Sylvain Wiltord is a former French right winger, mostly notable for his short yet memorable stint at Arsenal. In addition to being an elite player at club level, Wiltord has proven himself to deliver in the international stage when it really mattered.
His most memorable moment arguably happened during the UEFA Euro 2000 Final, as it was his last-minute goal against Italy that helped France earn a 1-1 draw to force the game into extra-time. France eventually went on to win the match through Trezeguet's golden goal, with Wiltord being the catalyst of that memorable moment.
This article will be focusing on his time at Arsenal though, as we rewind his memorable 4 years at the club.
Before the Arsenal years
After his stint at lower-league side CO Joinville, Sylvain Wiltord joined French side Rennes in 1991 to kick start his journey in professional football. He began to show promising displays at Rennes, with the Frenchman finishing the 1993–94 season with 8 goals in 26 appearances.
It was, however, Wiltord’s excellence performance for France during the 1996 Summer Olympics that caught him the attention of several European clubs. This ultimately led to the player being signed by Deportivo de La Coruña. The deal saw a €1.8 million fee paid to Rennes, and Sylvain remaining with the French club for the 1996–97 season.
A drastic turn of events saw the player never make an appearance for Deportivo though, as he requested to return to France after his loan stint at Rennes. This led to French side Bordeaux signing the player for €2.25 million, with a 40% sell-on clause agreed as well with Deportivo.
His time at Bourdeaux took him to the very next level, as the right winger started his first season in a promising way and went on to score 22 goals in the following 1998–99 campaign. Those efforts were absolutely vital for Bourdeaux, as they lifted the Ligue 1 title and Sylvain won the golden boot.
The Arsenal era
Wiltord signed by Arsenal for a then club-record £13 million, with the player coming from his historic Euro 2000 Final heroics. His debut came against Chelsea on 6th September 2000. It just took 10 more days for his first Arsenal goal, as Sylvain scored against Coventry City.
The French winger was paired with fellow compatriot Thierry Henry at Arsenal, either up front or on the wing.
His highlight performance of that season came against West Ham, as he scored a brilliant hat-trick in that match. Arsenal were on the verge of finishing that season with silverware, but ultimately lost the 2001 FA Cup Final to Liverpool 2-1.
The following season was unforgettable for both player and club, as Arsenal finished the league campaign as champions. Wiltord played his part in the huge success, with the winger scoring 10 goals that season. In addition to his crucial goals against the likes of Chelsea and Everton, Wiltord's ultimate defining moment of the season came against Manchester United when he scored the winner that saw Arsenal beat United 1-0 at Old Trafford. It was the goal that clinched them the league title, and Arsenal eventually ended that season by achieving a historic Double.
Wiltord was a part of Arsenal's historic Invincibles side as well, although his appearances were less frequent towards the season end. He finished his stint at Arsenal after 4 years in 2004, scoring a total of 49 goals in 175 appearances.
Despite his relatively short stay with Arsenal, Wiltord is still seen till this date as one of the greatest ever players to have played for the legendary Gunners.
