After being part of a France squad that won the World Cup on home territory in 1998, goalkeeper Lionel Charbonnier would have had his pick of clubs during that summer after opting to end his long-term association with Auxerre. However, while he did earn success at Ibrox, the stopper did not fulfil his own expectations in Scotland. Charbonnier, who turned 32 soon after his arrival, started well but a cruciate ligament injury condemned him to the sidelines, leaving Stefan Klos with an opening to establish himself between the sticks. Upon his return, he was given the nod over his German teammate but Klos had made too much of an impact in Charbonnier's absence and by October, he returned as Dick Advocaat's first-choice custodian. Charbonnier's last appearance for the club would come in December 1999, as many as 18 months before he eventually departed Ibrox. He would move to Swiss side Lausanne but by now, too much inactivity had resulted in Charbonnier being past his best.
A degree-educated, dart-throwing, non-smelling sports journalist based in a small Staffordshire town that has just become Floyd Mayweather's answer to the question: "What's the strangest place you have ever visited?"
