Marcel Desailly ( natural Odenke Abbey ; 7 September 1968 ) is a french early professional football player, widely considered to be among the greatest centre-backs and defensive midfielders to ever play football. During a successful career at club level, lasting from 1986 to 2006, Desailly won respective titles, including UEFA Champions League medals with both Marseille and AC Milan, and besides played for Nantes and Chelsea, among early teams. At international flat, he collected 116 caps between 1993 and 2004, scoring 3 goals, and was a extremity of the France international squads that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 .
Club career [edit ]
Marcel Desailly was born as Odenke Abbey on 7 September 1968 in Accra, Ghana, the son of ghanaian parents. He had his name changed when his mother married the lead of the french Consulate in Accra, who adopted all of her children ( the former professional football player Seth Adonkor, seven years his elder, was a stepbrother of his ). The family relocated to France when Desailly was four years old. Following Adonkor ‘s moderate, he began his career at FC Nantes. There, as character of the celebrated FC Nantes youth program, he played alongside a young Didier Deschamps, who became his closest acquaintance. Desailly turned professional in 1986, two years after his stepbrother had died in a car accident. In 1992, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, where he reunited with Deschamps, and won the UEFA Champions League the adopt class. In 1994, while playing for AC Milan, he again won the Cup ( scoring in the final himself ), being the first player to win the Cup in back-to-back seasons with unlike clubs. During his time in Milan he won two italian league titles, in 1994 and 1996. Although he preferred to be deployed as a carpet sweeper or centre-back, roles which he played during his clock in France, [ 4 ] he found much success play as a defensive midfielder for Milan, aboard Demetrio Albertini, ascribable to the presence of respective early established centre-backs at the baseball club, such as Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Filippo Galli.
Reading: Marcel Desailly
Desailly then moved to the English cabaret Chelsea in 1998 for £4.6 million, [ 5 ] where he captained the side and played sweeper and centre-back until the conclusion of the 2003–04 season. It was at Chelsea that Desailly formed a formidable partnership with Frank Leboeuf. He picked up one major trophy in his six seasons with Chelsea, being on the winning side in their FA Cup exuberate over Aston Villa in 2000. [ 6 ] Desailly was snapped up by Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa in 2004. He was appointed as the club captain and under the french bus Bruno Metsu they won the Qatar League in 2005. He then joined Qatar S.C., leading them to second place in the league before retiring from professional football. In 2014, Desailly had met the Football Association of Malaysia and said he was ready and will to coach the Malaysia national team. [ 7 ] He besides pointed that it was up to the football affiliation whether to hire him or not. [ 8 ]
International career [edit ]
Desailly has often said that he feels wholly french and while having ties with Ghana, never tied considered play for a area other than France. [ citation needed ] During an interview in Ghana, he stated that he did not have much choice about which area to play for as he was already established in the french national youth football team. [ 9 ] This stance was restated in his autobiography, published in 2002. He made his international introduction 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 catch. Like early team members, he was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1998. [ 1 ] 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 phone number of appearances for the french team, a numeral which finally reached 116 when he announced his retirement from international football following 2004 UEFA european Football Championship. however, that record was broken during the 2006 FIFA World Cup by Lilian Thuram .
expressive style of play [edit ]
Nicknamed “ The Rock ”, due to his consistency, strength, and hard-tackling play style, Desailly is considered one of the most accomplished players of his generation, and one of the finest french defenders always, who stood out for his charismatic leadership and ability to organise his team ‘s back-line and break down opposition plays throughout his career. A promptly, hard-working, coherent, and brawny player, who excelled in the air and at anticipating his opponents, he combined his aggression, stamen, and ability to read the game, angstrom well as his physical, genial, and defensive skills, with a luminary assurance and good technique on the testis, which besides allowed him to play in midfield throughout his career ; indeed, after moving to Milan, although he initially started out play as a centre-back or carpet sweeper, and occasionally even as a full-back, he was late deployed as a defensive midfielder, a position in which he besides excelled, successfully filling the void left by the deviation of Frank Rijkaard due his ball-winning abilities and capacity to start attacking plays after winning back possession. In summation to his defensive skills, he was besides adequate to of contributing to his team ‘s dysphemistic plays with goals by making attacking runs into the box. [ 4 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] [ 13 ] In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 as one of the universe ‘s greatest live players. [ 14 ]
bequest [edit ]
Marcel Desailly is presently [ when? ] residing in Ghana. [ 15 ] He is presently a Laureus Academy member and OrphanAid Africa Lifetime ambassador to Ghana and France ( since 2005 ). He was mentioned as a possible campaigner for the coaching military position of the Ghana home team. [ 16 ] He has since then pulled out of the race to coach the Ghana National Team, although the choice is probably to keep coming up. He has opened ( June 2011 ) a sports facility in Ghana called Lizzy Sports Complex, in memory of his deep beget, geared to young players and children in particular. many african National teams use the center to camp and prepare for international tournaments. [ citation needed ]
Post-playing career [edit ]
Desailly ‘s autobiography, Capitaine, was published in France by Stock in 2002 .
Media employment [edit ]
Following retirement, Desailly became a initiate for BBC Sport predominantly giving his public opinion from the touchline at both one-half time and full-time as opposed to residing in the studio with Alan Hansen, Alan Shearer and Martin O’Neill. He worked for BBC Sport in the United Kingdom during the 2006 World Cup, as one of their Match of the Day analysts. He besides worked for BBC Sport at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations and Euro 2008 and is a regular observer for french television channel Canal Plus. He besides became a spokesperson for sports betting web site Betclic. [ 17 ]
Read more: S.S. Lazio
In 2010 Desailly joined the ITV Sport team for their World Cup coverage from South Africa. [ 18 ] [ 19 ]
Charity work [edit ]
Desailly is a garter of the 1GOAL education for All political campaign. [ 20 ] He is besides the UNICEF national Goodwill Ambassador for Ghana. [ 21 ] He is the Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador for his personal Charity OrphanAid Africa, that helps abandoned children in Ghana. He is a member of the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation .
Licensed trade [edit ]
A mobile video recording game entitled Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer, developed by Gameloft was released for mobile phones in 2003. [ 22 ] Desailly is an ICON in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team, with ratings of 87 ( basal ), 88 ( mid ), 91 ( flower ), and 92 ( Prime Icon Moments ). [ 23 ]
personal life [edit ]
Desailly is a extremity of the Ga ethnic group. He is married to Virginie and has four children. His nephew James Édouard Adams is a semi-professional football player. [ 24 ]
career statistics [edit ]
club [edit ]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[25][26][27][28][29]
Club
Season
League
National Cup
League Cup
Continental
Other
Total
Division
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Nantes
1986–87
Division 1
13
0
1
0
–
2
0
–
16
0
1987–88
Division 1
11
0
1
0
–
–
–
12
0
1988–89
Division 1
36
1
4
0
–
–
–
40
1
1989–90
Division 1
36
1
3
0
–
–
–
39
1
1990–91
Division 1
34
1
4
0
–
–
–
38
1
1991–92
Division 1
32
2
1
0
–
–
–
33
2
Total
162
5
14
0
—
2
0
—
178
5
Marseille
1992–93
Division 1
31
1
3
0
–
10
1
–
44
2
1993–94
Division 1
16
0
0
0
–
–
–
16
0
Total
47
1
3
0
—
10
1
—
60
2
AC Milan
1993–94
Serie A
21
1
1
0
0
0
6
2
3
0
31
3
1994–95
Serie A
22
1
1
0
0
0
10
0
3
0
36
1
1995–96
Serie A
32
2
1
0
–
7
0
–
40
2
1996–97
Serie A
29
1
3
0
1
0
5
0
–
38
1
1997–98
Serie A
33
0
8
0
–
–
–
41
0
Total
137
5
14
0
1
0
28
2
6
0
186
7
Chelsea
1998–99
Premier League
31
0
6
0
0
0
7
1
1
0
45
1
1999–2000
Premier League
23
1
4
0
0
0
16
0
–
43
1
2000–01
Premier League
34
2
2
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
39
2
2001–02
Premier League
24
1
8
0
3
0
2
0
–
37
1
2002–03
Premier League
31
2
1
0
0
0
1
0
–
33
2
2003–04
Premier League
15
0
1
0
1
0
8
0
–
25
0
Total
158
6
22
0
5
0
35
1
2
0
222
7
Al-Gharafa
2004–05
Stars League
28
6
–
–
28
6
Qatar SC
2005–06
Stars League
7
0
–
–
7
0
Career total
539
23
53
0
6
0
75
4
8
0
681
27
International [edit ]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[30]
National team
Year
Apps
Goals
France
1993
4
0
1994
7
0
1995
7
1
1996
12
0
1997
7
0
1998
13
1
1999
11
0
2000
16
0
2001
12
1
2002
13
0
2003
9
0
2004
5
0
Total
116
3
- Scores and results list France’s goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Desailly goal.[31]
Honours [edit ]
Marseille [ 32 ]
AC Milan [ 32 ] [ 33 ]
Chelsea [ 34 ]
Al-Gharafa[35]
France [ 34 ]
Individual
Orders