Dacourt began his career at Strasbourg, where he won the Intertoto Cup in 1998. He enjoyed a season at Everton and then Lens, before then joining Leeds United for a club record £7.2 million. Dacourt was regular in the Leeds team as the club reached the Champions League Semi Finals and finished in the top 4 of the Premier League. Dacourt later won two Serie A titles with Inter Milan in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. He played 21 times for France, scoring one goal.