Birmingham struck gold in 2003 with transfer dubbed the club’s best ever | OneFootball

Birmingham welcomed an A-lister to St.Andrew's in 2003

Birmingham City have seen a great number of talented players don their famous blue shirt since then.

Stars such as Trevor Francis, Malcolm Page and Gil Merrick have been woven into the Second City side's fabric over the years, with their outstanding contributions to the football club immortalising them in Blues folklore.

In 2003, another one of Birmingham's finest ever operators was gearing up to make his mark at St. Andrew's, in a move that sent shockwaves throughout the world of football.

Birmingham City landed World Cup Winner in a huge survival boost

However, there is no time to rest in the top-flight and sitting still in the transfer market can often spell doom come May.

Manager Steve Bruce decided that some new additions were exactly what his side needed in their survival pursuit, but nobody could’ve predicted the coup he would pull off.

Christophe Dugarry ran out for European giants such as AC Milan and Barcelona during his career and was a World Cup and European Championship winner with the French national team.

In 2003, he added the Second City side to that list, much to the world’s surprise.

Blues may have had fellow French Premier League icons such as Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires to thank for the acquisition, with Dugarry citing their opinion on the English top-flight as a determining factor in his decision to swap Bordeaux for Birmingham.

"I am happy with everything I have seen here," stated Dugarry to BBC Sport. "I spoke with Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Laurent Blanc and Fabien Barthez, and they told me to sign as quickly as possible.

"I hope to be able to bring something to Birmingham."

Bruce was delighted by the signing and went on record to make a bold claim surrounding the stratospheric nature of the deal, stating that it was the club’s biggest in its history.

"When you consider 75 caps for France over the last decade shows magnitude," said Bruce to BBC Sport.

"He is a World Cup winner and has played for Barcelona and AC Milan.

"I think he will be a great favourite. He wears his heart on his sleeve and his talent will not go unnoticed."

The forward got to work quickly and a run of five goals in four matches quickly cemented his place in Birmingham folklore.

After 38 games, Blues finished 13th and six points clear of the drop, with Dugarry’s goals a crucial factor in maintaining the club’s top-flight status. A blistering spell across four games in April saw the Frenchman score five goals, with Birmingham picking up four straight wins to set them well on their way to safety.

The Frenchman would sign permanently the following summer, but never managed to hit the same heights.

Just one goal in the 2003/04 campaign led to Dugarry terminating his contract at St. Andrew’s in March, citing his family's failure to settle in England as the reason for doing so.

Despite this deflating end, Birmingham supporters still regard the attacker as one of the club’s best players and feel honoured to have watched him don their famous blue shirt.

Christophe Dugarry never matched his Birmingham City heights again

Following his St. Andrew's exit, Dugarry took a leap of faith and left European football entirely.

The Frenchman signed a one-year deal with Qatar SC, but failed to make a single appearance for the club.

Following his adventure in the Middle East, Dugarry retired from the beautiful game altogether in 2005.

The forward's spell with Birmingham proved to be the last spell he had playing regular football, and the impact he left on Blues' supporters is fitting for the calibre of player he was throughout his career.