Gaël Givet-Viaros (born 9 October 1981), known as Gaël Givet, is a French former professional footballer who played as a left-footed centre back and as a left-back. Givet was a UEFA Champions League runner-up with Monaco in 2004 and was part of the France national team which reached the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final.
Club career
Monaco
Born in Arles, France, Givet started his professional career at Monaco as a left-back before moving to centre-back. He made his debut in a 2–2 draw against Guingamp in December 2000. He played for Monaco between 2000 and 2007, making 178 league appearances and scoring eight goals. The highlights of his time at the club were winning the Coupe de la Ligue in 2003 and reaching the UEFA Champions League final in 2004, where he missed out on a winner's medal with a 3–0 defeat against José Mourinho's Porto. He played a pivotal role in their success, making 13 Champions League appearances during the campaign. He made a name for himself in the 2003–04 season where he blossomed in the Monaco defense alongside Patrice Evra, Julien Rodriguez and Sébastien Squillaci.
Marseille
After a successful career at Monaco, Givet moved to Marseille. During the 2007–08 season he featured 29 times in the French league and made nine appearances in the Champions League. At the beginning of the next season, however, he found his opportunities very limited in the first team.
Blackburn Rovers
On 10 January 2009, L'Équipe reported that Givet would be flying to England to finalize a six-month loan deal with English club Blackburn Rovers on 12 January. On 14 January, Sky Sports announced that Blackburn had completed the signing of Givet on a six-month loan deal with a view to a permanent move at the end of the season. This was confirmed by Marseille on 15 January. He appeared in his first match for Blackburn against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, entering as a substitute in the FA Cup fourth round on 24 January 2009. The match finished 0–0, which resulted in a return fixture at Ewood Park on 4 February. Givet made his home debut in that match, which resulted in a 2–1 win for Blackburn. On 21 February 2009, he started and played the full 90 minutes against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a 2–1 defeat.
On 15 May 2009, an agreement in principle was made with Marseille to make his loan switch to Blackburn permanent. On 26 June 2009, Blackburn completed the signing of Givet on a four-year contract for £3.5 million. He scored his first goal in over three years against Sunderland on 22 August 2009 in a 2–1 away defeat. He scored his second goal for Rovers at home against Bolton Wanderers at Ewood Park on 21 February 2010 in a 3–0 victory. Following the 2009–10 season, Givet was awarded the Player's Player of the Year award by the club.
On 14 August 2010, Givet started and completed the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 win over Everton on the opening day of the new Premier League season. On 22 September 2010, he scored a volley from the edge of the area on 34 minutes against Aston Villa at Villa Park in the League Cup third round 3–1 defeat. On 13 November 2010, he scored a goal against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and played the full 90 minutes at left-back in a 4–2 defeat. On 8 January 2011, he suffered a knee injury whilst playing in the FA Cup third round fixture against Queens Park Rangers in a 1–0 win for Rovers when he accidentally collided with Jamie Mackie and both players had to be stretchered off the field on around about the half-hour stage. In April 2011, Givet was left out of the squad as his future is in doubt after a £275,000 tax dispute with the club. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he made 32 appearances and scored two goals in all competitions.