Au Revoir, Lilian (OR: Why I’ll Always Love Thuram)

There’s a fair amount of France news, but I’m finding that I can’t focus on anything else until I do a tribute to one of my all-time favorite players (probably second only to Zizou), Lilian Thuram.

As you probably know by now, Thuram officially retired a little over a week ago because of that recently-diagnosed heart defect.

“He is no more likely to go quietly into retirement than he was to let a cause escape him on the pitch. A descendent from slavery, a World Cup winner, a member of the French Legion of Honor, Thuram finished playing after a heart scare a month ago.

The diagnosis came as he underwent a routine medical screening while intending to join Paris St. Germain. The test proved a false alarm. ‘Like all sportsmen,’ Thuram said at a news conference in Paris on Friday, ‘I have a rather muscular heart. I’m very glad I am not sick, I will still be able to play with my children and friends with a football.

‘But considering my age, 36, and the wishes of my mum, I understand that this is the time to stop. It would not be fair for me to make those who are important to me undergo such fear.’ “

Is anybody else having a hard time imagining France, post-Thuram? He’s been a regular fixture on the team since 1994. He has 142 caps, a record for French players. He has more Euro appearances (15) than any other player in the world. His Wikipedia page has been translated into 31 languages. For years he’s been a calm, stable force on the team. I know I’m not the only one who will miss him intensely.

And it’s not just his on-field activities I respect. He wasn’t content to be just footballer. He was driven to speak out against injustice and racism, even when this didn’t make him popular. He’s courted by politicians and unafraid to speak his mind to power. Below is one of my favorite photos. (When I posted it originally, I said I thought the caption should read: Oh, Lilian? You know when you called me a racist? Well, I’m willing to forgive and forget if you’ll just let me tough that manly…glistening chest.)

Another great photo here, of Thuram and Italy player Fabio Cannavaro. Rivals at World Cup and Euros, but friends off the field.

And here we have Thuram, not too busy to make a fan’s day:

Guess what year this one was taken?

And in this photo, he’s teaching children in Liberia:

And now that this career is ending? Well, I’ll leave you with words from the man himself:

“Football,” he once said in an interview with The Observer in London, “can teach you about life, but it is no substitute for life, if you see what I mean, for the real world, for real problems, real conflicts.”

My guess is that now he’ll be devoting his life and his passion to fixing those “real problems.” If anybody can make it work, I’m thinking it will be him.

I think I speak for all of his fans when I say, “Thank you, Lilian, for all you’ve given your football. You will be missed.”