Born: Clement-Ferrand, France, 10 June 1973
Position: Central midfielder
Signed: 22 August 2001, from Bordeaux (£3.3m).
Debut: Fulham 0-0 Derby County, 25 August 2001.
Appearances: 164
Goals: 12
Honours: UEFA InterToto Cup winners (2002)
Sold: 31 August 2006, to Ipswich Town (free).
Securing Sylvain Legwinski’s signature in the summer of 2001 was something of a coup for Fulham in a busy summer as they prepared for top flight flight football as the industrious midfielder had won two French titles under Jean Tigana at Monaco. The chain-smoking midfielder, cheekily nicknamed Monica because of his surname’s similarity to Bill Clinton’s White House intern, became a popular member of an upwardly mobile side that was intent on maintaining the style that had seen the Whites surge to the Division One title.
Legwinski anchored the Fulham engine room for five seasons, but did far more than fetching and carrying. He learned English inside six months and, despite being mainly concerned with breaking up opposition attacks, is perhaps most fondly remembered by the Fulham faithful for a pair of blockbuster strikes. His last-minute winner over top-of-the-table Tottenham in September 2002 capped a fabulous fightback from 2-0 down and, towards the end of that season, a superb long-range effort helped the Whites come from behind to beat Newcastle United in Chris Coleman’s first game in charge – which kept the club in the top flight.
Legwinski was also part of the side that reached the third round of the UEFA Cup after winning the InterToto Cup and became a firm favourite with the Craven Cottage fans, with whom he shared moments of mutual appreciation – completing a lap of honour after each fixture: win, lose or draw. His departure came under strained circumstances, following a falling out with Coleman, but he remains a popular member of one of Fulham’s most stylish sides.
