5'11" 11st.6lb.
b. Bayonne (France) 9 March 1968
 

Debut 2 October 2004 (36y 207d) Final Game 23 October 2004 (36y 228d)
CAREER: L’Union Arménienne de Decines;AS Saint-Priest;US Meyzieu;AS Villeurbanne;FC Sochaux (trial);FC Grenoble '84;RC Strasbourg Aug'89;AS Monaco Nov'90;Paris St Germain Jul'95;Internazionale Milan (Italy) Jul'96;FC Kaiserslautern (Germany) Jul'99;Bolton Wanderers Feb'02-Jun'04 (free)[72+3-19];Blackburn Rovers Sep'04-Dec'04 (free);Metro Stars (USA) Feb'05-Oct’06.
INTERNATIONALS  France 59 + 23 apps 28 goals
’94 v Isr(s),Ita 1gl,Chl 1gl,Jap 1gl.’95 v Svk,Pol(s),Isr(s),Svk(s).’96 v Nor(s),Pol(s) 1gl,Aze 2gls,Rom 1gl,Isr 1gl,Por 2gls,Gre,Ger,Arm,Rom,Spa 1gl,Bul,Hol,Cze.’97 v Mex 1gl,Tur 1gl,Den,Por,Swe 1gl,Eng,Ita(s) 1gl.’98 v SAf,Sco(s) 1gl,Spa,Nor,Rus,Swe(s),Bel,Mor(s) 1gl,Fin,SAf,Sau(s),Den 1gl,Par,Ita,Cro,Bra.’99 v Aut(s),Ice,Rus,And 1gl,Mor 1gl,Eng,Ukr,Arm,Rus.’00 v Ukr,Arm 1gl,Ice 1gl,Cro(s),Pol,Sco,Jap(s) 1gl,Mor 1gl,Den,Cze(s) 1gl,Hol(s),Spa 1gl,Ita.’01 v WXI(s),Eng,Por(s) 1gl,SKo(s) 1gl,Aus,Mex(s),Bra,Jap.’02 v Alg(s),Sco(s),Rus,Bel,SKo,Sen,Den(s).
HONOURS World Cup win (France) ’98.Con Cp win (France) ’01.Eur Ch win (France) ’00.Eur Cp win (PSG) ’96.UEFA Cp win (Inter Milan) ’98.Fr Cp win (Monaco) ’91.Eur Cp Win Cp los (Monaco) ’92.UEFA Cp los (Inter Milan) ’97.FLC Los (Bolton Wanderers) ’04.
SQUAD NUMBER   15  Sep’04.
 

PL         3 apps  - 3 wdn  -68m      2 ns

Autobiography Snake with Arnaud Ramsay Grasset 2006 276 pages ISBN 2246695716

A legendary French international who won a World Cup winners' medal in 1998 his father Jean had gained 48 international caps during a career that saw him play for Lyon, Marseilles and Paris St Germain. Although he played for France Djorkaeff's paternal side were ethnic Kalmouk, a Mongol tribe from Russia. Inter married with French and Polish blood Djorkaeff's pedigree was further complicated by the fact that his maternal line was pure Armenian. Whatever the resultant mix, it produced in Youri a player of rare subtlety and all round capabilities whose deft touches could undermine a defence. It was a surprise in 2002 that a player of such pedigree joined a struggling club like Bolton but he was perhaps more instrumental than anybody in establishing the Wanderers as a Premiership side. Unable to agree a new contract he stopped playing but was brought to Ewood by Mark Hughes to try and turn Blackburn's fortunes around at a time outside the transfer window when only free agents could be signed. After a promising debut he faltered and a long term injury kept him out of the game so long that the Rovers declined to renew his contract which expired at the end of December. Two months later he signed to play in Major League Soccer in the USA, his last move before retirement.In 2007 he became president of UGA Decines. Named after the principal character in Dr Zhivago, he had two brothers who played football, Denis (FC Roune and Olympique Ales) and Misha (UGA Decines).