Graeme Le Saux

3.1. Chelsea (First stint)

Le Saux's initial period at Chelsea saw him secure a regular place in the squad after his debut against Portsmouth in 1989. By the 1990-91 season, he was a consistent starter. This first spell, however, ended controversially. Frustrated by frequent substitutions, Le Saux publicly displayed his anger during a match against Southampton, throwing his shirt to the ground as he walked past manager Ian Porterfield after being substituted once again. This incident led to his departure from the club, and he was sold to Blackburn Rovers in March 1993 for 700.00 K GBP.

3.2. Blackburn Rovers

At Blackburn Rovers, Le Saux quickly became an integral part of the team. His arrival was part of a significant project spearheaded by wealthy benefactor Jack Walker and manager Kenny Dalglish, who aimed to transform the club into a top English side. Le Saux joined a formidable squad that included prominent players such as Alan Shearer and Tim Flowers. In his first full season, Blackburn Rovers finished second in the league. The following year, during the 1994-95 Premier League season, Le Saux was a near ever-present figure and played a crucial role alongside forwards like Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton in securing the Premier League title for Blackburn.

Despite this success, his time at Blackburn was not without incident. He missed the latter half of the 1995-96 season due to a broken ankle, an injury that also ruled him out of Euro 96. During this period, he was involved in a notable public altercation with teammate David Batty during a UEFA Champions League match against Spartak Moscow.

3.3. Chelsea (Second stint)

In August 1997, Le Saux returned to Chelsea in a transfer deal worth 5.00 M GBP, making him the most expensive defender in English football history at the time. While consistently a regular when available, his second spell at Chelsea was frequently interrupted by injuries or suspensions. He remained with the club for six seasons and was a vital component of the team that secured the League Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1998. He also contributed to Chelsea's FA Cup victory in 2000, though he missed the final matches of both the 1998 Cup Winners' Cup and the 2000 FA Cup due to injury.

3.4. Southampton

In 2003, Graeme Le Saux moved to Southampton as part of a part-exchange deal that saw Wayne Bridge join Chelsea. He played for Southampton for two seasons, initially establishing himself as a regular. However, the 2004-05 season saw him frequently hampered by injuries. Despite his struggles, he made a return to the team when they were in the relegation zone. In the 35th match of the season against Norwich City, he scored a decisive volley. In the season's final critical match against Manchester United, with the club's Premier League status on the line, Le Saux delivered a corner kick that resulted in a goal. Despite his efforts, Southampton lost the match and were relegated from the Premiership. Following the club's relegation in May 2005, Le Saux announced his retirement from full-time professional football. During his time at Southampton, he scored two goals in total: one in the league against Norwich City and another in the League Cup against Bristol City.

3.5. Brief return: Wembley FC

In June 2012, after his retirement from professional football, Le Saux briefly returned to playing for Wembley FC in their FA Cup campaign for the new season. He was part of a notable group of former professional footballers who agreed to join the non-league side, including Ray Parlour, Martin Keown, Claudio Caniggia, and Brian McBride. The team also received support from former England manager Terry Venables as a technical advisor and David Seaman as goalkeeping coach. Their participation was part of a television documentary focused on the club's attempt to play at Wembley Stadium. Wembley FC successfully advanced by defeating Langford in the previous round, but were ultimately knocked out in a replay by Uxbridge.

5.1. Family background and education

Graeme Le Saux's family background includes English descent through his mother, with distant Breton roots on his father's side. He is married to Mariana and they have two children. Outside of football, Le Saux pursued academic interests, undertaking an Environmental Studies degree at Kingston University. Although he ultimately dropped out to fully dedicate himself to his football career, his intellectual curiosity persisted. During his playing days, he was often subjected to ridicule from teammates and fans for deviating from the "typical" footballer's lifestyle, specifically for reading The Guardian, a left-wing broadsheet newspaper, and for visiting museums in his spare time. These interests set him apart and contributed to public perceptions that sometimes led to unfair scrutiny.

5.2. Homophobic abuse controversies

Despite being heterosexual, married, and a father of two children, rumors about Graeme Le Saux's sexual orientation circulated throughout his career. These false rumors reportedly began after he mentioned spending a summer holiday with his Chelsea teammate Ken Monkou. Le Saux attributed the perpetuation of these rumors to his disinterest in the stereotypical footballer's lifestyle, his university background, and his preference for reading The Guardian, a left-wing broadsheet, rather than more commonly read tabloids. This created an environment where he was subjected to homophobic abuse from both opposing fans and, disturbingly, from other players.

A particularly notable incident occurred on February 27, 1999, during a match between Chelsea and Liverpool. Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler repeatedly bent over and pointed his backside in Le Saux's direction, an act of overt homophobic taunting. Le Saux, visibly distressed, delayed taking a free-kick to protest Fowler's behavior and was subsequently booked for time-wasting by the referee. Fowler later claimed in an autobiography that during the exchange, Le Saux shouted, "But I'm married!", to which Fowler allegedly retorted, "So was Elton John, mate!" Le Saux has unequivocally denied that this conversation ever took place, stating that Fowler used "dramatic licence" to make himself appear humorous. He emphasized that the incident deeply offended him more than anything else in his career, and that Fowler had never acknowledged the wrongfulness of his actions, continuing to treat it as a joke. Although the referee did not take immediate action against Fowler, Le Saux later struck Fowler on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area, an action unseen by match officials. Both players were subsequently charged with misconduct by The FA.

The impact of this abuse continued to affect Le Saux. Following Thomas Hitzlsperger's public disclosure of being gay in January 2014, an article written by Le Saux in 2007, which discussed his experiences, resurfaced on social media. This prompted Robbie Fowler to finally issue an apology to Le Saux via Twitter.

In his 2007 autobiography, Left Field: A Footballer Apart, Le Saux also revealed that Gwyn Williams, who served as Chelsea's assistant manager, made homophobic comments towards him. Le Saux quoted Williams as saying, "He would wander up to me before training and say: 'Come on, poof, get your boots on.'" These incidents highlight the systemic challenges and prejudices faced by individuals who do not conform to traditional masculine stereotypes within the highly scrutinizing environment of professional football. Le Saux's willingness to speak out against such abuse contributed to broader discussions about homophobia and discrimination in sports.

7.1. Club achievements

Le Saux achieved notable success with several clubs throughout his career:

• With Blackburn Rovers:
  • Premier League: 1994-95
• With Chelsea:
  • Football League Second Division: 1988-89
  • Football League Cup: 1997-98
  • FA Charity Shield: 2000
  • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997-98
  • UEFA Super Cup: 1998
• With Jersey:
  • Muratti Vase: 1987

7.2. International achievements

With the England national football team, Le Saux participated in major tournaments and contributed to notable victories:

• 1998 FIFA World Cup: Played in all four of England's matches, reaching the second round.
• Tournoi de France: 1997

7.3. Individual honours

Le Saux's individual performance was recognized with:

• PFA Team of the Year: 1994-95 Premier League, 1997-98 Premier League

8.1. Club

8.2. International

Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Le Saux goal.