1. Overview
Alou Diarra (born 15 July 1981) is a French former professional footballer and current coach, managing Troyes' under-19 side in the Championnat National U19 as of the 2022-23 season. Primarily a defensive midfielder, he could also play as a centre-back. Diarra is characterized as a "strong, athletic, and very powerful" player with a "combative edge," drawing comparisons to former French international Patrick Vieira. Standing at 75 in (190 cm) and weighing 172 lb (78 kg), he was also recognized for his leadership qualities, serving as captain for both Bordeaux and the France national team. Throughout his career, Diarra achieved notable success, contributing significantly to team victories in various French and international competitions.
2. Early Life and Background
Alou Diarra's personal journey began in France, rooted in his Malian heritage, and was shaped by his early dedication to football and close family ties.
2.1. Childhood and Youth Career
Diarra was born in the commune of Villepinte in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, France. He began his football career at the local club Aulnay in 1987, playing there for six years. In 1993, he moved back to his birth city to join Villepinte FC. During his time in Villepinte's youth academy, Diarra faced challenges in attracting attention from professional clubs, often having to personally contact them to secure trials. He was notably denied several opportunities, including by Le Mans FC. This struggle, according to his brother, instilled in Diarra a strong motivation to succeed.
In 1997, Diarra signed an amateur contract with CS Louhans-Cuiseaux, a professional club playing in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. He was integrated into the club's youth academy before being promoted to the reserve team for the 1998-99 season, where he spent two years. In the latter part of the 1999-2000 season, manager Philippe Hinschberger called him up to the senior team. Diarra made his professional debut on 15 April 2000 in a 2-1 defeat against Toulouse, receiving a yellow card. Two weeks later, on 29 April, he made his first professional start in a 3-2 loss to Niort. In his final appearance for Louhans-Cuiseaux, Diarra received the first red card of his career after incurring two yellow card infractions in a 2-1 defeat to Le Mans on 5 May 2000. Louhans-Cuiseaux finished the season in last place and were relegated to the semi-professional Championnat National, the third division of French football. Following the season, Diarra rejected a trainee contract offered by Louhans-Cuiseaux, opting to become a free agent and sign with any club.
2.2. Family
Alou Diarra was born to Malian parents. He has three younger brothers and one sister. His brother, Zanké, is also a footballer who played for the reserve team of Paris Saint-Germain before joining US Quevilly in the Championnat National. Another brother, Idrissa, is involved in running a social networking site that helps amateur footballers find clubs. Diarra and his siblings grew up in the Rose des Vents neighborhood, located in the nearby commune of Aulnay-sous-Bois, where his parents still reside. Diarra is married and has two children. On 28 May 2010, just before the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Diarra temporarily left the national team's training camp to be with his wife for the birth of their second child.
3. Club Career
Alou Diarra's club career spanned several prominent European leagues, marked by periods of significant success, challenging transfers, and notable leadership roles.
3.1. Early Professional Stages
In the summer of 2000, Diarra was scouted by German club Bayern Munich after only one match with Louhans-Cuiseaux, leading to his acquisition. Upon his arrival in Germany, he was immediately assigned to the club's reserve team, Bayern Munich II, which competed in the Regionalliga Süd, then the third tier of German football. Diarra quickly established himself as a regular in the team, playing alongside future stars like Owen Hargreaves, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Zvjezdan Misimović. In his first season with the reserve squad, he made 28 appearances and scored four goals, including his debut goal in the first league match of the season on 30 July 2000 against VfR Mannheim, albeit in a 4-2 defeat. His combative playing style became evident as he accumulated nine yellow cards during the campaign, with seven of them occurring within the first 17 matches.
Diarra's strong performances earned him a promotion to the senior team for the 2001-02 season under manager Ottmar Hitzfeld, where he was assigned the number 30 shirt. He was named to the bench for several league matches in August and September but did not make an appearance. In October 2001, he was sent back to the reserve team, playing four matches before earning another promotion to the senior squad for the 2001 Intercontinental Cup against Argentine club Boca Juniors. Although Diarra was on the bench for the match, he did not feature as Bayern secured a 1-0 victory through an extra-time goal from Samuel Kuffour. This win marked Diarra's first major honor in his professional career. Following this, he returned to the reserve team and subsequently suffered an injury that required a lengthy absence. Diarra rejoined the reserve squad in March 2002 under new manager Hermann Gerland, making nine more appearances. After the season, Bayern Munich offered him a new three-year contract, which he rejected due to his limited playing time with the senior team.
Despite failing to make a single senior team appearance for Bayern, Diarra expressed fondness for his time there in 2009. Years later, following Diarra's success at Bordeaux, Bayern's general manager Uli Hoeneß remarked that Diarra's rise to prominence was "one of the seven wonders of the world," expressing surprise at his resurgence. Due to FIFA compensation regulations, Bayern Munich reportedly recouped over 800.00 K EUR from Diarra's subsequent transfers after his departure in 2002.
3.2. Liverpool and Loan Spells in France
On 3 July 2002, English club Liverpool confirmed their interest in signing Diarra, with manager Gérard Houllier notably comparing him to Patrick Vieira. Liverpool competed with Italian giants Juventus and several French clubs for his signature. On 9 July, Liverpool announced they had signed Diarra from Bayern Munich on a five-year contract. He made his unofficial club debut in a pre-season friendly against French side Le Havre. The day after this match, reports emerged that Diarra was close to a loan move to the very same club, which was confirmed on 1 August 2002.
3.2.1. Loan stints in France
Diarra made his competitive debut for Le Havre on 17 August 2002 as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Strasbourg. He was a frequent starter for most of the autumn season but primarily appeared as a substitute after the winter break. In September 2002, a contract dispute from his time at Louhans-Cuiseaux resurfaced, with his former club claiming he was banned from professional play in France for three years due to his move abroad without a trainers' compensation fee. However, FIFA ruled in Diarra's favor, allowing him to continue his career with Le Havre. He scored his first professional goal on 25 January 2003 in a 2-1 Coupe de France defeat to Laval. He concluded the campaign with 28 total appearances.
In the 2003 off-season, Diarra expressed his ambition to return to Liverpool, stating, "I'm someone who is ambitious and I hope to win my place at Anfield next season." However, in July 2003, Houllier confirmed that Diarra would remain in France on another loan, this time joining Corsican club Bastia. Upon his arrival, manager Gérard Gili immediately installed Diarra as a starter, and he quickly repaid the faith, scoring in back-to-back weeks in September 2003: in a 4-2 win against Guingamp and a 4-1 loss to Auxerre. On 7 March 2004, he scored in Bastia's surprising 4-1 victory over Marseille. Diarra finished the season with 38 total appearances and four goals.
After the season, Diarra returned to Liverpool for pre-season training, but under the guidance of new Spanish coach Rafael Benítez rather than Houllier. As a result, he was once again linked with a loan move for the third consecutive season. His exclusion from the club's roster for its North America tour indicated an impending loan, and on 27 July 2004, he was loaned to Lens. Diarra commented on his situation, stating, "Do you see the Liverpool group? They are all internationals or more famous players. I had a long talk with Rafa Benítez and he could not guarantee me a first team place. I didn't want to only play ten games a season."
Similar to his stint at Bastia, Diarra was included as a starter by coach Joël Muller. This season proved to be a major success for Diarra, as he was the only player in the team to start every league match he played for the club, also serving as captain for a majority of the campaign. His consistent performances led to his first call-up to the senior national team. Diarra scored his first goal of the season on 2 October 2004 in the opening minute of a 1-1 draw against Ajaccio. On 6 February 2005, he scored the opener in Lens' 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. He concluded the season with 37 total appearances and two goals, accumulating 11 yellow cards.
3.3. RC Lens
After establishing himself as a premier player in France and an international during the 2004-05 campaign, Liverpool manager Benítez initially declared that Diarra still had a future at the club. However, in April 2005, Diarra expressed his desire to stay with Lens for the long term. Following the conclusion of the season, on 24 June 2005, Liverpool granted his request after Lens reached an agreement on a transfer fee, reportedly around 3.20 M EUR. Diarra concluded his Liverpool career without making any first-team appearances, with his only club outing being a pre-season friendly.
Diarra remained a consistent starter at Lens. In the 2005-06 season, he appeared in a career-high 44 matches, scoring two goals and providing four assists. His goals came in a 2-1 away win over Nancy and a 2-2 draw with Nice. During this period, Diarra also made his debut in European club competitions, featuring in the 2005-06 UEFA Cup. His European debut was on 3 July 2005 in a UEFA Intertoto Cup second-round tie against Polish club Lech Poznań. Diarra ultimately played in ten matches during Lens' European campaign, as the club reached the Round of 32 in the UEFA Cup, where they were defeated 3-1 on aggregate by Italian side Udinese. Lens also won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2005, marking a club honor for Diarra.
3.4. Olympique Lyonnais
Following the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Diarra was linked with a move to then five-time defending French champions Lyon, which would reunite him with his former manager, Gérard Houllier. The transfer was finalized on 23 August 2006, following the departure of his namesake, Mahamadou Diarra, who joined Spanish club Real Madrid for a fee of 26.00 M EUR. Alou Diarra's transfer fee was set at 6.25 M EUR, and he was assigned the number 18 shirt.
Diarra found it challenging to make an impact at Lyon, as Houllier preferred the younger Jérémy Toulalan as his starting defensive midfielder and Tiago Mendes as the box-to-box midfielder. He made his club debut relatively late in the season, on 16 September 2006, in Lyon's 3-1 away win over Lorient. Diarra scored his first goal for the club on 6 December 2006 in Lyon's final UEFA Champions League group stage match against Romanian club Steaua București, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Two weeks later, he scored his second goal in a 3-1 win over Nancy in the Coupe de la Ligue quarter-finals.
After the winter break, Diarra struggled with a thigh injury, which kept him out of action for nearly three months. He eventually returned to the team in March 2007, appearing as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Derby du Rhône rivals Saint-Étienne. Throughout the season, Diarra voiced complaints about his limited playing time, leading Houllier to openly question Diarra's ego. The feud escalated on 6 April 2007, when Houllier dropped Diarra from the squad for the match against Valenciennes and ordered him to play for the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth tier of French football. Diarra refused these orders, and Houllier reportedly threatened to exclude him for the remainder of the season, demanding an apology from the player. Diarra did not relent and consequently missed the team's next four league matches, as well as the 2007 Coupe de la Ligue Final. He returned to the team on 28 April, playing the entire match in a 3-1 win over Le Mans. He maintained this level of involvement in three of Lyon's last five matches as the club secured its sixth consecutive Ligue 1 title in the 2006-07 Ligue 1 season. One of these matches included Diarra's first league goal for Lyon, which came in a 3-0 victory over his former club, Lens, on 9 May 2007.
3.5. FC Girondins de Bordeaux
After the 2006-07 season with Lyon, Diarra sought a move to another club and was heavily linked with English teams like Manchester City and Portsmouth. In July 2007, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas confirmed that the club had accepted a bid of 5.00 M GBP from Portsmouth. However, Aulas also revealed that Diarra refused the move, preferring to stay in France and join Bordeaux. On 20 July, following a week of negotiations, Bordeaux confirmed Diarra's signing. The midfielder inked a four-year contract, and the transfer fee was set at 7.75 M EUR. Diarra cited his primary reason for choosing Bordeaux over Portsmouth as the former's ambition to "play for the first positions in Ligue 1." He was signed as a replacement for the departed Rio Mavuba and his arrival coincided with the appointment of former football player Laurent Blanc as manager.
3.5.1. 2007-2009
Diarra was assigned the number 4 shirt and made his competitive debut for Bordeaux on 4 August 2007 in a 1-0 league win over his former club, Lens, receiving a yellow card. On 29 August, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 victory over Metz. Diarra was a consistent starter throughout the entire season, appearing in all 36 league matches he played. He formed excellent midfield partnerships with box-to-box midfielders Alejandro Alonso and Fernando Menegazzo, which allowed Diarra the freedom to distribute the ball and dismantle opposition attacks. On 2 December, Diarra scored in Bordeaux's thrilling 4-3 win over Derby de la Garonne rivals Toulouse.
Diarra also participated in European competition with Bordeaux during the season, playing in four matches during the club's UEFA Cup campaign. Bordeaux reached the Round of 32, where they were eliminated by Belgian club Anderlecht on a 3-2 aggregate scoreline. In the Coupe de France, Bordeaux reached the quarter-finals, with Diarra appearing in all four matches, including playing 120 minutes in back-to-back rounds. He scored two more goals for the club in the league: both in wins over Metz and Rennes. Bordeaux finished the 2007-08 season in second place, four points behind champions Lyon, marking Lyon's narrowest title margin since the 2003-04 season. Diarra concluded the season with 44 total appearances and four goals.
In the 2008-09 season, Diarra remained a central figure in the starting lineup, a team further bolstered by the arrival of the influential Yoann Gourcuff. He participated in Bordeaux's 5-4 penalty shootout victory in the 2008 Trophée des Champions against Lyon. Bordeaux capitalized on this momentum, remaining undefeated in eight of their nine opening league matches. However, Diarra received his first red card for the club during this period, in a 1-0 win over Grenoble, after collecting two yellow cards within a five-minute span. On 21 December 2008, Diarra scored the second goal in Bordeaux's dramatic 4-3 comeback win over Monaco at the Stade Louis II, a match where Bordeaux had trailed 3-0 with 40 minutes remaining.
Bordeaux went on to win the Coupe de la Ligue that season. Diarra missed the final match due to injury but played in the semi-final, a 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain, which secured Bordeaux's spot in the final. In the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League, Diarra appeared in all six of Bordeaux's group stage matches, scoring a goal against English club Chelsea in a 1-1 draw. The club's third-place finish in its group led to a return to the UEFA Cup, where Bordeaux was eliminated in the Round of 32 for the second consecutive season.
On 19 April 2009, Diarra scored the decisive goal in Bordeaux's 1-0 win over title rivals Lyon at the Stade de Gerland, helping his team establish a significant gap at the top of the table. Bordeaux subsequently went on a six-match winning streak to close out the season, securing the sixth Ligue 1 title in the club's history and their first since 1999, ending Lyon's dominant run. Bordeaux also achieved its second-ever double (winning both the league and league cup) that season. Diarra finished the campaign with a career-high 45 total appearances and three goals.
3.5.2. 2009-2011
Ahead of the 2009-10 season, manager Laurent Blanc designated Diarra as the new captain, following the departure of former captain and goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé. Diarra started the season by claiming his fourth piece of silverware with Bordeaux on 25 July 2009, winning the 2009 Trophée des Champions title in a 2-0 victory over Guingamp. In the third league match of the season, Diarra scored his first goal of the campaign in a 3-0 win over Nice. He frequently featured in the starting lineup during the first half of the season but struggled with injuries from January to March. This period of absence included missing the first leg of Bordeaux's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Greek club Olympiacos. Diarra returned for the second leg but was ejected from the match in the second half after receiving two yellow card infractions, meaning he would miss the first leg of the quarter-final tie against league rivals Lyon. Bordeaux ultimately lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Diarra returned to league play on 13 March 2010 and played the remainder of the league campaign, missing only one match. Due to injuries to Gourcuff and the declining form of Marouane Chamakh, Bordeaux experienced a dip in performance in the spring season, resulting in the club failing to defend its title or qualify for European competition.
Prior to the start of the 2010-11 season, Diarra was heavily linked with a move to the reigning champions Marseille. On 14 July, Marseille manager Didier Deschamps confirmed that the club was in negotiations with both Diarra and Bordeaux for a transfer. A week later, Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud stated that Marseille had failed to meet the player's 7.75 M EUR release clause, indicating that Diarra was unlikely to leave the club. Despite Marseille's continued hopes for a deal, on 30 July, the transfer was officially declared dead. Diarra later expressed his contentment with remaining at Bordeaux and fulfilling the remainder of his contract. The defensive midfielder began the new campaign by scoring two goals in the first six matches of the season, in wins over Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon.
On 16 October 2010, Diarra was involved in a controversial incident that resulted in a six-match ban from league football. After receiving a yellow card from referee Wilfried Bien during Bordeaux's 1-0 win over Auxerre, Diarra responded by pushing the referee with both hands. He was immediately shown a red card and dismissed from the match. After initially walking off the field, Diarra turned back, approached Bien, and apologized for the confrontation. He issued another apology after the match and received support from his former coach, Laurent Blanc, who stated that Diarra had made a simple mistake which he immediately regretted. Initially, Diarra was suspended for three matches; however, following a November tribunal by the Ligue de Football Professionnel, his suspension was increased to six matches. Reflecting on the incident, Diarra stated, "The commission and its president have heard me. I will never do this anymore, that's for sure. This is the last time this will happen. I regret it." Diarra returned to the team on 27 November, playing only the first half in Bordeaux's 1-1 draw with Lille.
3.6. Olympique de Marseille
On 4 July 2011, Diarra completed his highly anticipated move from Bordeaux to league rivals Marseille, signing a three-year contract. The transfer fee was undisclosed but was widely reported to be in the region of 5.00 M EUR. During his time with Marseille, Diarra won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2012 and the Trophée des Champions in 2011.
3.7. English Club Career
After a successful period in French football, Alou Diarra moved back to England for later stages of his career, experiencing varied challenges and opportunities.
3.7.1. West Ham United
On 10 August 2012, Diarra returned to England, joining West Ham United on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He expressed his delight at joining the club and his anticipation of playing in the Premier League. Marseille's chairman, Vincent Labrune, confirmed that Diarra's transfer was part of efforts to reduce the club's wage bill.
Diarra made his debut for West Ham on 25 August 2012 in a 3-0 away defeat to Swansea City, coming on as a 69th-minute substitute for Mohamed Diamé. After making three appearances, his first-team opportunities became limited when he suffered a thigh strain during training in September. In the January 2013 transfer window, Diarra requested to leave the club and publicly criticized manager Sam Allardyce for not explaining his team selections. Diarra stated that his time at West Ham had become a "waste of time." Following his loan move, Diarra claimed he was "conned" by his agent, who had allegedly lied to him to facilitate his move to West Ham. He also criticized West Ham's pre-season training schedule, having just completed Euro 2012, which he felt contributed to his thigh injury.
Despite his earlier comments, Diarra returned to West Ham for the beginning of the 2013-14 season. In his second game of the season, a League Cup match against Cheltenham Town, he was carried off injured after 34 minutes due to a damaged anterior cruciate ligament. This injury was initially expected to sideline him for the entire season. However, Diarra made an unexpected return to fitness in 2013, featuring in a 2-1 away win against Tottenham Hotspur on 18 December 2013 in the League Cup. On 9 July 2014, he left West Ham by mutual agreement, terminating his remaining one-year deal.
3.7.2. Loan to Stade Rennais
On 31 January 2013, the transfer deadline day, Diarra rejoined French football by moving to Rennes on loan until the end of the season. Several days after his return to France, Diarra made his debut, coming on as a substitute and providing an assist for fellow debutant Axel Ngando, who scored his first goal for the club to secure a draw with Lorient. Diarra made twelve appearances for Rennes before returning to West Ham United. His return was prompted after Rennes manager Frédéric Antonetti publicly criticized him, claiming that Diarra "has not been able to give all that he could give."
3.7.3. Charlton Athletic
On 23 February 2015, Diarra signed a deal with Championship side Charlton Athletic to last until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 loss to rivals Millwall. He later signed an extension to his contract until the summer of 2016, with an option for an additional year. On 1 September 2016, Diarra's contract with Charlton was canceled by mutual consent, as he expressed a desire to return to France with his family.
3.8. AS Nancy
On 1 September 2016, following his departure from Charlton, Diarra joined Nancy, a club that had recently been promoted to Ligue 1 after winning the 2015-16 Ligue 2 title. He signed a one-season deal with the club. On 15 October 2016, Diarra scored Nancy's only goal in a 2-1 home defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in a Ligue 1 match. His goal came in the 55th minute from a header off Benoît Pedretti's free kick from the right. This marked his first Ligue 1 goal since scoring for Marseille in early 2012. He left AS Nancy at the end of the season in June 2017.
4. International Career
Alou Diarra proudly represented the French national teams across various levels, participating in major international tournaments and eventually serving as captain for the senior squad.
4.1. Youth National Teams
Diarra is a former French youth international, having earned caps at both under-20 and under-21 levels. His first international youth call-up came in 2001 from coach Raymond Domenech for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. Diarra played in the first group stage match, a dominant 5-0 victory over Iran. However, he was substituted out in the 30th minute due to an injury, which was deemed severe enough to force him to miss the remainder of the tournament. France eventually exited the competition in the quarter-finals, losing 3-1 to a Javier Saviola-led Argentina. Diarra's only other confirmed appearance with the under-20 team was in a 1-0 win over Egypt in April 2002.
Diarra received his first call-up to the under-21 team in August 2002 for a friendly match against Cyprus, making his debut in the 1-0 French victory. He featured regularly for the team as France attempted to qualify for both the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and the football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics. France, however, failed to qualify for both competitions, marking the end of Diarra's youth career. He appeared in 10 competitive matches with the U-21 team, scoring his sole goal at this level in a 3-1 UEFA U21 tournament qualification win over Israel. In December 2003, Diarra was approached by the Mali national team to participate in the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, but he declined the opportunity to represent his parents' nation, choosing instead to pursue his career with his home country, France.
4.2. Senior National Team
On 13 August 2004, Alou Diarra received his first call-up to the senior national team from Raymond Domenech for a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, though he did not make his debut in that game. He was called up again in October for 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus. Diarra earned his first senior cap in the match against Ireland, entering as a substitute for Olivier Dacourt in a 0-0 draw. He featured heavily in the World Cup qualification campaign, primarily as a substitute for either Patrick Vieira or Claude Makélélé. Following France's qualification for the tournament, Diarra was named to the squad for the 2006 competition. In the tournament, he made two substitute appearances: one for Vieira in France's final group stage match against Togo, and another in the final match against Italy. France ultimately lost the final 5-3 in a penalty shootout, in which Diarra did not participate.
After a friendly match against Greece in November 2006, Diarra was absent from the national team for nearly two years, largely due to his struggles for consistent playing time at Lyon. Consequently, he missed UEFA Euro 2008, although he had been named to the preliminary squad. After regaining his form and prominence at Bordeaux, Diarra began to make his way back into the national team, participating in seven matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. He was subsequently selected to participate in his second consecutive FIFA World Cup, the 2010 edition in South Africa. France endured a disastrous campaign marked by internal discord, including a players' strike in response to the expulsion of striker Nicolas Anelka from the team. In the team's final group stage match against hosts South Africa, with several veteran players absent from the squad, Diarra was given the captaincy for the first time in his international career. Despite his leadership, the team suffered a 2-1 loss, which resulted in their elimination from the competition.
Diarra was one of several players retained by incoming coach Laurent Blanc, who was also his former manager at Bordeaux. After missing the August 2010 friendly due to suspension, he returned to the team in September, playing the entire match in 2-0 victories over both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania. Diarra served as captain in both of these matches. On 9 February 2011, he captained the team for the fifth time in his career in their 1-0 victory over Brazil. He continued to be a regular presence in the French squad until 2012, concluding his international career with 44 appearances and no goals.
q=Villepinte, Seine-Saint-Denis|position=left
q=Aulnay-sous-Bois, France|position=right
5. Coaching Career
After retiring as a professional footballer, Alou Diarra transitioned into coaching, focusing on youth development within French clubs. In 2018, he joined his former club Lens as an assistant coach for their under-19 side. He later took on an assistant role for the club's reserve team. By 2020, Diarra had advanced to become an assistant coach for Lens' senior team, working under manager Franck Haise. In 2022, Diarra departed Lens to join Troyes, where he took on the role of manager for their under-19 side in the Championnat National U19.
6. Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS Louhans-Cuiseaux | 1999-2000 | 3 | 0 |
| Bayern Munich II | 2000-2002 | 41 | 5 |
| Bayern Munich | 2000-2002 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool | 2002-2005 | 0 | 0 |
| Le Havre (loan) | 2002-2003 | 25 | 0 |
| SC Bastia (loan) | 2003-2004 | 35 | 4 |
| RC Lens (loan) | 2004-2005 | 34 | 2 |
| RC Lens | 2005-2006 | 32 | 2 |
| Olympique Lyonnais | 2006-2007 | 15 | 1 |
| FC Girondins de Bordeaux | 2007-2011 | 133 | 11 |
| Olympique de Marseille | 2011-2012 | 34 | 2 |
| West Ham United | 2012-2014 | 6 | 0 |
| Stade Rennais (loan) | 2013 | 12 | 0 |
| Charlton Athletic | 2015-2016 | 44 | 1 |
| AS Nancy | 2016-2017 | 18 | 2 |
| Career Total (Club) | 432 | 30 | |
International Appearances and Goals
| National Team | Season | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2004-05 | 3 | 0 |
| 2005-06 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2006-07 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2007-08 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2008-09 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2009-10 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010-11 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2011-12 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total (Senior International) | 44 | 0 | |
7. Honours
Club
- Intercontinental Cup: 2001 (with Bayern Munich)
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005 (with RC Lens)
- Ligue 1: 2006-07 (with Lyon), 2008-09 (with Bordeaux)
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2009 (with Bordeaux), 2011-12 (with Marseille)
- Trophée des Champions: 2008, 2009 (with Bordeaux), 2011 (with Marseille)
International
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2006 (with France)