International Soccer Archive - Player Profiles - Olivier Dacourt (Roma & France)

Date of birth: September 9th 1974

A tenacious and tough-tackling midfield player who poses a threat from set-pieces, Olivier Dacourt has thrived in Italian football following two spells in England.

Dacourt made his France debut as a late substitute in a 5-0 defeat of the Korean Republic in May 2001. He played two more matches that year before being frozen out in the run-up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, although he earned a recall in the wake of the first-round exit.Dacourt first made his mark at RC Strasbourg, breaking through in the 1993/94 season. He made 18, 34 and 31 top-flight appearances in the next three campaigns, winning the French League Cup in 1996/97. Continued good form in 1997/98 prompted Everton FC to pay €6m for his services.

Dacourt scored twice in 30 games in his only season at Goodison Park before being transferred back to France, joining RC Lens for nearly €9m. His all-action displays helped Lens reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, where they lost to Arsenal FC. In 2000 he returned to England to sign for Leeds United AFC in an €11.7m deal and immediately added steel and quality to the youthful Leeds midfield. Dacourt played 13 times as the Yorkshire club reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. His star dipped from then on, though, and Dacourt joined AS Roma on loan in January 2003 before making the deal permanent in the summer. Dacourt made 27 Serie A appearances as Roma finished runners-up behind AC Milan.