Laurent Robert
Laurent Robert (born
May 21,
1975 in
Saint Benoît,
Réunion,
French Overseas Departments) is a
French left
winger who currently plays for
Levante UD of the
Spanish La Liga.
Robert started his career at
Montpellier, before signing for
Paris Saint-Germain in
1999. He made his debut for the
French national team shortly after. His first season with Paris Saint-Germain had a number of disciplinary problems, including three red cards. Concerns over his temperament deprived him of a place in the French squad for
Euro 2000. The following season was met with greater success, including a
Champions League match against
Rosenborg, in which he set up six goals in a 7-2 win. Following a recall to the national team, Robert scored his first goal for France in a match against
Turkey in November
2000.
In
2001, he joined English club
Newcastle United for a fee of
£9.5 million following a dispute with PSG coach
Luis Fernandez. A managerial dispute was also the cause of Robert's exit from Newcastle. After
Bobby Robson left the manager's post at Newcastle, Robert had a very strained relationship with his successor,
Graeme Souness. After the
2004-05 season, Robert vowed never to play for Newcastle again.
Portsmouth were able to acquire him on loan, but the move quickly turned sour with Robert becoming increasingly unhappy with his role at the club. In January
2006 he returned to Newcastle, who allowed him to join Benfica on a free transfer.
Robert is known for his pace and crossing ability, and is often called upon to take
corners and from free kicks. He has a tendency to shoot from long ranges in both open play and free kicks (Robert scored four goals in the 2004-05 campaign, all from set pieces.) and has scored from almost 40 yards from goal - his powerful shot has been measured at around 75
mph. However, he is sometimes inconsistent, causing much frustration for fans and managers, and was often at odds with
Newcastle United over alleged comments that he had made about staff and lack of appearances.
His move to
Portsmouth took a turn in which he claimed he had immediately settled at the club and felt that the manager and fellow players understood and respected him. However, it was not long before he returned to his old ways, when on 29 October 2005, just 10 games into the season, Robert stormed out of the stadium before the match began after being named on the substitutes' bench, leaving
Portsmouth to start the game with only four substitutes.
It was not long before he signed a three-and-a-half year contract with
Ronald Koeman's Benfica side. Robert said: "This is a super club. To be able to play in the
Champions League is fantastic and that's why I am here."
He added: "They showed a lot of interest in me. I am very happy to be here."
Laurent Robert's first goal in the Portuguese
Superliga was with his current club
SL Benfica from a free-kick 40 meters away against arch-rivals
FC Porto. The well placed kick was hit past experience goalkeeper
Vítor Baía.
Laurent Robert signed for Spanish La Liga side
Levante UD on 11th July 2006 on a free transfer from Benfica
A
sports-obsessed child, Robert tried his hand at tennis, athletics, cycling, handball, table tennis and karate before turning his attentions to football.
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Official site (French)
