Players - Bruno Cheyrou

Born: 10 May 1978
Born in: Suresnes
Other clubs: Lille (1997-2002), Olympique Marseille (loan 2004-05), Bordeaux (loan 2005-06), Stade Rennais (2006-10), Anorthosis Famagusta (2010), Nantes (2010-12)
Signed from: Lille
Joined Liverpool: £3.7m, 16.05.2002
Debut: 11 Aug 2002
Final appearance: 24 Apr 2004
Debut goal: 02 Oct 2002
Last goal: 24 Jan 2004
Contract until: 29.06.2006
League: Apps / Goals / Assists: 31 / 2 / 0
All Competitions: Apps / Goals / Assists: 48 / 5 / 0

Player Profile

Cheyrou came with good credentials, but struggled to make an impression at Liverpool. He seemed a bit lost in English Premiership football. Being hailed as "the new Zidane" by Gerard Houllier who had brought him to England became a burden rather than an asset. After struggling to impress in his first season his compatriot was still banging the Cheyrou drum: "For me, Bruno has all the assets to reach the level that separates a good player from a great player. He has a great individual technique, he passes the ball well, he has an excellent touch of the ball and the essential tactical sense," said Houllier. "Like other French players before him, he probably needs a little more time. Remember the first season at Arsenal? Everyone laughed at Robert Pires."

Cheyrou did have a couple of highlights along the way. His excellent goal secured Liverpool's first win in the Premiership at Stamford Bridge on 7 January 2004 and two goals against Newcastle in the FA Cup later that month got him voted the best player of the fourth round. Cheyrou was happy to be finally part of the Liverpool team: "It meant a lot to me when Steven Gerrard came up to me after the game and hugged me,'' said Cheyrou. "This season, I felt I still had to earn the respect of my teammates here. It's a while since my name has been heard in the crowd. I was not the worst player in the world a week ago, and I'm not the best player in the world now."  Unfortunately a month later Cheyrou was back on the bench again. He was loaned out to Marseille in the 2004/05 season and then Bordeaux in 2005/06 with the prospect of making it a permanent transfer. Neither team was sufficiently impressed, but Stade Rennais took the plunge and he became a firm fixture in their starting 11 as a holding midfielder. Cheyrou's record at Lille, prior to arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2002, had been excellent. By the end of the 2007/08 season, he had made nearly as many league appearances for Stade Rennais as he did for Liverpool, Marseille and Bordeaux combined. In January 2010 the 31-year-old moved to Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta. After six months in Cyprus, Cheyrou returned to France, signing a two-year deal with Nantes where he made 41 appearances in two seasons in Ligue 2.

He was released in the summer of 2012 and never played professionally again. He has worked as a consultant for BeIN Sports and in November 2017 was appointed as sporting director for Paris Saint Germain's women's team.

Appearances per season

Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
2002-2003 19 2 2 5 1 29
2003-2004 12 4 0 3 0 19
Totals 31 6 2 8 1 48

A more detailed look at the player's appearances

Total Started/substitutions
27 Started
20 Substituted
21 Substitute
25 On bench
Total Venue
25 Home
22 Away
1 Neutral
Total Competition
31 Premier League
6 FA Cup
4 Champions League
4 UEFA Cup
2 League Cup
1 Community Shield
Total W D L Win% Manager
48 23 12 13 47.9% Gérard Houllier

Goals per season

Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
2002-2003 0 0 0 1 0 1
2003-2004 2 2 0 0 0 4
Totals 2 2 0 1 0 5

A more detailed look at the player's goals

Total Opponent
2 Newcastle United
1 Chelsea
1 Spartak Moscow
1 Wolves
Total Started/substitutions
5 Started
Total Competition
2 FA Cup
2 Premier League
1 Champions League
Total Goal minute period
2 1-15 minutes
2 31-45 minutes
1 61-75 minutes
Total Goal origin
5 Open play