Top Facts about Bernard Lama, the Cat

Bernard Pascal Maurice Lama, born on April 7, 1963, is a French football coach and former professional player who was a goalkeeper in his playing career. He spent the most of his professional career at Paris Saint-Germain.

He was also a part of the France national squad that won the 1998 World Cup as well as the Euro 2000 championship in 2000.

Bernard Lama’s age

is 58. Here you can find out the most important facts about Bernard Lama, the former

and France goalkeeper.

Bernard Lama grew up in Guyana, where his parents were born, and began playing football. He was quickly spotted by Lille OSC and joined the city when he reached the age of 18.

After struggling to adjust, he made his debut in Lille colors at the end of the 1980s. He was not kept in 1989, so he flew to

to hatch before joining Brest Armorique at the end of the year.

The Breton club's relegation forced him to leave, and Paris SG hired him after a year of confirmation at RC Lens, to replace Jol Bats in Paris goals. Lama becomes one of the best goalkeepers in the world after moving to Paris.

He quickly discovers the European Cup, becomes an international player, and fills his trophy cabinet. Following a first Coupe de France and a vice-championship in 1993, Lama and PSG won the national championship the following year.

With victory in the Coupe in 1996, the club from the capital became the second French club to win a European Cup, but it failed to retain its title the following year, despite two second-place finishes in the league.

He left PSG in 1998 to play for six months at West Ham before returning to PSG. He played two seasons before being released and spending the rest of his career at Stade Rennes.

Lama joined Gérard Houllier's France team shortly after joining PSG in 1993. He played goalkeeper for

against Bulgaria in November 1993, which eliminated Les Bleus from the 1994 World Cup.

He then imposed himself during the Aimé Jacquet era, revealing himself to the entire world during Euro 1996. He lost his spot to

after being suspended for cannabis use. He was crowned world champion in 1998 in France without playing a single match, and he only appeared in a few Blues matches until 2000.

Top Facts about Bernard Lama:

Lama's early life began in Saint-Symphorien, Indre-et-Loire, where he was born. Lama moved to metropolitan France in 1981, against his father's wishes, with the goal of pursuing a career as a professional footballer.

Bernard Lama early life

Bernard Lama was born in 1963 in Saint-Symphorien (a city incorporated into Tours in 1964) to Guyanese parents. He spent his childhood and adolescence in Guyana, where his father was mayor for many years. In Guyana, he comes from a politically active family. His grandfather and great-grandfather build this department.

Passionate about football, he began his training on the beaches, where he developed an unprecedented level of relaxation and technique with his feet in the sand and bare hands.

Speaking about

Bernard Lama’s parents

, it should be mentioned that despite his father's reluctance, he began to make himself known by joining USL Montjoly in 1975 and dreamed of becoming a professional player.

Regarding

Bernard Lama’s childhood

, it is worth mentioning that during the 1980-1981 season, he was noticed by a manager of LOSC Lille during a match with the Guyana junior selection, but he had to wait until April 1981, when he turned 18, to accept the proposal from the northern club without being required to have his father's blessing.

Bernard Lama personal life

He founded Dilo, a mineral and spring water company, in 2012. After two years, the plant produces one-third of the water sold in Guyana 13.

In 2014-2015, he starred in the French television series Frères d'armes, a historical drama created by Rachid Bouchareb and Pascal Blanchard (presentation by Cherif Cadi).

Bernard Lama professional career

Bernard Lama turned professional in Lille. As an agile goalkeeper, he took his time before standing out with the professionals, but he finally came to light with Paris Saint-Germain.

Lama became the goalkeeper of “Les Bleus” and won many titles with the national team, especially the titles of World and European champion.

In summer 2000, as he was nearing the end of his career, he was recruited by Stade Rennes, where he was reunited with his former team mate Paul Le Guen.

In the Rennes’ goal, he immediately brought all his experience, but the content of the season was disturbed by off-pitch issues. Lama was in conflict with Rennes’ management when they decided to dismiss Le Guen.

Lama logically left the club at the end of his contract, in summer 2001 and retired from the pitches. However, the former goalkeeper remained in the footballing world. In 2006, he was named as the national coach of Kenya for a very short period of time.

Bernard Lama club playing career

Because of the distance from his family and the cold, Lama initially found it difficult to integrate in the north of France.

He managed to hang on but failed to break through to the high French level, which was barred by the undisputed holder Philippe Bergeroo and his lining Jean-Pierre Mottet.

Abbeville

After playing with the Dogues juniors in 1981-1982, the Lille management decided to loan Bernard to Abbeville in D2 for the season 1982-1983 so that he could harden up.

Besançon

Following his bad experience at Abbeville, he was loaned to Besançon in the second division for the 1983-1984 season. He finds in Paul Orsatti, the coach from Besançon, someone who believes in him and gives him the opportunity to learn about the professional world.

He put in some good performances during his 23 league games, as well as five in the Coupe de France, where the Franche-Comté club finished fourteenth in group A, one point away from the first relegation.

Lille

An important

fact about Bernard Lama

is that he returned to Lille after a successful season in Franche-Comté and signed a professional contract, becoming Mottet's understudy. Unfortunately, due to a few injuries and his dissatisfaction with the Belgian coach, Georges Heylens, he did not play any matches with the first team for the entire 1984-1985 season.

As a spectator, he sees his teammates maintain their fifteenth place in the championship, two points ahead of 18th, and, above all, reach the Coupe de France semi-finals, where they lose 2-1 against

, the eventual winner of the event.

For the 1985-1986 season, at the age of 22, he finally set foot on the first division lawns, playing two games and contributing to LOSC's tenth position, three points ahead of 18th.

Confirmation regarding clubs (1986-1992)

During the summer of 1986, Lama asked his leaders for a starting spot because Bastia and Toulon had offered him the position.

LOSC makes no promises to him and categorically refuses to hand him over to another team. He performs admirably in a friendly match against Algeria, putting pressure on his management. Despite the fact that Mottet has been a member of the Lille squad for some time, it is he who is leaving for Toulon.

A notable

fact about Bernard Lama

is that he has 29 games for his first full D1 workout. Although he has good goals, he is still naive and does not always stay focused for 90 minutes.

The Mastiffs' 1986-1987 season is still in jeopardy because they only ensure their survival by finishing fourteenth, three points ahead of 18th. The northerners had a much better run in the Coupe de France, reaching the quarter-finals before losing 4-3 on aggregate to

, the eventual winner of the competition.

During the 1987-1988 season, the native of Saint-Symphorien rose through the ranks to become Lille's captain, and he even managed to rank his defense as the sixth best in the elite with 39 goals conceded.

LOSC has a nearly identical year to the previous one, finishing eleventh in D1 and losing a new quarter-final in the Coupe de France to OGC Nice with an aggregate score of 4-0.

In 1988-1989, Lama remained consistent, reclassifying his team for the second year in a row to sixth place in the ranking of the best defenses in the elite, tied with AS Monaco, with 38 goals conceded. The Mastiffs are in eighth place in the championship. He had the luxury of scoring a penalty goal against Laval in the previous match, which resulted in an 8-0 victory.

Arrived at the end of the contract, it is not retained by LOSC management. With the exception of Le Havre and Metz, he receives few offers and chooses the Lorraine team.

Metz

When he joined the Grenats, he found a Belgian trainer in the form of Henri Depireux, who, like Heylens, did not persuade the former Mastiff.

Nonetheless, he values his meeting with Jean Nicolay, the goalkeeper coach, thanks to whom he is making progress. The first half of the 1989-1990 season was so difficult that Depireux was fired in December 1989 in favor of Jol Muller.

The return phase is much better under the new coach, allowing the FCM to validate its status by finishing fourteenth, three points ahead of 18th, and with the fifth best defense in D1 with 36 goals conceded.

A notable fact about Bernard Lama is that he had a good year that year, and he quickly became one of the Saint-Symphorien stadium's favorite players. Lama is eager to return to Moselle for a second year, but he is unable to reach an agreement with the Grenats leaders on financial terms.

Brest

He has a few touches in Portugal and Scotland to try to get back on track, but his desire is to stay in France, so when he receives the offer from Brest Armorique, he jumps at the chance.

In Brittany, he had a mixed year in 1990-1991, finishing eleventh, five points behind 18th. Lama did not miss a single day of the competition, conceded 46 goals, and finished first in the TF1 Stop Goal ranking.

However, the season has been ruined by the club's administrative relegation to D2 as a result of a budget deficit. He finds solace in signing a pre-contract with Paris Saint-Germain with the intention of replacing Jol Bats when he retires at the end of the 1991-1992 season.

Lens

While waiting for the transfer of power, he finds himself in the north of France, where he evolves under the colors of RC Lens, which has recently reached the high French level.

The former Metz player had a successful championship, so much so that he was offered a contract by

in May 1992.

Lensois performed admirably, finishing eighth, five points shy of European qualification, while boasting the elite's third best defense with thirty goals conceded, trailing only Marseille and PSG. During his year with the Sangs et Ors, he scored his second career goal on penalty.

PSG

After a successful season in Lens, Lama joined PSG and had to deal with the whistles of replacing Bats, the Parc des Princes' idol. With patience, he was able to persuade the Parisians.

quickly called him up to the France team after he excelled physically, technically, and mentally in Paris.

In his first year in Paris, he has 54 meetings across all competitions. PSG made good progress in national competitions, finishing second in the championship two points behind OM, having the third best defense with 29 goals conceded, tied with Monaco, and winning the French Cup with a 3-0 victory over FC Nantes.

Furthermore, Lama and his teammates made a great epic in the UEFA Cup by reaching the semi-finals before losing 3-1 on aggregate to Juventus, the eventual winners, after eliminating Real Madrid.

The 1993-1994 season was just as successful, with the team winning the French championship by eight points over Marseille, while also having the best defense with only 22 goals conceded. Bernard was named French player of the year in 1994 for his role as the keeper of the most impenetrable defense in D1.

In addition to the national title, PSG reached the Coupe de France quarter-finals (losing 2-1 to RC Lens) and the Cup semi-finals (losing 2-1 to Arsenal).

The following season, the Parisians added two trophies to their collection with victories in the two national cups obtained against RC Strasbourg in the Coupe de France (1-0) and against SC Bastia in the League Cup (2-0). PSG, on the other hand, failed to defend their title and finished third, twelve points behind Nantes.

An important fact about Bernard Lama is that he and his teammates reached the semi-finals of a European Cup for the third year in a row, the Champions League for the 1994-1995 season, but were defeated 3-0 on aggregate by

.

Lama came close to winning their second national title in 1995–96, but they finished fourth, four points behind AJ Auxerre, despite leading the standings by twelve points.

A notable

fact about Bernard Lama

is that he tested positive for cannabis in February 1997, leading to a five-month suspension, two of which were closed. Finally, thanks to the various calls he made, he was able to finish the season with PSG but was unable to play in the French team's Tournament of France in June 1997.

As a result, he finished second with twelve points from Monaco and lost 1-0 to Barça 4 in the new Cup final.

During the 1997 summer transfer window, the former Sang et Or clashed with PSG management because the latter desired to work with a new goalkeeper.

Christophe Revault arrives in the capital, prompting him to look for another destination, but despite inquiries from Real Madrid and Glasgow Rangers, he never finds an interesting club. As a result, he trained separately from the Parisian squad until December 1997, when he joined West Ham in the English Premier League.

West Ham

However, the English experience is delicate because he spends the first two months on the bench. Finally,

, his trainer, decides to give him a chance.

In total, he has played fourteen matches across all competitions. Ready to stay at West Ham, the management does not believe in him and proves it by bringing in Shaka Hislop. Following contacts with Tottenham, he signed with PSG, whose new president, Charles Biétry, had it in his head to bring him back to Paris.

PSG

Back in the Parisian cages, he quickly regains his bearings, demonstrating that even at 35, he still has feline reflexes and his aerial outings are effective. Despite the presence of Dominique Casagrande, he saves PSG in many situations and remains the titular goalkeeper of the Parisian cages.

Alain Giresse was fired in October 1998 in favor of Artur Jorge, who was replaced in March 1999 by Philippe Bergeroo. Overall, the 1998-1999 season was difficult for the capital club, with a ninth-place finish in the championship four points away from the first relegation zone.

An important fact about Bernard Lama is that he sometimes wore the captain's armband for the following exercise. Lama is in good shape, despite the fact that the years are catching up with him. PSG had a better year than the previous one, finishing second in Ligue 1 seven points behind Monaco and losing the League Cup final 2-0 to FC Gueugnon.

Lama learns that his contract will not be extended before the end of the season, and so, at the end of his final match at the Parc des Princes, he is carried triumphantly by his teammates and acclaimed by the fans, who reserve many tifos and tribute streamers.

Rennes

During the summer of 2000, he accepted a project offered to him by Stade Rennes, reuniting with his former PSG teammate, Paul Le Guen, who was then the coach of the Rouges et Noirs.

The Bretons had mixed results with a good but young group, but they raised their heads at the end of the exercise to finish sixth. His contract was not renewed due to disagreements with Rennes' leaders.

A notable fact about Bernard Lama is that he wanted to play in the Brazilian championship, but after receiving no offers, he announced his retirement from the sport before the start of the 2001/2002 season.

Bernard Lama made a brief trial at Birmingham City in March 2003, at the age of 39. Like Aleksander Klak, the English club considered hiring a new goalkeeper for the end of the season following a serious injury to the starting goalkeeper, Nico Vaesen. Finally, neither of the two guards were kept.

Bernard Lama international playing career

In February 1993, he made his first national team appearance in Tel Aviv against Israel (4-0 victory) as part of the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup, replacing Bruno Martini in the starting lineup.

The following November, he is in the tricolor goal for the final and crucial playoff match against Bulgaria, but he is helpless to stop a strong shot from Bulgarian striker Kostadinov, who seals the defeat at the last second (1-2) and the Blues' elimination.

In 1996, he kept the tricolor cages for the Euro in England, where he stood out during the penalty shootout in the quarter-finals by stopping shots from the Netherlands.

However, the Blues were defeated on penalties by the Czech Republic in the semi-finals after a 0-0 4 tie. Bernard's only joy is that he has been named the tournament's best goalkeeper. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the world's best goalkeepers.

Following a knee injury and a two-month suspension for cannabis use, he was forced to withdraw from the French team for the Tournoi de France in the summer of 1997.

A notable fact about Bernard Lama is that he was thus crowned world champion despite not having played a single match. He even sparked a minor controversy by refusing to play the final match of the first round, which had no real stakes and in which Jacquet made the substitutes play against

.

Until Euro 2000, Roger Lemerre, the successor to Aimé Jacquet, would never consider Lama as a replacement. Lionel Letizi, Ulrich Ramé, or Stéphane Porato would oversee Fabien Barthez's understudy.

In 2000, he added another international title to his collection when he won Euro 2000. Understudy to Fabien Barthez once more, this time he agrees to play the final match of the first round, against the Netherlands. His last competition with the French team was the Euro.

He played his final match for France against England in September 2000, alongside

and Laurent Blanc, despite having not announced his international retirement.

Bernard Lama coaching career

Lama returned to French Guiana as soon as his career ended. He was a member of Union Sportive de Montjoly, his training club. In order to keep his team from being relegated, he had to return to service in 2015. He put on his gloves again at the age of 50 and played almost the entire match before being injured 20 minutes from the end.

Kenya

On July 21, 2006, he was appointed coach of the Kenya team, a position he resigned from two months later, citing the Kenyan federation's prevailing disorder.

He then devotes a significant amount of his time to the Diambars Institute, which he founded with sports buddies (including Patrick Vieira, Jimmy Adjovi-Boco). The goal of this organization is to use young people's enthusiasm for football to promote education in Europe and developing countries.

This organization established two high-level football institutes for disadvantaged children, one in Senegal (Saly) in 2003 and another in South Africa in preparation for the 2010 World Cup. It intends to build one in Guyana.

Bernard Lama style of play

Bernard Lama earned the nickname Cat early on due to his exceptional agility. Bernard Lama, then 26 years old, arrived at FC Metz with an already favorable reputation.

He was an aerial goalkeeper with feline relaxation and a keen sense of anticipation, and his aerial outings have revolutionized the position.

He is effective in all situations because he is clear-headed and reassuring to his team. His charisma and authority made him an excellent defense guide. His weak point was his risk-taking with the ball at foot.

Some quick facts about Bernard Lama:

He was recruited by Division 1 team Lille in his first season in France. A loan spell with Abbeville ended in disappointment as he failed to make even one appearance. He returned to Lille after only one season, only for another loan spell with Besançon the following season.

His performances were persuasive enough for Lille to agree to retain him for the next season, and he was given some playing time during that season.

Throughout the rest of the season, Lama was on the field frequently and even scored a goal (a penalty kick during the 8–0 victory against Laval on May 31, 1989), but he was never the undisputed number one keeper he desired to be, and he ultimately opted to quit the team. Having completed one season with Metz, he next joined Brest for their last season in the top division.

During those two seasons, Lama was a regular starter in every single league match. When he was finished with Lens, his performances caught the notice of Paris Saint-Germain, who signed him to a five-year deal after a year with the club.

An important fact about Bernard Lama is that he was tasked with taking over for the legendary Jol Bats in Paris, and his remarkable performances rapidly shown that he was equal to the challenge.

When he began competing in European games and was even called up to the French national team, his profession took on a whole new meaning for him. He won the Coupe de France on two occasions, in 1993 and 1995, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1996, which was his most significant medal to date.

Despite being courted by La Liga giants FC Barcelona; Lama chose to remain in Paris and enjoyed a strong start to the season that was cut short by a serious knee injury suffered while saving a penalty against Cannes in September 1996. Prior to the injury, Lama had not conceded a single goal in the first half of the season.

In February 1997, he was sentenced to a two-month cannabis use restriction, which he got shortly after his return. In order to avoid further embarrassment, Paris SG sought a replacement goalkeeper, and Lama was advised during the summer of 1997 (while he was still banned) that Christophe Revault would be the starting goalkeeper for the next season and that Lama was free to seek a new club.

At the start of the 1997–98 season, Lama was without a club and was forced to practice with the PSG reserve squad. He ultimately signed to a short-term deal with Premier League team West Ham United during the winter transfer window, only six months before the World Cup in Russia.

Despite having joined on the 21st of December, he did not make his debut until the 2nd of March against

, in which he preserved a clean sheet. The season would end with him making a total of twelve appearances in the Premier League for West Ham United.

In addition, he appeared in the FA Cup against Arsenal in a contest that went to a penalty shootout following a replay, with Arsenal winning the shootout to remove West Ham from the competition.  His performances were excellent enough to pique the attention of West Ham, who wanted to sign him on a permanent basis.

However, following the World Cup, West Ham were unable to keep the player, and he re-signed with Paris Saint-Germain.

After six months in England, he took advantage of the change in president at his former club, Paris Saint-Germain (Charles Biétry replaced Michel Denisot), to return to the capital's club, where he remained for another two seasons.

Despite having had a more than satisfactory 1999–00 season, he was informed that his skills were no longer required owing to Paris' youth philosophy and that Lionel Letizi would take over as the club's first choice goalkeeper.

A notable fact about Bernard Lama is that he moved swiftly to a new club, Rennes, where he had a successful season, at the conclusion of which he announced his wish to realize a boyhood goal and play for a Brazilian team, a desire that was met with enthusiasm.

His career was cut short, however, when no team exhibited an interest in signing him, which resulted in his declaring the end of his professional football career.

His first appearance for the France national team came on February 17, 1993, in a 4–0 victory against Israel, and he would go on to earn a total of 44 appearances for his country.

Lama was a starter in the Euro 1996 finals and a substitute in the Euro 2000 finals for the Netherlands. He also won the 1998 FIFA World Cup as a replacement for Fabien Barthez, despite the fact that he did not participate in a single game.

Lama was named as the head coach of the Kenya national football team on July 21, 2006. On his debut for Kenya, he was defeated by Eritrea on September 2, 2006, in an African Nations Cup qualifier, and he left the team barely two months later, citing the lack of professionalism shown by the Kenya Football Federation. He was succeeded by Tom Olaba, who took over from him.

Bernard Lama once called former France teammate Fabien Barthez not very intelligent, "Barthez, he's a good soldier! He's white, not very intelligent, he doesn't kick up much of a fuss. He was the favourite for a time, but now, no-one calls him to talk football," the former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper said.

"With Fabien, we got on well without being friends. People talked that up. Barthez was a symbol of the anti-Lama fight: some players wanted me out and the media played Barthez's game."

Lama has always been clear on his position when asked about other goalkeepers, “For me,

is not a great goalkeeper. I've always said that he's a good goalkeeper but I don't consider him to be one of the best. The good thing for PSG is that the goalkeeping situation has been resolved, as the first choice stopper has not been clear in recent years.”

Bernard Lama social media

Regarding

Bernard Lama social media

, it should be mentioned that he has a Twitter page (

) with 8k followers.

Bernard Lama body measurements

Speaking about B

ernard Lama body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the coach is 183 cm and 75 kg.

Bernard Lama net worth and salary

In the years 2020-2022, his net worth increased dramatically. So, at the age of 58, how much is Bernard Lama worth? Bernard Lama makes the most of his money as a successful entrepreneur right now.

Bernard Lama's net worth

is estimated to be around 10 million dollars.

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