David Ginola-Ceze born 25 January is a French former professional footballer who has also worked as an actor, model and football pundit. At international level, he made 17 appearances, scoring three goals, for the France national team between and Since his retirement from football, he has become involved in football punditry and acting.
In January , Ginola attempted to run for the FIFA presidency but withdrew after failing to receive the required backing of at least five national football associations. Ginola made his first senior appearance for Sporting Toulon as an eighteen-year-old in a 2β0 victory away at Metz. In , he moved to RC Paris , where he remained until signing for Brest in There, he began to impress with his flamboyant style of play. In , he played a crucial role in a landmark victory 3β2 against the side who would go on to sign him, Paris Saint-Germain.
He quickly adapted to the club and became a fan favourite noted for his elegant first touch and pace. His popularity did not suffer any consequence even when he admitted that he supported Paris Saint-Germain's rivals Marseille as a boy and that he would have joined them rather than PSG. In his second full season in β94, PSG won the second league title of its history, losing only three times. The following season, under new manager Luis Fernandez , proved to be less successful in the league, with Nantes being crowned champions.
Ginola scored 11 times in 28 league appearances. Paris Saint-Germain did shine in the cup competitions though, winning another Coupe de France as well as the first edition of the new Coupe de la Ligue.
In the UEFA Champions League , the Parisian club caused a major shock after knocking out 's finalists Barcelona in the quarter-finals, with Ginola playing particularly well. The club was eliminated at the next hurdle by defending champions AC Milan. In the summer of , Ginola decided to leave France. Known to be a Spanish football enthusiast, he was expected to be snapped up by Barcelona. Furthermore, between and , his stellar displays in European competitions against the Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona had attracted media attention in Spain, with local media dubbing him " El Magnifico ".
