Under the Saint-Symphorien lights on Tuesday night, Robert Pirès will bring the different chapters of his football life back to Metz. The former France winger, retired since 2015, will hold his testimonial match at 20:45 with former team-mates, coaches and friends gathering around him.
More than 90 players are expected for an occasion built around three sides: Pirès All-Stars, Arsenal Legends and FC Metz Legends. Pirès is due to play in each of the three 30-minute periods, wearing the colours of a different team.
Quick facts
- Robert Pirès’ testimonial takes place at Metz’s Stade Saint-Symphorien on Tuesday, with kick-off at 20:45.
- Three teams will take part: Pirès All-Stars, Arsenal Legends and FC Metz Legends.
- Pirès won 79 France caps and scored 14 international goals.
- His France career included the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 triumphs.
- The evening will also feature a light show and fireworks.
A career revisited in Metz
Metz is a fitting setting for the celebration. Pirès arrived there as a young player from Reims and began to establish himself at the highest level with Les Grenats before a career that would take him through France, England and the national side.
His time with France lasted eight years and delivered two of the country’s defining international trophies. His later years also included a major spell at Arsenal, while he has remained in football as a Canal+ pundit.
Around 100 former colleagues, opponents and coaches are set to attend. Aimé Jacquet and Henry Emile will manage the Pirès All-Stars, while Arsène Wenger takes charge of the Arsenal Legends.
Joël Muller and Philippe Hinschberger will be on the FC Metz Legends bench, linking the night back to the club where Pirès made his name.
World Cup winners and former Arsenal figures
The announced player list spans several generations of French football. Eric Abidal, Habib Beye, Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly, Youri Djorkaeff, Bixente Lizarazu, Franck Ribéry, Lilian Thuram and David Zitelli are among those expected.
International guests are also due in Metz, including Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Jens Lehmann and Lukas Podolski. The Arsenal contingent will therefore be joined by figures from across Pirès’ wider European career.
Former Metz players Sylvain Kastendeuch, Emmanuel Adebayor and Cyrille Pouget will also return. Grégory Proment, newly appointed as Metz coach and a former team-mate of Pirès at the club, is set to be involved after Pirès backed his appointment on Monday.
Pirès will be accompanied by his children, including his 18-year-old son Théo, who is currently in the FC Metz academy. For one night, Saint-Symphorien will host the players and managers who shaped a career that began in Lorraine and reached the summit with France.
