With most children idolising their fathers whatever they do in life, France legend Alain Giresse could probably have expected his football-mad son Thibault to own a poster or two of Dad in action. "Actually, his favourite player was Beppe Signori, the Lazio striker," recounts 'Gigi', a stalwart of the famous midfield that powered Les Bleus to glory in Euro 84. "Whenever I went around Europe, he made it clear I wasn't to come home without the Italian's autograph."

Timing could be everything here. The left-footed Toulouse ace was just seven when his father hung up his boots, and never actually saw him play - but that has not stopped everyone else making the inevitable comparisons.

Like 'Gigi', Thibault is a technically-gifted attacking midfielder, a creator of goals and a natural hard-worker, committed to his side's cause from start to finish.

However, both men insist that Thibault has built his own career. Giresse junior may have joined Toulouse while his father, now Coach of Georgia, was sporting director and Coach there between 1993 and 1998. But by the time Thibault took his first steps with the first team in 2001, Alain was far away working in Morocco. "He's the one who's done all the work," explains Dad. "He's the one who's got himself where he is today, despite all the pressure of being 'the son of'."

Indeed, when it comes to post-match analysis the former Bordeaux icon finds himself acting more like a concerned parent than a football expert: "When I watch him, I forget I used to be a player and I suffer when he takes a knock. I remember when I used to come home, my own Dad would say, 'Anything broken? No? Good, that's the main thing.' Now I'm just the same."

A look at Thibault's career confirms that no one else has been doing him any favours. After playing in nearly every match as the Téfécé climbed from the Third Division to Ligue 1 in two seasons, he initially struggled to make an impact in the top flight.

His talent was obvious but his slight frame put him at a disadvantage and, with just five appearances under his belt in the first half of the 2003/04 campaign, he was loaned out to Ligue 2 outfit Le Havre.

A successful six months with the Normandy club saw him return to the south west in the summer and, after starting the 2004/05 season on the bench, he slowly won his place back in the side. An injury to Stéphane Dalmat presented him with the opportunity to show what he could do, and shortly afterwards Coach Erick Mombaert's found a place for both men in his midfield.

"I know Dalmat's injury helped me out, but I seized my chance," he says. "I also know that to get anywhere you have to work, and work hard. That's why I live a healthy life, the life of a professional, without excess and without complications." Like father, like son...