Having looked back at his career highlights last time out, the former France winger now speaks about the players and coaches who have meant the most to him, and together with whom he shared his greatest moments.

Aime Jacquet (France coach from 1993 to 1998)

I simply want to say thank you to him (laughs) – a big thank you for having selected me in his 23-man squad, for liking my style of play and my qualities, and for having let me be a part of that generation of players who became world champions.

Arsene Wenger (Arsenal manager since 1996)

I've always thought of him as a second father. When I was at Metz, he was absolutely intent on me coming to Monaco. Then he signed me in 2000 and I worked with him for six years, every morning. I reached great heights alongside him. What I loved about him was that I had certain qualities and he worked on them and perfected them. We all have faults, but he couldn't care less about them. He knew what I was capable of and made me work on my strengths.

Dennis Bergkamp (former Dutch international and Pires's team-mate at Arsenal between 2000 and 2006)

Ah, the maestro! When people ask me the best player I played with, I always say Dennis Bergkamp. He just had so much class. He made the whole team tick and that's why I loved being in the same side as him. I watched him a lot during training because he was a player who kept things simple.

For me, that's what football's about. He inspired me a lot during my time at Arsenal. I think his goal against Newcastle was the most beautiful I've ever seen. When you re-watch it, it's so simple, so fluid… and people often ask me if he meant to do it.

I always tell them: "Of course he meant it – he's Bergkamp." That move was just great. You could say it was thanks to the fairly quick pass I played to him, but I claim no more than ten per cent of the glory (laughs).

Didier Deschamps (France captain during the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ and UEFA EURO 2000 wins)

He transmitted his never-say-die attitude to me and his capacity to keep believing right up to the end. I say that because, in the EURO 2000 final, he was the only one who still believed we could do it. He had the temperament to be a leader, and above all he knew what it meant to win.

He put us on the right path. It doesn't surprise me at all that France won that double with a captain like Deschamps. Losing players like him hurt the France team, especially in 2002 and 2004.

Thierry Henry (former team-mate for both club and country)

The rocket! It was a pleasure to play with him at Arsenal and with the France team. He was one of the best, and I'm disappointed he never won the Ballon d'Or because he deserved it at least once. He was exceptional for the Gunners. I know I was lucky because playing behind Bergkamp and Henry isn't too bad at all (laughs). My job was just to give them good passes, and they did the rest.

Zinedine Zidane (former France team-mate)

You'd need to invent a whole new adjective for him. He's the best player I ever played with at international level, but that's obvious – it's not even worth saying. He already knows that because I've told him 10,000 times.

I had a lot of luck to be part of one of France's best ever generations alongside him. He's a player we'll never see the likes of again, I think. He did a lot for me thanks to his technique. Training with him was such a joy. I didn't want to do what he did or copy him, but he was a source of inspiration for me, a bit like Dennis Bergkamp.

Tiburce Darou (French physio and motivational coach, who died on 2 July)

He's someone who meant a huge amount to me in my career during the most difficult and painful moments, especially when I had my cruciate ligament injury. He was hugely passionate, a great professional and a connoisseur of sport in general.

 Lots of people appreciated him because of his methods, which were sometimes a bit extreme. But that's precisely what helped me make such great progress on the mental front. Unfortunately he's no longer with us, but I can assure you that he was quite a character and I thank Arsene Wenger for introducing me to him.

Is there anyone else you would like to mention?

My first coach, Bernard Roussel. Not many people know this, but I was a French champion at the age of ten with Sainte-Anne Reims. In fact, I'm very proud of that because the club decided to name their stadium after me.

Roussel always believed in me, even though I was small and skinny. He kept saying to me: "Robert, play up front! You're a goalscorer." He was the only one who saw that, but he was certain of it and he always played me in attack. He was the first person to see my potential.

All the coaches I've had have been important for me, whether it was Joel Muller at Metz, Rolland Courbis at Marseille, Manuel Pellegrini at Villarreal or Roger Lemerre with Les Bleus. All of them were important along the way, and each of them had faith in me and let me play. If I was lucky enough to play for 19 seasons at the highest level, it's thanks to my coaches, and it's difficult for me not to mention everyone. 

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