Pirès reunites Henry, Ribéry and Eto'o for his testimonial at Metz

Robert Pirès celebrated his testimonial match on Tuesday evening at the Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz, more than ten years after hanging up his boots in Goa, India. The former Arsenal and Villarreal winger, 1998 World Cup winner and 2000 European Championship winner, chose the pitch of his top-flight debut to bring together a golden generation of French and European football.

The lineup lived up to the career of the French international, now 52 years old. Thierry Henry, Franck Ribéry, Samuel Eto’o, Marcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc and Youri Djorkaeff all made the trip to celebrate the player and the man. Three coaches who shaped his career — Aimé Jacquet, Arsène Wenger and Joël Muller — were also present to pay tribute to him.

The evening began as soon as the France 98 members arrived at their hotel in Metz, before culminating on the Saint-Symphorien pitch with a guard of honour for Pirès. Thierry Henry scored a goal, Samir Nasri provided an assist, and the reunion between Henry and Eto’o illustrated the international dimension of the event.

For Pirès, this testimonial represented both a return to his roots and an official farewell to a career that took him from Metz to Arsenal, via Villarreal and the French national team. An evening marked by the affection of those who shared his greatest successes.