Robert Emmanuel Pires, one of the best midfielder in the world

Robert Emmanuel Pires (born October 29, 1973 in Reims, France) is a French International football player, of Portugese and Spanish descent. He is married to Jessica Lemarie, with whom he has two children. He plays for Villarreal CF as a winger. He normally plays on the left wing but can play all across midfield or in a position to support the striker(s). He is 1.85m (6 ft 1 in) tall and his playing position is Winger, Attacking midfielder. First apperance was at 1992-1998 in FC Metz, 1998-2000 in Marseille, 2000-2006 in Arsenal and currently in Villarreal CF. He was signed by Arsenal for 6 million pounds in 2000, after stiff competition from Real Madrid and Juventus replacing Marc Overmars who had left for FC Barcelona for a record £25 million. Initially, Pires' form was indifferent, and some people criticised him after his comments that the English game was too physical. However, he slowly began to regain the form he had shown at Metz, scoring a superb solo goal against Lazio in the 2000–01 Champions League, and the winner against Tottenham Hotspurs in the FA Cup semi-finals, however Arsenal went on to lose the Cup final to Liverpool 2–1. In the 2004-05 season, Pires finished third in the Premiership goalscorers table with 14 goals, behind team-mate Thierry Henry and Crystal Palace's Andrew Johnson. Pires also picked up a second FA Cup winners' medal after Arsenal beat Manchester United on penalties. Pires was replaced by Edu in the 2nd half of extra time in that match. In May 2006 he agreed to an offer from Villarreal after a month of speculation, during which time he played against Villareal in the Champions League semi-final. One of the main reasons Pires gave for leaving Arsenal was that he felt he was no longer a first choice under Arsene Wenger. Pires was quoted saying "But I have to say I have had some disappointments this season. For instance I was on the bench very often." Furthermore Pires says that Wenger's decision to withdraw him in the UEFA Champions League Final showed he had slipped in the eyes of his French boss. Pires said that he felt hurt on how Arsene Wenger did not trust him anymore, which was a major factor that convinced him that it was time to move on from Arsenal.