Marcel Desailly

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Marcel Desailly
Personal information
Full name Marcel Desailly
Date of birth September 7, 1968 (1968-09-07) (age 39)
Place of birth    Accra, Ghana
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Defender, Midfielder (retired)
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1986-1992
1992-1993
1993-1998
1998-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006		 Nantes
Olympique Marseille
A.C. Milan
Chelsea
Al-Gharafa
Qatar SC
Total		 164 0(5)
057 0(2)
164 0(7)
191 0(6)
028 (15)
007 0(0)
611 (35)   
National team2
1993-2004 France 116 0(3)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 19:21, 1 December 2007 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 19:21, 1 December 2007 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Marcel Desailly (born September 7, 1968 in Accra, Ghana as Odenke Abbey) is a former French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000. He also enjoyed a distinguished career at club level with several major European clubs.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Born as Odenke Abbey to Ghanaian parents, Marcel had his name changed when his mother married a French diplomat who adopted all the children. He arrived in France as a 4-year-old and began his career at FC Nantes, turning professional in 1986. In 1992, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, and won the European Cup the following year. In 1994, while a member of A.C. Milan, he again won the Cup, being the first player to win the Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs. (Desailly's team had defeated Milan in the 1993 Champions League final, also making him the first player to transfer to the Final's opposing side.) During his time in Milan he won two Italian league titles, in 1994 and 1996. Although he prefers to be a defender[1], he also played midfield for some time.

Desailly then moved to the English club Chelsea, where he played centre-back until the end of the 2003-04 season. After Euro 2004, he retired from international football as the all-time leader in appearances for France (116). Desailly's record has since been surpassed by fellow defender Lilian Thuram.

Desailly is considered one of the most accomplished players of the game and one of the best players of the past two decades, having won virtually every major team award. He is currently a UNICEF ambassador to Ghana and is being mentioned as a possible candidate for the coaching position of Ghana's national team[2].

[edit] In Qatar

Desailly was snapped up by Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa in 2004. He was appointed as the club captain and under the French coach Bruno Metsu they won the Qatar League in 2005.He then joined Qatar S.C.,leading them to second place in the league. After that he retired from professional football signalling the end of a glorious career.

[edit] French national team

Desailly made his international debut in 1993, but was not established as a first choice defender until 1996. He was an important part of the French team which won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, albeit being sent off in the final. He was, nonetheless, awarded the Légion d'Honneur. Two years later success continued, as France won Euro 2000. After the tournament, Desailly was made captain of the national team, following the retirement of Didier Deschamps. In 2001, he led France to victory in the Confederations Cup.

In April 2003, Desailly surpassed the record for the number of appearances for the French team, a number which eventually reached 116 when he announced his retirement from international football following Euro 2004. However, that record was broken during the 2006 World Cup by Lilian Thuram.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The five players Fabio Capello made superstars", Daily Telegraph, 2007-12-16. Retrieved on 2007-12-16. 
  2. ^ "Desailly confirms intention to coach Ghana", BBC Sports, 2007-12-02. Retrieved on 2007-12-02. 

[edit] Club history

[edit] Career statistics

Club Performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
France League Coupe de France Europe Total
1986-87 Nantes Division 1 13 0 - 2 0 15 0
1987-88 11 0 - - 11 0
1988-89 36 1 - - 36 1
1989-90 36 1 - - 36 1
1990-91 34 1 - - 34 1
1991-92 32 2 - - 32 2
1992-93 Olympique Marseille Division 1 31 1 - 10 1 41 2
1993-94 16 0 7 0 - 23 0
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
1993-94 Milan Serie A 21 1 7 0 6 2 34 3
1994-95 22 1 7 0 10 0 39 1
1995-96 32 2 14 1 7 0 53 3
1996-97 29 1 7 0 5 0 41 1
1997-98 32 0 14 1 - 46 1
England League FA Cup Europe Total
1998-99 Chelsea Premier League 30 0 7 0 7 1 44 1
1999-00 22 1 16 0 16 0 54 1
2000-01 34 2 13 1 1 0 48 3
2001-02 24 1 12 0 2 0 38 1
2002-03 31 2 11 0 1 0 43 2
2003-04 15 0 8 0 8 0 31 0
Qatar League Emir of Qatar Cup Asia Total
2004-05 Al-Gharafa 28 15
2005-06 Qatar 7 0
Total France 209 6 7 0 12 1 228 7
Italy 136 5 35 2 28 2 199 9
England 156 6 67 1 35 1 258 8
Qatar 35 15
Career Total 536 32

[edit] Post-playing career

Desailly worked for BBC Television in the United Kingdom during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, as one of their Match of the Day analysts. He has developed a small but devout fanbase, entertained by his inability to contribute without shouting at the top of his voice, at great length, often about trivial issues. He has also recently become a spokesperson for a sports betting website.

He is currently working as a BBC journalist covering the 2008 African Cup of Nations .

[edit] Personal

Desailly is a member of the Ga ethnic group. He is married to Virginie and has a daughter, Victoria, and three sons.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Preceded by
Dennis Wise		 Chelsea F.C. captain
2000–2004		 Succeeded by
John Terry
Preceded by
Didier Deschamps		 France captain
2000–2004		 Succeeded by
Patrick Vieira
v • d • e
France squad - UEFA Euro 1996
1 Lama • 2 Angloma • 3 Di Meco • 4 Lebouef • 5 Blanc • 6 Guérin • 7 Deschamps • 8 Desailly • 9 Djorkaeff • 10 Zidane • 11 Loko • 12 Lizarazu • 13 Dugarry • 14 Lamouchi • 15 Thuram • 16 Barthez • 17 Madar • 18 Pedros • 19 Karembeu • 20 Roche • 21 Martins • 22 Martini • Coach: Jacquet
 Flag of France
v • d • e
France squad - 1998 FIFA World Cup Winners (1st Title)
1 Lama • 2 Candela • 3 Lizarazu • 4 Vieira • 5 Blanc • 6 Djorkaeff • 7 Deschamps • 8 Desailly • 9 Guivarc'h • 10 Zidane • 11 Pirès • 12 Henry • 13 Diomède • 14 Boghossian • 15 Thuram • 16 Barthez • 17 Petit • 18 Leboeuf • 19 Karembeu • 20 Trezeguet • 21 Dugarry • 22 Charbonnier • Coach: Jacquet
 Flag of France
v • d • e
France squad - UEFA Euro 2000 Winners (2nd title)
1 Lama • 2 Candela • 3 Lizarazu • 4 Vieira • 5 Blanc • 6 Djorkaeff • 7 Deschamps • 8 Desailly • 9 Anelka • 10 Zidane • 11 Pirès • 12 Henry • 13 Wiltord • 14 Micoud • 15 Thuram • 16 Barthez • 17 Petit • 18 Leboeuf • 19 Karembeu • 20 Trezeguet • 21 Dugarry • 22 Ramé • Coach: Lemerre
 Flag of France
v • d • e
France squad - 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
1 Ramé • 2 Sagnol • 3 Lizarazu • 4 Vieira • 5 Gillet • 6 Djorkaeff • 7 Pirès • 8 Desailly • 9 Anelka • 10 Carrière • 11 Wiltord • 12 Coupet • 13 Silvestre • 14 Née • 15 Bréchet • 16 Dacourt • 17 Marlet • 18 Leboeuf • 19 Karembeu • 20 Camara • 21 Dugarry • 22 Robert • 23 Landreau • Coach: Lemerre
 Flag of France
v • d • e
France squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup
1 Ramé • 2 Candela • 3 Lizarazu • 4 Vieira • 5 Christanval • 6 Djorkaeff • 7 Makélélé • 8 Desailly • 9 Cissé • 10 Zidane • 11 Wiltord • 12 Henry • 13 Silvestre • 14 Boghossian • 15 Thuram • 16 Barthez • 17 Petit • 18 Leboeuf • 19 Sagnol • 20 Trezeguet • 21 Dugarry • 22 Micoud • 23 Coupet • Coach: Lemerre
 Flag of France
v • d • e
France squad - UEFA Euro 2004
1 Landreau • 2 Boumsong • 3 Lizarazu • 4 Vieira • 5 Gallas • 6 Makélélé • 7 Pirès • 8 Desailly • 9 Saha • 10 Zidane • 11 Wiltord • 12 Henry • 13 Silvestre • 14 Rothen • 15 Thuram • 16 Barthez • 17 Dacourt • 18 Pedretti • 19 Sagnol • 20 Trezeguet • 21 Marlet • 22 Govou • 23 Coupet • Coach: Santini
 Flag of France