Patrice Evra
Patrice Evra is one of the greatest left-backs of his generation, a five-time Premier League champion, serial winner, and now one of football's most entertainingly candid pundits.
Patrice Evra (born 15 May 1981 in Dakar, Senegal) is a French former professional footballer who spent the peak years of his career at Manchester United (2006–2014), where he became one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most trusted lieutenants. A tenacious, attack-minded left-back, he won five Premier League titles, three League Cups, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League during his Old Trafford tenure.
Born in Senegal to a Guinean father and raised largely in France (Paris suburb of Les Ulis), Evra is the 25th of 26 children, a biographical detail that itself explains a certain toughness. Before United, he came through the ranks at Monaco, and after leaving Old Trafford he played for Juventus, West Ham, Marseille (infamously), and Anderlecht before retiring in 2019.
Evra’s career wasn’t without turbulence. A highly publicised racial abuse incident involving Luis Suárez in 2011, a violent altercation with a Vitória fan in 2017 that led to his sacking by Marseille, and a messy exit from the 2010 World Cup squad rebellion all kept him in the headlines for reasons beyond football.
Since retiring, Evra has reinvented himself as a high-energy TV pundit and social-media personality, his “I love this game” catchphrase and infectious enthusiasm have made him a genuine fan favourite in the media world. He is a regular on Sky Sports and Amazon Prime.
People search for Evra out of nostalgia for the Ferguson era, curiosity about his outspoken punditry career, and genuine puzzlement at some of his more colourful life choices, including, yes, the one-shoe thing.