Bordeaux may always have a special place in Birmingham City hearts | OneFootball

They will be forever thankful for the top-class loanee Bordeaux provided them

It’s not every day that Birmingham City land a World Cup winner, who lists clubs like AC Milan and Barcelona on his CV.

But that’s exactly what they managed to pull off in January 2003, when French side Bordeaux sanctioned the loan of forward Christophe Dugarry.

He certainly didn’t break any appearance records, with the forward coming towards the end of his career, but his class was still apparent, and he’s still a source of pride in the West Midlands.

Blues will be forever thankful that Bordeaux allowed them to see such a talent grace the pitch at St Andrew’s.

Christophe Dugarry’s signing made waves in Birmingham

Not only did Birmingham manage to land a player with special pedigree, but they had some of the game’s biggest names convincing Dugarry to sign.

Speaking on how he decided to join, Dugarry said: "I am happy with everything I have seen here. I spoke with Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Laurent Blanc and Fabien Barthez and they told me to sign as quickly as possible.”

Steve Bruce, Birmingham’s manager at the time, could scarcely believe his luck. He said: "When you consider 75 caps for France over the last decade shows magnitude.

"He is a World Cup winner, and has played for Barcelona and AC Milan.

"I think he will be a great favourite. He wears his heart on his sleeve and his talent will not go unnoticed."

Dugarry ended his welcome with the hope that he could “bring something to Birmingham.” He certainly did that.

Christophe Dugarry’s talent showed on the pitch

In that first loan spell, Dugarry’s ability was on show for all to see.

When he signed, Birmingham were hovering just above the relegation zone in the Premier League — making it all the more baffling that they’d managed to attract a player like the Frenchman.

Dugarry signed, and in his 16 Premier League appearances in that campaign, he notched an eye-catching five goals, all in April, in consecutive games with some coming against fellow strugglers Charlton Athletic, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

If you could choose any time for an attacker to come alive, it is exactly then, against the teams you’re competing with for survival.

Birmingham won every game Dugarry scored in that season. They finished 13th, which may sound relatively comfortable, but is less relaxing when you learn they were just six points ahead of West Ham United, who ultimately dropped into the second tier.

Without Dugarry’s strong run of form at the business end of the season, Blues’ fate could have looked very different.

Christophe Dugarry made a strong impression on Birmingham

He did sign permanently the following summer, but this spell suffered setbacks through a recurring knee injury, and the two parties decided to cut ties amicably.

Dugarry is still regarded a legend at St Andrew’s, despite his relatively short stay, and has returned to the Midlands for charity events in recent years.

Though he was only in the city for a brief amount of time, he made a lasting impression on the club, and as such, Blues will likely always be thankful to Bordeaux for allowing that history to be made.