Delmas this season.

Manager Laurent Blanc, under whose stewardship Gourcuff prospered, departed to take on surely the toughest management job in football at the helm of the French national team. Marouane Chamakh departed for Arsenal and then the bombshell was dropped – Gourcuff announced he wanted to leave. Soon after, Jean Tigana arrived at the helm without too much to say on the matter as chairman Jean-Louis Triaud later revealed to the L’Equipe newspaper:

“We told Jean ‘this is what has happened and this is what we think’ and he replied that he was of the same mind as us,” he said. “We therefore took this decision in total transparency and communal spirit with the manager. I then spoke with Yoann and we remain on good terms. I only want the best for him and that he has the big career that he deserves.”

Financially, Triaud will be pleased because Bordeaux have managed to get their money back, and more, with the €22 million first instalment and future fees payable by Lyon which could rise to €26.5 million – the sell-on fee in his contract. “What was good,” continues Triaud, “was that we get 20% of any future transfer fee of the player and that it is not simply a one-off gain. You could say that we have reached the amount of the release clause and that it was perfect for us. The club has been preserved.”

Nonetheless it is hard to deny Gourcuff’s presence on the field will be missed. For Triaud it was important not to have any grudges and keep hold of a player who wants to leave. “I have always believed it was difficult to keep a player at a club against his wishes,” he said. “It was very simple and to see a player leave us – well its one of those quite banal events in the life of football.”

Another such event is welcoming that player back to the stadium as part of an opposing team – and that was something the supporters were clearly not yet ready to forgive him for, booing his every touch in the evening encounter.

Unusually, Gourcuff did not have a good game, making very little impact. It finished 2-0 to Bordeaux with commanding performances from captain Alou Diarra, and Gourcuff’s replacement in midfield Fahid Ben Khalfallah snuffed out any threatening Lyon attack. A resolute performance ensured Bordeaux achieved their first home win of the season in some style and I am sure the irony was not lost on the fans as Bordeaux’s opening goal came from a free-kick which would have undoubtedly been taken by a certain former player…

Yoann who?

Andrew Burgess is a new contributor to Just Football, making his debut in our New Contributors Week. If you would like to get involved and write for us, this week or any other, read more here and drop us a line!

(photo via Ryu Voelkel on Flickr)

France, French Ligue 1, Girondins Bordeaux, Olympique Lyonnais, Yoann Gourcuff