- Birthdate: 10 May 1978
- Birthplace: Suresnes, France
- Other clubs: Lille (1997-2002), Olympique Marseille (loan 2004-05), Bordeaux (loan 2005-06), Stade Rennais (2006-10), Anorthosis Famagusta (2010), Nantes (2010-12)
- Signed from: Lille
- Signed for LFC: £3.7m, 16.05.2002
- International debut: 21.08.2002 vs. Tunisia
- International caps: 3/0 - 31.03.2004
- Liverpool debut: 11.08.2002
- Last appearance: 24.04.2004
- Debut goal: 02.10.2002
- Last goal: 24.01.2004
- Contract expiry: 29.06.2006
- Win ratio: 47.92% W:23 D:12 L:13
- Games/goals ratio: 9.6
- League games / goals / assists: 31 / 2 / 0
- Total games / goals / assists: 48 / 5 / 0
Player Profile
Cheyrou came with good credentials, but struggled to make an impression at Liverpool. He seemed a bit lost in English Premiership football. Being hailed as "the new Zidane" by Gerard Houllier who had brought him to England became a burden rather than an asset. After struggling to impress in his first season his compatriot was still banging the Cheyrou drum: "For me, Bruno has all the assets to reach the level that separates a good player from a great player. He has a great individual technique, he passes the ball well, he has an excellent touch of the ball and the essential tactical sense," said Houllier. "Like other French players before him, he probably needs a little more time. Remember the first season at Arsenal? Everyone laughed at Robert Pires."
Cheyrou did have a couple of highlights along the way. His excellent goal secured Liverpool's first win in the Premiership at Stamford Bridge on 7 January 2004 and two goals against Newcastle in the FA Cup later that month got him voted the best player of the fourth round. Cheyrou was happy to be finally part of the Liverpool team: "It meant a lot to me when Steven Gerrard came up to me after the game and hugged me,'' said Cheyrou. "This season, I felt I still had to earn the respect of my teammates here. It's a while since my name has been heard in the crowd. I was not the worst player in the world a week ago, and I'm not the best player in the world now." Unfortunately a month later Cheyrou was back on the bench again. He was loaned out to Marseille in the 2004/05 season and then Bordeaux in 2005/06 with the prospect of making it a permanent transfer. Neither team was sufficiently impressed, but Stade Rennais took the plunge and he became a firm fixture in their starting 11 as a holding midfielder. Cheyrou's record at Lille, prior to arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2002, had been excellent. By the end of the 2007/08 season, he had made nearly as many league appearances for Stade Rennais as he did for Liverpool, Marseille and Bordeaux combined. In January 2010 the 31-year-old moved to Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta. After six months in Cyprus, Cheyrou returned to France, signing a two-year deal with Nantes where he made 41 appearances in two seasons in Ligue 2.
He was released in the summer of 2012 and never played professionally again. He has worked as a consultant for BeIN Sports and in November 2017 was appointed as sporting director for Paris Saint Germain's women's team.
Appearances per season
Season |
League |
FA |
LC |
Europe |
Other |
Total |
Totals |
31 |
6 |
2 |
8 |
1 |
48 |
2002-2003 |
19 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
29 |
2003-2004 |
12 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
19 |
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps |
Minutes |
Opponent |
4 |
218 |
Chelsea |
3 |
182 |
Portsmouth |
3 |
182 |
Bolton Wanderers |
3 |
154 |
Newcastle United |
3 |
151 |
Arsenal |
2 |
180 |
Crystal Palace |
2 |
97 |
WBA |
2 |
97 |
Manchester City |
2 |
95 |
Southampton |
2 |
69 |
Levski Sofia |
2 |
60 |
Fulham |
2 |
54 |
Valencia |
2 |
26 |
Aston Villa |
2 |
19 |
Manchester United |
1 |
90 |
Leeds United |
1 |
90 |
Everton |
1 |
90 |
Tottenham |
1 |
90 |
Basel |
1 |
84 |
Birmingham City |
1 |
82 |
Spartak Moscow |
1 |
75 |
Wolves |
1 |
70 |
Leicester City |
1 |
24 |
Sheffield United |
1 |
21 |
Marseille |
1 |
17 |
Charlton Athletic |
1 |
12 |
West Ham United |
1 |
9 |
Vitesse Arnhem |
1 |
8 |
Yeovil Town |
Total |
Started/substitutions |
27 |
Started |
25 |
On the bench |
21 |
Substitute |
20 |
Substituted |
Total |
Venue |
25 |
Home |
22 |
Away |
1 |
Neutral |
Goals per season
Season |
League |
FA |
LC |
Europe |
Other |
Total |
Totals |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
2002-2003 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2003-2004 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Milestone Appearances
# |
Date |
Against |
Stadium |
Competition |
1 |
11.08.2002 |
Arsenal |
Millennium Stadium |
Other |
Milestone Goals
# |
Minute |
Date |
Against |
Stadium |
Competition |
1 |
15 |
02.10.2002 |
Spartak Moscow |
Anfield |
Europe |
Related Articles
The Observer report on Liverpool 2 - 1 Newcastle United on 24 January 2004.
The Telegraph report on Chelsea - Liverpool on 07.01.2004.
Liverpool defeated the Toon Army this Saturday at Anfield to progress into the 5th round of the FA Cup. It was Bruno Cheyrou who stole the show as a fantastic, solid performance put Liverpool through.
Related Quotes
"For me, Bruno has all the assets to reach the level that separates a good player from a great player. He has a great individual technique, he passes the ball well, he has an excellent touch of the ball and the essential tactical sense.
Like other French players before him, he probably needs a little more time. Remember the first season at Arsenal? Everyone laughed at Robert Pires. He is still adapting and he must increase his aggressiveness to succeed here and to become outstanding."
Houllier on Bruno Cheyrou in 2003
Other Clubs
Club |
Season |
Club rank |
League apps |
League goals |
Total apps |
Total goals |
Lille |
1998-1999 |
France 2 |
6 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
Lille |
1999-2000 |
France 2 |
22 |
5 |
22 |
5 |
Lille |
2000-2001 |
France 1 |
27 |
6 |
27 |
6 |
Lille |
2001-2002 |
France 1 |
27 |
11 |
38 |
15 |
Marseille |
2004-2005 |
France 1 |
19 |
1 |
19 |
1 |
Bordeaux |
2005-2006 |
France 1 |
26 |
1 |
26 |
1 |
Stade Rennais |
2006-2007 |
France 1 |
35 |
3 |
35 |
3 |
Stade Rennais |
2007-2008 |
France 1 |
27 |
0 |
33 |
2 |
Stade Rennais |
2008-2009 |
France 1 |
23 |
4 |
25 |
4 |
Stade Rennais |
2009-2010 |
France 1 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
Anorthosis Famagusta |
2009-2010 |
Cyprus 1 |
11 |
2 |
11 |
2 |
Nantes |
2010-2011 |
France 2 |
32 |
1 |
32 |
1 |
Nantes |
2011-2012 |
France 2 |
9 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
Total |
272 |
36 |
291 |
42 |