Before the FIFA 2018 world cup, the last time that a defender in the French football team bagged a goal at the world cup was in 1998 when Lilian Thuram scored in the game against Croatia in the Semi-final match that would see the French side proceed to lift the trophy for the first time in their history. The next time a defender would score for the team was 20 years later when Benjamin Pavard netted an electrifying goal in the game against Argentina, on their way to earning a spot in the World Cup final.
While the goal is definitely something that many would talk about for many years, there is a lot that is not known about the young French defender who plays for VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.
Benjamin Pavard Bio, Age
It was on 28 March 1996 that Pavard was born in France, Maubeuge. He was brought up in his home country by his parents in a rather humble background.
While growing up, the French defender had his life strictly revolving around the game of football, thanks to his father. Instead of the toys that many kids had, the only toy he got to play with was a football. Thanks to this, he was able to make it into the US Jeumont when he was only six years old. Three years later, his parents sent him to the Lille youth team to continue developing his skills.
Benjamin Pavard continued playing with the youth team for the next 10 years until 2015 when he was promoted to play for the Lille B. 20 games and seeing the back of the net once, he moved to play in the Ligue 1 for Lille.
Professional Career
In 2016, he signed a contract with VfB Stuttgart that would see him play for the team for four years. By the end of the 2017/2018 season, the defender had already kicked the ball in as much as 55 games for the Bundesliga side and in the process, he scored 2 goals.
Benjamin Pavard began his journey to play for the French national team in 2015 when he got a call to play for the France Under-19 team. In the same year, he got a call to play for the Under-21 team which he would continue until 2017.
In the build-up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Pavard got his call to the national team when he was invited by Didier Deschamps and was given his first chance in the game against Welsh which the Blues went on to win. His invitation continued when he was named as one of the players to represent the country in the tournament proper in Russia.
His first international goal came against Argentina from a shot he took from outside of the 18-yard box. The sensational goal that contributed to sending Argentina out of the tournament in the last 16 was believed by many to be among the best goals of the tournament.
As of 2018, the only accolade he recorded with a club was his 2. Bundesliga title which he won in 2017. His resume is also bolder with his success with the French national team at the FIFA 2018 World Cup.
Benjamin Pavard Relationship
If you are wondering whether the France star man is married, he is not. Nevertheless, he is known to be in a relationship with Rachel Legrain-Trapani. Legrain-Trapani was first married to Aurélien Capoue in 2013. The marriage, however, did not get to survive beyond 2016.
Of Italian descent, Rachel Legrain-Trapani is a model who became Miss France in 2007. Before her previous marriage and subsequent relationship with Pavard, the pageant titleholder dated French track and field athlete Ladji Doucoure. It was after this that she went on to date and get married to her ex-husband who was a footballer.
Height, Weight, and Body Measurements
There is hardly any argument that the young defender is a good-looking individual. He also has a good height, even though he may not necessarily be the most well-built defender one would get to see. Still, he has always managed to be a key player whether in his country’s jersey or playing for his club.
Benjamin Pavard has a height that measures 6 feet 1 inch (1.86m) and a bodyweight of 148 lbs (67 kg). His other body measurements are not known, but he has an athletic build.
