Bixente Lizarazu
A dynamic left-back who was the relentless engine on France's legendary 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000-winning defensive line.
Born 1969 (age 57)·French footballer·Birthday: December 9·Generation X
Biography
Bixente Lizarazu won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2001. At five-foot-six, he used explosive speed, tactical intelligence, and a ferocious competitive spirit to become one of the world's best left-backs. He played for the French national team during its golden era, providing defensive steel and offensive support for Zidane and company. After retiring from football, he channeled his intensity into Brazilian jiu-jitsu, winning a European championship. Lizarazu was born in 1969 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Bixente was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bixente Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Bixente's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 as a starting left-back for the French national team.
- Secured six Bundesliga titles and the 2000-01 UEFA Champions League trophy with Bayern Munich.
- Earned 97 caps for France, representing his country over a decade at the highest level.
- Won the Coupe de France with Bordeaux in 1996 before his high-profile move to Germany.
Did You Know?
He is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and won a gold medal at the European Championships in 2009.
Lizarazu is of Basque heritage, and his first name, Bixente, is the Basque equivalent of Vincent.
He worked as a football commentator for French television after his retirement from play.
He briefly came out of retirement in 2006 to play a few matches for Marseille due to a club injury crisis.
“I have always lived with the idea that you have to give the maximum of yourself, in football and in life.”
