The 27-year-old, who was born on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, made an immediate impact with The Latics with an impressive debut against Premiership champions Chelsea.
"We took a chance on him in the summer when no-one knew who he was, gave him his opportunity, and he has taken it superbly. He's been a star for us."
Paul Jewell
A hard-working and committed right back, Chimbonda is also a threat bombing forward and his performances in his first season in England earned him the honour of being selected in the PFA Team of the Year.
That recognition from his peers was not backed up by an international call until coach Raymond Domenech named his 23-man squad for the finals, with Chimbonda the shock inclusion.
Having started his career at Le Havre, he moved on to Bastia in 2003 but his stay in Corsica was marred by allegations of racial abuse from his own club's supporters.
Wigan fought off competition from Marseille to sign him in the summer of 2005 and he quickly attracted the attention of bigger clubs, notably Bayern Munich.
After just four months at The JJB Stadium he signed a new contract, with The Latics anxious to protect their interests should the player opt to move on.
However, six months later Chimbonda enraged his manager Paul Jewell by handing in a transfer request only seconds after the final whistle of the last game of the campaign at Arsenal.
Tottenham immediately made an attempt to sign him, but their offers of £2 million and £3 million were rejected by Wigan, who are holding out for a fee of £6 million.
