Former Arsenal and French international midfielder, Robert Pires has retired at the age of 42. After having played with a host of European clubs, the Frenchman has ended his career with FC Goa in India.
Robert Pires made his debut with Metz in France where he will make 162 appearances for them. He will score 43 goals with them and manage to win the Coupe de la Ligue. His good form with Metz will allow him to make a move to Marseille in 1998. His good form with Marseille will allow the French team to finish second in the league and only miss the title by one point. However his second season was marred by injuries, and he will miss quite some games.
In 2000, he will make the switch to Arsenal where he will struggle to adapt to the Premier League. His poor form, as well as comments that the English game was too physical, will make him unpopular with Arsenal fans. Indeed, it was a difficult task to replace Marc Overmars who left the club for Barcelona.
However, under the guidance of Arsene Wenger, he will progress and turn out to be quite a good player for the club. He will begin to not only score spectacular goals but also create them. He will go and become an important player for Arsenal particularly as part of the Invincible team that finish a whole season unbeaten. He will make a formidable partnership with players such as Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, and Patrick Viera.
After 6 seasons at the club, he will leave Arsenal after having failed to receive a 2-year contract with the Gunners. He will make the move to Villareal where he will enjoy some good runs in the team. His team will ultimately finish second in the league behind Real Madrid.
