While Youri Djorkaeff would only spend two years at Bolton Wanderers, he counts his spell in Lancashire as one of the most memorable of his illustrious career.
The French World Cup winner was an integral part of the Sam Allardyce side that defied expectations and bucked stereotypes to be one of the Premier League’s most entertaining sides of that era.
But as the 58-year-old reflects on his playing career two decades on, he still harbours one major regret from his time with the Trotters.
Djorkaeff on his Bolton spell
“Maybe my first home game against Blackburn,” Djorkaeff tells FourFourTwo when asked to name his most memorable game at the club. “By half-time I didn’t know how my legs or my head were still holding up. Madness!”
Rod Wallace and Matt Jansen would trade goals in the 1-1 draw at the Reebok Stadium, with Rovers striker Andrew Cole seeing red after just 19 minutes. The rough and tumble of this Lancashire derby would end up being an ideal introduction to the physicality of the Premier League for Djorkaeff.
“I took several rough challenges while the referee kept on playing advantage” he continues. “My whole body ached. Gudni Bergsson, the captain, told me, “Don’t worry, it’s normal. Say nothing, don’t make a fuss.”
“I asked, “But if they kick me, can I kick back?” He said yes, but quietly. The second half was just bam-bam-bam. After that, I never had any more problems.”
The high point of Djorkaef’s two-and-a-half-year spell at Bolton was when the team reached the final of the League Cup in 2004, when they faced Steve McClaren’s Middlesbrough.
“It was unexpected for Bolton to reach the Carling Cup final,” Djorkaeff recalls. “In one of the earlier rounds, we beat Liverpool 3-2 at Anfield – incredible.”
But his memory of their run to the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is soured by the 2-1 defeat.
“That’s why it still frustrates me that we lost the final against Middlesbrough, even after all this time. I was angry because we were so close. I remember telling the team that we still had one more step to take, but we went in with the feeling that just getting there was already enough.
“Still, I keep the positives – nobody expected us to reach a final and play in Europe within just three years. Bolton is a special club – a part of Djorkaeff stayed there.”