Lilian Thuram: The Philosopher Who Took the World by Storm

One of the most fascinating stories in football history was the rise and fall of Parma. They made it to Serie A in 1990 and were soon one of Italy's most exciting teams.

I Gialloblu made it to the top flight through heavy investment from businessman Calisto Tanzi, and the spending only ramped up for the rest of the decade as Parma sought to finally topple AC Milan from the Italian football throne.

The 1991/92 season brought Coppa Italia glory and 1992/93 yielded the European Cup Winners' Cup. 1993/94 saw Parma lift the Super Cup, with the devastating attack of Gianfranco Zola, Tomas Brolin and Faustino Asprilla tearing through opponents with terrifying ease, but it was Parma's defence which let them down in Serie A.

Conceding 35 goals in 34 games was not good enough for Tanzi and manager Nevio Scala, who watched on as Milan let in just 15. Defensive reinforcements were needed.

By the time 1996 came around, Tanzi had become obsessed with winning Serie A. Scala was sacked and replaced by Carlo Ancelotti, and the pair embarked on a shopping spree which brought plenty of new players to the club.

Ancelotti was influential in the transfer market and chose to pursue a move for a player he had watched closely during France's run to the semi-final of Euro 1996, right-back Lilian Thuram.

Thuram had caught the eye that summer. He was a tall, powerful and athletic player who boasted the technical grace and elegance which was rarely seen from defenders back then. He could tackle with the best of them and then embark on an unstoppable run down the right flank.

As Thuram would later reveal to Nice Matin that he turned down Juventus that summer in favour of joining Parma as he feared he wouldn't get the game time he needed in Turin, and it's safe to say that paid off.

The Frenchman slotted seamlessly into a back line which featured young stars like Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro, and the results were immediate. Parma conceded just 26 goals, which was the second-best record in the league in 1996/97. However, it wasn't Milan who bettered that return, but eventual champions Juventus.

Thuram's reputation was growing and growing, but it was the summer of 1998 that saw his profile reach new heights.

The World Cup tournament was being held in France that year, so all eyes were on Les Bleus. Thuram slotted in on the right side of a defence which also included Marcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc and Bixente Lizarazu and saw France concede just two goals in seven games en route to lifting the trophy.

He scored his only two international goals in that summer's semi-final victory over Croatia, which attracted praise from all over the world. This was one of the best right-backs around.

It was that summer that saw Thuram's interest in social equality rise to prominence. Controversial French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen had blasted the national team for being 'too black', but Thuram jumped at the chance to defend his team-mates and himself.

Nicknamed 'The Philosopher', Thuram would continue to battle for an end to racism during his playing days, but managed to balance that with an intense focus on his performances on the pitch.

Back at club level, Parma fought off interest in Thuram and thrust him into an outstandingly adventurous 3-2-3-2 formation under new manager Alberto Malesani, and it was in that 1998/99 season that Thuram won his first two trophies with Parma, the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup.

Unfortunately for Parma, the good times didn't last. Poor financial decisions saw the club begin to tumble down the table in Italy, and Juventus took advantage of that in 2001, swooping in and finally landing the signature of the man they had chased five years earlier for a fee of around £25m - a record for a defender at the time.

Already the strongest team in the land, Juventus became even scarier with the arrivals of both Buffon and Thuram, and it came as no surprise to see I Bianconeri bring Thuram that elusive Serie A title in just his first season at the club.

Winning the Scudetto became the norm for Thuram, who got his hands on a further three trophies over the next four seasons.

Towards the end of his time in Juventus, Thuram's pace began to leave him, but he remained one of the top defenders around. Manager Fabio Capello knew he couldn't simply replace the Frenchman and instead opted to turn him into a full-time centre-back.

Now letting the younger players do the running for him, Thuram could focus on his positioning and no-nonsense style of defending, and he still had plenty left in the tank by the time the 2005/06 season came to an end.

Unfortunately for Thuram, his time in Turin ended in disgrace. Juventus were relegated to Serie B in the wake of the calciopoli scandal, and Thuram was not prepared to stick around in the second tier when he was still good enough for a big team.

He completed a cut-price move to Barcelona that summer, bringing an end to one of the most dominant careers Italian football had ever seen.

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