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's career is a story of relentless drive overcoming physical presumption. At just five-foot-six, he defied the expectations for a defender, using explosive speed, tactical intelligence, and a ferocious competitive spirit to become one of the world's best left-backs. His tenure at Bayern Munich was marked by consistency and triumph, including a Champions League victory in 2001. But his legacy is forever tied to the French national team's golden era; Lizarazu was the unwavering fixture on the flank, providing defensive steel and offensive support for Zidane and company. After hanging up his boots, he channeled his intensity into Brazilian jiu-jitsu, winning a European championship, proving his athletic genius transcended the pitch.
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.”
