William Gallas has said he had never heard of Chelsea and initially did not want to move to England because of the cold weather before finally opting for a career-defining switch to Stamford Bridge.
Playing at Marseille in 2001, Gallas, 39, had his heart set on a move to Fiorentina, based in the Italian city of Florence.
However, Gallas' agent at the time, Pape Diouf, who would later become president of Marseille, advised him to opt for London where the opportunity to play alongside 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 winner Marcel Desailly would enhance his prospects of representing his country.