Player Profile

An experienced forward/winger who has won the majority of his caps as a substitute. He was called up as a late replacement for Djibril Cisse at the 2006 World Cup and made four appearances, all from the bench, although he was unused in the final. He was also part of the Euro 2004 and 2008 squads.

The 30-year-old tends to play either as second striker or on the wing but has been criticised for a lack of composure in front of goal.

A one-club man, Govou has played over 300 matches in 10 years at Lyon and is one of only three players to have figured in all of Lyon’s seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles.

He was stripped of the captaincy following a drunken incident in October and in March launched a scathing attack on the club and manager Claude Puel and announced he would quit in the summer. He was reportedly in talks about a move to Sevilla but the deal appears to have broken down.

Like Franck Ribery, Gouvou’s season ended in controversy when he was implicated in a sex scandal involving a Parisian nightclub.