"If the history of football forgets my name, at least I'll always be remembered for that damn Playstation story," lamented Anthony Réveillère before first France appearance against Israel in November 2003.

The player who until recently had to keep telling journalists the correct way to spell his name was being a little unfair on himself, but then again it's a good story.

Back in his Rennes days, the right-back had lost track of time playing video games late into the night before a match, when who should walk in through the door other than the club's new Coach Vahid Halilhodzic…

One can only imagine the look on Mr. Discipline's unforgiving features as he made the youngster understand how things were going to be from now on. Dropped from the team and charged with professional misconduct, Réveillère has nonetheless since proved himself to be one of the most serious footballers in the game.

Taught the ropes at Angers, the viciously quick defender took his first steps in the professional game at Rennes in 1998 and spent six years at the Brittany club before his surprise loan move to Valencia in January 2003. Lyon had been following his progress for some time, and they finally got their man six months later when the cash-strapped Liga outfit could not afford to keep him.

"I don't regret my time in Spain, it was very good," he says. "My experiences there toughened me up, but coming to Lyon was the right choice."

His first season was anything but an unmitigated success, however. Regularly asked to play at left-back, he had trouble settling and came in for fierce criticism for a high-profile mistake in the 3-0 loss to Monaco.

Criticism seems to have followed him around, in fact. As Réveillère's France Under-21 Coach, Raymond Domenech accused the Doué-la-Fontaine native of being, "a good tourist. He's got enormous talent, one of the best full-backs I've ever seen, but the rest of them are fighters."

In truth, the critics have merely wanted to push Réveillère to fulfil his potential, and in the 2004-05 season he looked to be doing just that. Firmly installed in his favourite position, Réveillère was a vital member of Ligue 1's most miserly defence, and his vision, speed and distribution have been the only talking points. "I want to establish myself, and improve my game with Lyon," he insists. "I want people to say good things about me."