Dugarry's baggage on a new platform

Spot the odd one out: Bordeaux, Milan, Barcelona, Marseille, and Birmingham. Christophe Dugarry must like his Bs and Ms. Either that or he really enjoys a challenge, because Birmingham City is hardly a step up the ladder for one of the most garlanded footballers in the history of French football.

As a world and European champion, Dugarry's decision to join Steve Bruce's side on loan until the end of the season has left many baffled. His detractors – and there are plenty of them in France – believe he is looking for a nice payday; his supporters – who include his best friend, Zinedine Zidane – believe he should use the next six months to show off his skills and attract the attention of bigger Premiership clubs; and the player himself says he just wants to "enjoy my football again".

Like his fellow countryman Youri Djorkaeff, who joined Bolton Wanderers midway through last season, Dugarry has come to England for first-team football. And, like Djorkaeff, Dugarry had no option but to cross the Channel after developing a bad reputation in France. The latest episode included repeated arguments with Bordeaux team-mates as well as a falling-out with manager Elie Baup.

"It was definitely time for me to leave," says the man who will make his debut against "my French friends of Arsenal" next weekend, "and I can't think of a better place for me to come." Unfortunately, delayed clearance prevented him from making his bow in the Cup tie at Fulham.

Dugarry says he wants to be "Birmingham's Eric Cantona", but his two previous foreign forays, at Milan and Barc-elona, ended in tears. It also remains to be seen whether he will show a Djorkaeff-like loyalty to his English rescuers. Unlike the ageing Bolton midfielder, the man they call "Duga" is still only 30 and therefore in his striking prime. "Absolutely I am," he says. "That's exactly why I wanted a club where I would be needed. I don't just want to be a squad member; I want to be the key player in a team. This is my chance."

Dugarry is a complex character who has never followed the normal course. A Bordeaux boy through and through, he was a member of the highly talented 1996 team who reached the Uefa Cup final. One of their leading lights was Dugarry's best friend, Zidane. The two own a bar in Bordeaux and have remained close – too close for the comfort of French scribes, who felt the world's best player had carried his chum for years.

Zidane does not pick squads, let alone the starting XI, but the conspiracy theorists feel they were proved right when Dugarry retired from the international scene in the summer, just as a new manager was appointed from outside the Federation.

With so much baggage to carry in his native land, no wonder Dugarry was so keen to join the Premiership. Birmingham may not have the caché of Milan, Barcelona or even Marseille, but the club can offer the Frenchman some much-needed stability.

Not that Dugarry is the only one getting a good deal. Birmingham are too – the versatile forward has the potential to help the Blues retain their Premiership status. "This is the biggest signing in the club's history," Bruce said. But one question remains: will it also be the shortest?