Having joined Lyon as a teenager, Parisian Olivier Bernard left, without having made the first team, for Newcastle, where he would play the bulk of his British football. After an early loan-spell at fourth-tier Darlington, he became Bobby Robson’s left-back at St James’ Park and initially remained in favour when Graeme Souness took over early in the 2004-05 season. But then, soon after he had made his 100th Premiership appearance, he was sold to Southampton on a five-month contract.

Which meant that he was able to be the Saints’ regular left-back as they slid down to the Championship.

His contract expired and was not renewed. Rejecting the opportunity to remain in the Premier League with either Birmingham or Bolton, he opted for Rangers. Not a good move: after hardly featuring in the SPL, he faced another choice as to how to rejoin the English game. He had agreed to go for a medical at Leeds United, where John Carver, formerly Robson’s assistant at Newcastle, was caretaking, when Newcastle offered him a second coming. He was “more than happy” to accept – only to sit out the entire 2006-07 season, plagued by injuries.

He was finished in the UK, but went to train with Toronto FC, where Carver was now managing. To no avail: without so much as a trial, let alone a game, he duly retired. Whereupon, he returned to England, where he joined the campaign to Show Racism the Red Card, going into schools to convey that crucial message. In October 2011, he was inducted into the campaign’s “Hall of Fame”, for having shown “exceptional commitment” to the cause. In a season when racism on the pitch would become a high-profile matter, Olivier publicly criticised the Liverpool players for their support of Luis Suarez, when he was suspended for his racist abuse of Patrice Evra.