http://www.chelseafc.com/Player.asp?plid=6254

PLAYER PROFILES

William Gallas


     Already in his prime and firmly established as a French
international, William has at last added the first major honours of his
career.


     When father figure Marcel Desailly left in the summer of 2004,
William's searing pace and superb one-on-one defending became an even more
key component of Chelsea's rearguard as the defensive record books were
rewritten.


     Centre-back is William's preferred position but full-back duties are
well within his capability, a major reason why he has been one of
Chelsea’s most used players during his four years here. Indeed Jose
Mourinho relied on his ability to play left-back on many occasions last
season, especially after Wayne Bridge's injury.


     A product of the famous French national academy at Clairefontaine
that also spawned Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and many others, he began
his club career at modest Caen before joining the biggest French club of
all, Marseille.


     It was there he first became known to many English fans when scoring
a Champions League winner against Man United. A broken leg prevented him
facing Chelsea later that same season but he did still find his way onto
Gianluca Vialli's shopping list.


     Marseille were unwilling to sell then but a year later when Claudio
Ranieri called the situation had changed and ￡6.2 million was accepted.


     In the summer of 2004, the player challenged Chelsea to prove the
club matched his ambitions. The arrival of Roman Abramovich more than
satisfied the demand so William signed a contract that ties him to
Stamford Bridge until 2007.