Frank Leboeuf

French footballer (born 1968)

Frank Leboeuf

Leboeuf in 2011

Personal information
Full name|  Franck Alain James Leboeuf[1]
Date of birth|  (1968-01-22) 22 January 1968 (age 57)[2]
Place of birth|  Marseille, France
Height|  1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s)|  Centre-back[4]
Youth career
1984–1986|  Toulon
1986–1987|  Hyères
1987–1988|  Meaux
Senior career*
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
1988–1991|  Laval|  69|  (11)
1991–1996|  Strasbourg|  189|  (48)
1996–2001|  Chelsea|  144|  (17)
2001–2003|  Marseille|  51|  (5)
2003–2004|  Al Sadd|  17|  (6)
2004–2005|  Al Wakrah|  10|  (2)
2006–2007|  Hollywood United|  |
Total|  |  480|  (89)
International career
1995–2002|  France|  50|  (4)

Medal record

Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Winner | 1998 |
UEFA European Championship
Winner | 2000 |
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner | 2001 |

* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Franck Alain James Leboeuf (born 22 January 1968), commonly known as Frank Leboeuf,[n 1] is a French actor, sports commentator and former footballer who played as a centre-back. With the France national team, Leboeuf won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 as well as a number of domestic trophies, most famously during his five years at Chelsea. Since the conclusion of his playing career, Leboeuf has transitioned to acting, appearing in stage, film productions and is a regular contributor at ESPN FC.

## Club career

[edit]

Leboeuf was born in Marseille[8] and raised in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer.[9] He was introduced to football by his father, a former Rennes coach,[10] who trained children in the sport.[11] After starting his career in 1986 in the lower divisions of the French leagues, Leboeuf moved to Laval in 1988. In 1991, he moved to Strasbourg and played there until 1996, when he made a switch to English club Chelsea for £2.5m.[citation needed]

He played over 200 games for the club and scored 24 goals, mainly from penalties and set pieces.[12] With Chelsea, he won two FA Cups, one League Cup, one Cup Winners' Cup and one UEFA Super Cup.[12] He left in 2001 for club Marseille, before finishing out his career in Qatar.[12] Despite his numerous accolades, Leboeuf never won a first-division title in Europe or the UEFA Champions League.[13]

## International career

[edit]

Leboeuf was capped 50 times for France, scoring four goals. His first two came on 6 September 1995 in a Euro 96 qualifier at home to Azerbaijan, contributing to a 10–0 win,[14] a then-record for France. Although he was mainly a substitute in the 1998 World Cup (started 2 and played in 3 matches out of 7),[15] he stepped in for red carded Laurent Blanc to play in the final,[16] a 3–0 win against Brazil, a match in which he man-marked the highly rated striker Ronaldo.[17]

In a Euro 2000 qualifier on 9 June 1999, Leboeuf scored the only goal from the penalty spot with five minutes to go as world champions France struggled away to amateurs Andorra.[18][19] He received a winner's medal at the finals in Belgium and the Netherlands, though Blanc and Marcel Desailly were the preferred defensive partnership, including in the final.[20][21]

He scored a late winner against co-hosts South Korea on 26 May ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup (3–2).[22] Holders France were eliminated in the group stage in a shock, and he retired from the team.[23]

### International goals

[edit]

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Leboeuf goal.
List of international goals scored by Frank Leboeuf  No.  | Date  | Venue  | Opponent  | Score  | Result  | Competition

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | 6 September 1995 | Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, Auxerre, France |  Azerbaijan | 5–0 | 10–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
2 | 8–0
3 | 9 June 1999 | Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain |  Andorra | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
4 | 26 May 2002 | Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea |  South Korea | 3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly

## Style of play

[edit]

A cultured centre-back, Leboeuf was noted for his intelligence, composure, and long range passing ability. He also had a powerful long range shot, and was a consistent penalty-taker throughout his career.[24][25] He took 15 penalties in competitive games for Chelsea, missing just 2 times, and missing only 1 out of his 11 attempts from the spot in the Premier League.[26][27]

## Acting

[edit]

Leboeuf in 2011

In 2001, whilst still playing football for Chelsea, Leboeuf had made his first acting appearance in the film Taking Sides.[24][28] Following his retirement from competitive football, Leboeuf spent two years living in Los Angeles. During this time he played for amateur team Hollywood United, alongside celebrity team-mates such as Vinnie Jones, Steve Jones and Anthony LaPaglia.[29] Leboeuf studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute in West Hollywood, keeping a low profile, and won his first acting work as a TV commentator, for a pay cheque totalling $100, which he keeps as a memento.[11] Leboeuf acted in several theatre plays in France,[24] including starring alongside Jean-Francois Garreaud in L'intrus in 2010[30] and a role in the play Avec Ma Belle Mère et Moi.[11] In 2014, Leboeuf played a French Resistance fighter in the World War II film Allies[16][24] and a doctor in the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.[31]

## Other media

[edit]

Leboeuf works as a sports commentator and analyst for RMC and ESPN in the United States and he writes a column for Chelsea News in the UK.[32][10][11] In 2010, he was a contestant on the reality television show Koh-Lanta in the Koh-Lanta, le choc des héros special series.[33] He was forced to depart the show after two episodes due to a back injury he had suffered in a car accident shortly before the series commenced.[34] In 2014, Leboeuf made an appearance in the television comedy series Nos Chers Voisins[11][35] and began writing a column for Téléfoot.[36]

In 2019, Leboeuf competed on the first season of Mask Singer, the French version of the global franchise Masked Singer, disguised as a peacock.[37]

## Personal life

[edit]

Leboeuf is married to actress Chrislaure Nollet[24][38] and has two children, Jade and Hugo, from his first marriage to Beatrice.[9] His amateur sporting hobbies include tennis, swimming and boxing.[11]

Franck Leboeuf is the cousin of the hotelier Philippe Leboeuf.[39]

Following the 1998 World Cup, he was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1998.[1]

## Honours

[edit]

Strasbourg

* Division 2 play-offs: 1991–92[40]
* Coupe de France runner-up: 1994–95[40]
* UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1995[41]

Chelsea

* FA Cup: 1996–97,[12] 1999–2000[12]
* Football League Cup: 1997–98[12]
* FA Charity Shield: 2000[42]
* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997–98[12]
* UEFA Super Cup: 1998[43]

Al-Sadd

* Qatar Stars League: 2003–04[44]

Al-Wakrah

* Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2004–05[45]

France

* FIFA World Cup: 1998[46]
* UEFA European Championship: 2000[47]
* FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001[48]

Orders

* Knight of the Legion of Honour: 1998[1]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ While the traditional French spellings of the first name and the surname are respectively Franck and Lebœuf, and some publications about the person observe either or both of those spellings,[1][5] it is Frank Leboeuf that is most common even in French and that the person himself uses in his social media profiles.[6][7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Décret du 24 juillet 1998 portant nomination à titre exceptionnel" [Decree of 24 July 1998 appointing on an exceptional basis]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French). 1998 (170). 25 July 1998. PREX9801916D. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
2. ^ "Frank Leboeuf". ESPN. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
3. ^ "Frank Leboeuf: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
4. ^ "Frank Leboeuf". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
5. ^ "Frank Lebœuf". French Football Federation. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
6. ^ Frank Leboeuf on Facebook
7. ^ Frank Leboeuf on Instagram
8. ^ "Joueur - Frank LEBOEUF - FFF" (in French). Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
9. ^ a b Stammers, Steve (9 June 2000). "Leboeuf ready to answer fans' prayers". ESPN Soccernet Euro 2000. ESPN. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
10. ^ a b Fisher, Stewart (13 September 2011). "Frankly, Leboeuf does give a damn". Herald Scotland. Newsquest. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
11. ^ a b c d e f Kahl, Val. "Frank Leboeuf". Welcome Magazine (in French). Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
12. ^ a b c d e f g "Frank Leboeuf". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 10 December 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
13. ^ Rai, Aniket (28 March 2023). ""Confirmed your agenda against Cristiano" - Fans react furiously as video of former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf trolling Cristiano Ronaldo emerges". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
14. ^ Faure, Mathieu (6 September 2015). "Le jour où la France en a collé 10 à l'Azerbaïdjan" [The day France put 10 past Azerbaijan] (in French). So Foot. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
15. ^ "Frank Leboeuf in the World Cups". The Soccer World Cups.com.
16. ^ a b Walsh, Aly (6 September 2013). "Former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf shooting feature film". Derby Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
17. ^ Bennett, Roger (21 May 2014). "World Cup Moments: Frank Leboeuf". ESPN FC. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
18. ^ "Andorra rank underachievers". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
19. ^ "Quand Frank Leboeuf sauvait les Bleus contre Andorre, en 1999" [When Frank Leboeuf saved Les Bleus against Andorra, in 1999]. L'Équipe (in French). 11 June 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
20. ^ "Leboeuf gets frank with Zizou". BBC Sport. 26 June 2000. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
21. ^ "France win Euro 2000". BBC Sport. 2 July 2000. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
22. ^ "Leboeuf sinks brave Koreans". BBC Sport. 26 May 2002. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
23. ^ "Leboeuf delays retirement". BBC Sport. 29 June 2002. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
24. ^ a b c d e Whelan, David (17 November 2014). "An Interview with Frank Leboeuf". Vice. VICE Media LLC. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
25. ^ "Frank Leboeuf". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
26. ^ "Spot on: Chelsea's Premier League penalty kings". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
27. ^ Furniss, Matt (8 May 2024). "The Best Penalty Takers in the Premier League". The Opta Analyst. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
28. ^ Lesdos, Marianne (18 August 2014). "Frank Lebœuf: en pleine lucarne" [Frank Leboeuf: top corner]. Gala (in French). Retrieved 22 June 2025.
29. ^ Philip, Robert (5 March 2008). "Frank Leboeuf ready to act on the ball". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
30. ^ Thomas, Julien (5 April 2010). "Frank Leboeuf (Koh-Lanta) : "Je suis déçu" (VIDEO)" [Frank Leboeuf (Koh-Lanta): "I am disappointed" (VIDEO)]. Télé-Loisirs (in French). Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
31. ^ Meffre, Benjamin (15 August 2014). "Bande-annonce : Frank Leboeuf est chirurgien dans "The Theory of Everything"". www.ozap.com. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
32. ^ Leboeuf, Frank (16 July 2023). "Frank Leboeuf, Author at Chelsea News". Chelsea News. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
33. ^ "Koh-Lanta, le choc des héros : Frank Leboeuf... le gagnant ?" [Koh-Lanta, the clash of heroes: Frank Leboeuf... the winner?]. Le Parisien (in French). Éditions Philippe Amaury. 30 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
34. ^ Thomas, Julien (5 April 2010). "Frank Leboeuf (Koh-Lanta) : "Je suis déçu"" [Frank Leboeuf (Koh-Lanta): "I am disappointed"] (in French). Tele-Loisirs. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
35. ^ "Laetitia Milot en bikini, Frank Leboeuf très agressif dans 'Nos Chers voisins' !" [Laetitia Milot in a bikini, Frank Leboeuf very aggressive in 'Nos Chers voisins'!]. Pure People (in French). PureMédias. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
36. ^ Lesdos, Marianne. "Frank Lebœuf: en pleine lucarne" [Frank Leboeuf: top corner]. Gala (in French). Prisma Média. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
37. ^ "Franck Leboeuf, le Paon de "Mask Singer", a joué dans le biopic de Stephen Hawking, nommé aux Oscars" [Franck Leboeuf, the Peacock from "Mask Singer," appeared in the Oscar-nominated Stephen Hawking biopic.]. Huffington Post. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
38. ^ "Nathalie Garçon fête le lancement de "Garde-Robes"". Paris Match (in French). Hachette Filipacchi Médias. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014. "...et de Franck Leboeuf, venu aux côtés de sa compagne, l'actrice Chrislaure Nollet"
39. ^ "Philippe Leboeuf, meilleur hôtelier du monde" [Philippe Leboeuf, best hotelier in the world]. 12 November 2018.
40. ^ a b "Frank Leboeuf". L'Équipe. Éditions Philippe Amaury. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
41. ^ "1995: Bordeaux lay down Intertoto gauntlet". UEFA.com Archive. UEFA. 1 August 1995. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
42. ^ "Keane sees red as Chelsea triumph". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 August 2000. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
43. ^ "1998: Poyet strikes late for Chelsea". UEFA. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
44. ^ Falla, Laurent (12 December 2011). "Franck Leboeuf : "Les Qataris sont des businessmen avant tout"" [Franck Leboeuf: "The Qataris are businessmen above all"]. Metro News (in French). Metro International. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
45. ^ "Nilmar sounds warning as Sheikh Jassim Cup begins". Gulf Times. Gulf Publishing and Printing Company. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
46. ^ "Match Report". FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
47. ^ "France 2 - 1 Italy". The Guardian. 2 July 2000. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
48. ^ "Classy France outplay Japan". BBC Sport Online. BBC. 10 June 2001. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frank Leboeuf.

* Frank Leboeuf at the French Football Federation (in French)
* Frank Leboeuf – FIFA competition record (archived)

France squads

* v
* t
* e

France squad – UEFA Euro 1996 semi-finalists

* 1 Lama
* 2 Angloma
* 3 Di Meco
* 4 Leboeuf
* 5 Blanc
* 6 Guérin
* 7 Deschamps (c)
* 8 Desailly
* 9 Djorkaeff
* 10 Zidane
* 11 Loko
* 12 Lizarazu
* 13 Dugarry
* 14 Lamouchi
* 15 Thuram
* 16 Barthez
* 17 Madar
* 18 Pedros
* 19 Karembeu
* 20 Roche
* 21 Martins
* 22 Martini
* Coach: Jacquet

* v
* t
* e

France squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup winners (1st title)

* 1 Lama
* 2 Candela
* 3 Lizarazu
* 4 Vieira
* 5 Blanc
* 6 Djorkaeff
* 7 Deschamps (c)
* 8 Desailly
* 9 Guivarc'h
* 10 Zidane
* 11 Pires
* 12 Henry
* 13 Diomède
* 14 Boghossian
* 15 Thuram
* 16 Barthez
* 17 Petit
* 18 Leboeuf
* 19 Karembeu
* 20 Trezeguet
* 21 Dugarry
* 22 Charbonnier
* Coach: Jacquet

* v
* t
* e

France squad – UEFA Euro 2000 winners (2nd title)

* 1 Lama
* 2 Candela
* 3 Lizarazu
* 4 Vieira
* 5 Blanc
* 6 Djorkaeff
* 7 Deschamps (c)
* 8 Desailly
* 9 Anelka
* 10 Zidane
* 11 Pires
* 12 Henry
* 13 Wiltord
* 14 Micoud
* 15 Thuram
* 16 Barthez
* 17 Petit
* 18 Leboeuf
* 19 Karembeu
* 20 Trezeguet
* 21 Dugarry
* 22 Ramé
* Coach: Lemerre

* v
* t
* e

France squad – 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup winners (1st title)

* 1 Ramé
* 2 Sagnol
* 3 Lizarazu
* 4 Vieira
* 5 Gillet
* 6 Djorkaeff
* 7 Pires
* 8 Desailly (c)
* 9 Anelka
* 10 Carrière
* 11 Wiltord
* 12 Coupet
* 13 Silvestre
* 14 Née
* 15 Bréchet
* 16 Dacourt
* 17 Marlet
* 18 Leboeuf
* 19 Karembeu
* 20 Camara
* 21 Dugarry
* 22 Robert
* 23 Landreau
* Coach: Lemerre

* v
* t
* e

France squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup

* 1 Ramé
* 2 Candela
* 3 Lizarazu
* 4 Vieira
* 5 Christanval
* 6 Djorkaeff
* 7 Makélélé
* 8 Desailly (c)
* 9 Cissé
* 10 Zidane
* 11 Wiltord
* 12 Henry
* 13 Silvestre
* 14 Boghossian
* 15 Thuram
* 16 Barthez
* 17 Petit
* 18 Leboeuf
* 19 Sagnol
* 20 Trezeguet
* 21 Dugarry
* 22 Micoud
* 23 Coupet
* Coach: Lemerre

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