Alou Diarra - Report

Diarra may not be the most flamboyant player on the pitch, but it was his hardworking and solid performances in the centre of midfield that lead Bordeaux to their first Ligue 1 title in a decade.

Diarra has signed for many clubs during his 10 year professional career, at notable clubs such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool in his early twenties. His spells at these top European clubs though were troubled, with the young Frenchman being shipped out on loan to 3 different clubs. A move to Lens was welcomed, where he stayed for 2 seasons, gaining 66 appearances and the first of his 20 caps for France. Another short spell at a club, this time Lyon, followed, where Diarra commanded a massive 17 million fee for his signature. A disappointing first season prompted a switch to his current club Bordeaux, where Diarra seems to be playing his best football after settling well in his first 2 seasons.

Standing at an extensive 6ft 3, Diarra has been likened to his fellow Frenchman Patrick Vieira, arguably the greatest box to box midfielder in his prime. Providing a huge presence in the centre of the park, Diarra is a tough tackling, physical player, never allowing his opponents a lengthy time on the ball. Not afraid to make his presence felt to the opposing players Diarra may be criticised for his poor disciplinary record, 9 yellows and 1 red card last season, but his job of protecting the back four allows for some margin of error. Moreover his defensive role was fundamental to the way Bordeaux played and ultimately managed to break the Lyon dominance in French top flight football, allowing the simply fantastic Gourcuff more freedom in the game to create and score goals.