BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY William Eric Gallas [wiljam ɡalas]; born 17 August 1977) is a French footballer who has played for a number of clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur. Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English clubChelsea in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal as part of an exchange deal in 2006. While his career has been marked by both individual and team successes – including Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 – he has also encountered controversy as a consequence of his on-field behaviour and friction with other personnel. In 2007, he was named Arsenal's captain, but was removed from the role during the 2008–09 season after criticising teammates in a media interview. Gallas left Arsenal at the end of the 2009–10 season, when his contract expired. After leaving Arsenal, Gallas signed for Rivals Tottenham Hotspur. He was released at the end of the 2012–13 season, when his contract expired.
Gallas was born in Asnières-sur-Seine. He is the cousin of the deceased former footballer Ludovic Quistin and of Mathieu Bastareaud, a French rugby union centre playing for RC Toulonnais.
Club career
Early career
A graduate of the French Football academy at Clairefontaine, Gallas started his professional career at second division SM Caen, helping them to promotion as champions in 1996. He was subsequently transferred to Olympique Marseille in 1997. Gallas spent four seasons at Marseille, where he played alongside Robert Pirès among others. He made his debut in the UEFA Champions League playing for Marseille, and he also played against Chelsea in that competition in 2000.
Caen
1995–1997, Gallas was sent to Caen which was to be the start of his career in football.
Chelsea
The then Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri bought Gallas from Marseille in May 2001 for £6.2 million. He chose the number 13 shirt because it was his postcode back where he lived in Marseille. Under Ranieri, Gallas developed centre-back partnerships with Marcel Desailly and later with John Terry; his partnership with Terry included a run of 16 games without conceding a single goal. He also played as a right-back at times. It was with Chelsea and under Ranieri where Gallas obtained his first international cap.
Gallas was part of Chelsea's team which won back-to-back Premier League titles and a League Cup under Ranieri's successor José Mourinho. The Blues also made the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League that year, but were knocked out by Liverpool 1–0 in controversial circumstances. Gallas cleared the ball, after it was adjuged to have crossed the line. Due to a serious injury to left-back Wayne Bridge in 2004–05 Gallas was forced to play out of position. Despite the purchase of Asier del Horno from Athletic Bilbao for £8 million in the 2005 close season, Gallas found himself often playing on the left, a situation he got increasingly frustrated with. However Gallas scored some vital goals at Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United as Chelsea retained their title in the 2005–06 in English football season
Gallas's contract with Chelsea was due to expire in May 2007. He refused to sign a new contract with Chelsea on improved terms after saying the club did not offer him enough money and expressed a wish to play in Serie A, with Juventus and A.C. Milan both interested. Chelsea however did not agree to a transfer request by the player in May 2006, as they considered Gallas an important first team member.
After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Gallas refused to turn up at Chelsea's crowded ranks of defenders at Stamford Bridge, so Chelsea signed Dutch international centre back Khalid Boulahrouz, though in his single season at Chelsea, Boulahrouz would play almost exclusively as a fullback.
On 1 September 200
6, Gallas transferred to Arsenal as part of a deal that brought Ashley Cole to Chelsea and Arsenal also received the sum of £5 million. After the transfer, Chelsea issued a statement that Gallas threatened to deliberately score own goals if he was not allowed to leave Chelsea. Gallas rejected Chelsea's claim and accused the West Londoners of "lack[ing] class" and "hiding behind false accusations." Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager who signed Gallas from Marseille, said of the allegations: "I cannot believe these stories. It is absolutely incredible. I signed William and he was always a good professional on the pitch. Of course, I don't know what has happened in the last two years." Among the Chelsea faithful, Gallas's departure turned him almost instantly from a hero into an object of hatred. PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor declared that the whole episode has left a "bad taste in the mouth" and that Chelsea's statement should be taken "with a large pinch of salt."
Arsenal
2006–07 season
Gallas signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, where he took the number 10 shirt vacated by the recently-retired Dennis Bergkamp. In an October 2006 interview with the official team magazine, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger explained his decision to hand him the squad number 10 (traditionally a forward's or a midfielder's number), "Number three was uncomfortable for him and I had given the rest of the numbers out. In the end I thought it might be a good idea to give the number ten to a defender, because a striker would suffer a lot with the comparison with Dennis. At first I was reluctant to give Dennis's number out, and especially to a defender, but overall I think it's better that way."
Gallas made his full debut for the Gunners at left-back in the team's 1–1 home draw against Middlesbrough on 9 September 2006 and scored his first goal againstSheffield United on 23 September 2006.
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