[5][6] Born in Réunion, he moved to mainland France aged 16 and began his professional career with Montpellier and Paris Saint Germain, playing and scoring in the UEFA Champions League with the latter.

In 2001, he transferred to Premier League club Newcastle United for a £10 million fee, helping them qualify for several European tournaments including the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2003–04.

The following season, he was fined and disciplined for publicly criticising manager Graeme Souness, leading to a loan to Portsmouth and transfer to Benfica in the Portuguese Primeira Liga in January 2006.

He scored a winning free kick against O Clássico rivals Porto and played in a run to the Champions League quarter-finals, but moved on six months later to Levante in La Liga.

[5] On 20 January 1996, Robert scored his first professional goal in a 2–0 home win over Martigues, having asked manager Michel Mézy to bring him on as a substitute to take the free kick.

He came off the bench for the final 15 minutes on 11 February as his team were losing 2–0 at Paris Saint-Germain, and assisted the first goal and scored the winner in a 3–2 victory that would cost his future employer the league title.

[12] In July 2001, Robert contributed to PSG winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup, scoring four goals over the two legs of the second round against FC Jazz of Finland; he played as a forward due to injuries to Nicolas Anelka and Laurent Leroy.

[15] Cup-tied for their Intertoto campaign,[15] he made his debut on 19 August in the season opener away to Chelsea; his 25-yard shot in a free-kick situation was spilt by goalkeeper Ed de Goey, allowing Clarence Acuña to equalise in a 1–1 draw.

[17] A week later, his fifth-minute free kick opened a 4–3 win over three-times defending champions Manchester United at St James' Park.

[18] He scored five free-kick goals as Newcastle came fourth in 2001–02; as of August 2023, this remained a joint record alongside David Beckham's five for Manchester United a season earlier.

The second yellow card was for being too close to Dennis Bergkamp's free kick, a decision for which Newcastle manager Bobby Robson took issue with referee Neale Barry.

[34] In his final game on 2 January 2006, he enraged manager Harry Redknapp by missing a late free kick that could have been passed for an equaliser in a 2–1 loss at Blackburn Rovers.

[36] Media reports suggested that Robert was signed as a potential replacement for Benfica captain Simão Sabrosa, a player in the same position who was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool.

[38] His first of two league goals was the game's only at home to Porto in O Clássico on 26 February, a free kick past Vítor Baía;[39] the other six days later equalised in a 2–1 win at nearby Estrela da Amadora.

[41] On 11 July 2006, Robert moved to Spanish La Liga club Levante on a two-year deal, having chosen them over an offer from Turkey's Beşiktaş.

[47] On 11 January 2008, Robert returned to the Premier League by signing for Derby County for the rest of the season, after impressing manager Paul Jewell on his trial.

[54] He terminated his deal a year early, saying it was because Greece was "a bit special", returned to Paris for family reasons and trained with PSG's reserves in the summer of 2009.