What Really Happened Between Giuly and Estelle?

Ludovic Giuly hasn’t played for the France National Team since before the World Cup. Why is that?

Rumors have been circulating for awhile now saying that it was because he hit on coach Raymond Domenech’s much-younger significant other, Estelle Denis. There was, of course, never anything official that I ever saw — just the occasional message board posting or blog post or wink-nudge comment.

But now Giuly has come forward with his own version of events in his new autobiography, Giuly, by Giuly. According to Sport24.com (original French here, or Google translated version here), this is how things happened:

For many, the non-selection of Ludovic Giuly for the France team is astonishing, even incomprehensible. A persistent rumor explains this absence as being the result of a relationship between the Barcelona midfielder and Raymond Domenech’s partner, Estelle Denis. In his autobiography, Giuly, by Giuly, the former Monaco player gives his version of events.

An exchange of text messages after a TV program in the spring of 2004, with an invitation to lunch in Paris which was never acted on, could be the origin of the discord. Called up by Domenech a few times afterwards, Giuly preferred to [discuss this with Domenech directly.] “Listen, coach, I sent a text to your wife. I did not even know that you were a couple. But don’t worry, it was just professional. I prefer to say it to you directly, so that there are no misunderstandings”. He adds in his book: “He told me that he was well-informed and had read it”.

“Without wanting to appear ill-mannered [the French word is goujat, which also translates to "cad"] , Estelle Denis doesn’t attract me. We never had a relationship, or wanted to have one,” Giuly concludes.

So there we have Giuly’s version of events.

Robert Pires, it’s your turn!

(Thanks to Inara for the link.)