Sylvain Wiltord: how the former Arsenal and France star narrowly escaped death

Some of the players who have left their mark on the history of French football are fondly remembered by football fans across the country.

Sylvain Wiltord is not considered a 'legend' of French football, even though he played a major role in one of the finest moments in the history of the French national team.

Formed at Stade Rennais, Wiltord began his professional career with the Breton club, where he played until 1997, including a loan spell from Spain's Deportivo La Coruña, per Transfermarkt.

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That same year, he signed a contract with Girondins de Bordeaux, where he won the French league title. In doing so, Wiltord won the favour of Aimé Jacquet, the coach of the French national team.

Called up to take part in Euro 2000 with Les Bleus, Wiltord played a key role in his country's victory.

In the final against Italy, France were 1-0 down for most of the match and time ran out for Les Bleus, who saw the title slip from their grasp.

Wiltord, however, was not content with defeat. The striker came on on the hour mark and scored France's equaliser in the dying moments of stoppage time, Marca recalls.

Wiltord's goal was followed by David Trezeguet's golden goal in extra time, which secured the European title for Les Bleus.

The summer after the Euros marked a turning point for Wiltord, who signed for Arsenal, the beginning a magnificent four-season story.

During his time with the Gunners, he won two English league titles, in 2002 and 2004, per Transfermarkt.

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After his spell in England, Wiltord continued to rack up trophies with Olympique Lyonnais, where he won three consecutive championships.

Wiltord later joined Rennes for his second spell in Brittany, before spending a season at Olympique de Marseille, followed by spells at Metz and Nantes.

After his career, Wiltord became a sports consultant, as can be seen on his official Instagram profile.

However, things could have ended tragically for Wiltord when he took part in the filming of French reality show 'Dropped' in 2015.

Two helicopters collided in the midst of filming featuring some of the biggest names in French sport, killing ten people including Camille Muffat, Florence Arthaud and Alexis Vastine, BFMTV recalls.

Wiltord was eliminated from the show the day before the helicopter crash and was not on board when tragedy struck and claimed several lives.

Always a sportsman, it is not unusual to see the former French international on the padel courts, where he has become a teacher of the sport, according to France Info.

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