Nicolas Anelka - Wikipedia

Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (French pronunciation: ​[nikɔla anɛlka]; born 14 March 1979) is a French expert soccer supervisor and retired participant who performed as a ahead. As a player, he frequently featured in his country's countrywide team, often scoring at crucial moments. Known for his capacity to each rating and help desires, he has been defined as a classy and quick participant, with accurate aerial capability, method, taking pictures, and motion off the ball, and become able to gambling both as a major striker and as a 2nd striker.[6][7]

Anelka started his profession at Paris Saint-Germain, however quickly moved to Arsenal. He have become a primary crew regular and won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award the subsequent season. He moved to Real Madrid for £22.3 million in 1999, but did not settle in well and returned to PSG in a £20 million deal. Despite normal first group soccer in Paris, Anelka set his eyes upon the Premier League once more, transferring on mortgage to Liverpool in January 2002, however joining Manchester City for £13 million at the begin of the 2002–03 season.

After 3 seasons in Manchester, he moved to Turkish club Fenerbahçe for two seasons, before returning to England to sign up for Bolton Wanderers in offers worth £7 million and £eight million respectively. He changed into then transferred to Chelsea from Bolton for a stated £15 million in January 2008. In 2009, he won the Premier League Golden Boot award as the league's pinnacle goalscorer. During his transfers over the years, he has constructed an aggregate transfer price of simply below £90 million.[eight] On 12 December 2011, Shanghai Shenhua announced that they had reached an settlement with Anelka to enroll in the group inside the winter switch window.[9] After one season there, Anelka joined Italian aspect Juventus on a six-month loan deal in 2013, after which he became released from Shanghai and signed for West Bromwich Albion on a loose transfer. Following his dismissal by West Brom, he signed for Mumbai City FC as a marquee participant and become named player-supervisor in 2015.

Anelka performed sixty nine times at global level and received his first international honours with France at UEFA Euro 2000, and received the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup the following 12 months. His failure to settle at membership stage limited his worldwide appearances, but he returned to the countrywide crew for Euro 2008. On 19 June 2010, he turned into excluded with the aid of the French Football Federation (FFF) from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for "remarks directed in opposition to the countrywide teach, Raymond Domenech, unacceptable to the FFF, French soccer, and the principles they uphold".[10] Two months later, having failed to show as arsenal much as his disciplinary listening to, he became banned for France's next 18 matches by means of the FFF, efficiently ending his worldwide career.[eleven] Anelka later claimed to be "demise with laughter" at the 18-fit ban, as he had already decided to retire from international play.[12]Early and personal existence[edit]

Anelka was born in Le Chesnay, Yvelines,[13] to mother and father who had movedfrom Martinique in 1974. Thereafter, they settled in Trappes, near Paris. His childhood friends from Trappes consist of the actors Omar Sy and Jamel Debbouze.[14] His mother is a secretary inside the nearby high school.[15][16][17]

Anelka is married to Barbara Tausia, a Belgian choreographer. Together, they've two sons, Kais, born in 2008, and Kahil, born in 2010.[18] He acted in the 2002 film Le Boulet as a footballer named Nicolas. He has said that after he retires from football, he would like to paintings in the movie industry due to the fact he has a friend in the enterprise.[19] He stated, "I have a friend who's a producer, who makes plenty of films. He recently did Astérix. So it is already agreed that I'm going to do different movies. It enables to understand actors and producers. It's one-of-a-kind to football and it is something I revel in very a great deal because there's no ball. I like pretending to be somebody else, it's amusing."[citation needed]

Anelka hasbrothers, Claude and Didier.[20]

After discussing religion with a few formative years friends, Anelka converted to Islam in 2004 in the United bbc hausa news arsenal Arab Emirates, taking the Muslim name of "Abdul-Salam Bilal".[21] Anelka has stated that he initially fasted in the course of daytime as is required for the Muslim month of Ramadan, but "I realised I frequently were given injured just after the length of Ramadan, so I don't take a look at it strictly any greater".[22] Initially, Anelka taken into consideration leaving European soccer to play in the UAE: "I am geared up to stay right here and to play for a club in the Emirates. I am now not keen to head returned to England or France." However, this did no longer come to bypass and he briefly moved to Turkey as an alternative, as well as 3 more English clubs.[23]

Anelka is also recognized for his arguable relationship with French comic Dieudonné M'bala M'bala and attracted giant condemnation after acting the quenelle hand gesture, created by M'bala and seemed as anti-Semitic, at the pitch whilst playing for West Bromwich Albion in 2013.[24] Anelka spoke back that the gesture became anti-status quo, no longer anti-Semitic.[24] An FA disciplinary listening to though banned Anelka for five fits, but observed that he changed into no longer anti-Semitic and had no longer intended the gesture to specific or promote anti-Semitism.[25] After West Brom suspended him pending their personal research, Anelka changed into given observe of termination of his settlement via the membership because of the club and participant being not able to return to terms over the situations required for the suspension by the club to be lifted, in addition to feedback made by using Anelka on Twitter.[26] In 2020, Anelka said the quenelle turned into simplest a protest in opposition to his former supervisor Steve Clarke, who is not Jewish.[27]

Anelka has been the subject of the 2012 Canal+ documentary L'Entrée des Trappistes about his friendship with Sy and Debbouze,[14] and the characteristic-length 2020 Netflix documentary Anelka: Misunderstood.[27]Club career[edit]Paris Saint-Germain[edit]

Anelka started out his profession at Paris Saint-Germain as a teens participant at age 16.[28]Arsenal[edit]

In February 1997, at age 17, Anelka joined Premier League membership Arsenal for a £500,000 transfer rate[29] beneath newly appointed manager Arsène Wenger. The switch brought about controversy in France as Arsenal sought to sign him at no cost beneath the precedent of the latest Bosman ruling, despite there being exceptions for gamers beneath the age of 24; Wenger stated this age restrict was best for home transfers.[30]

His first crew possibilities have been limited within the 1996–ninety seven season, however in 1997–ninety eight, he broke into the primary team after a long-time period harm to striker Ian Wright. In November 1997, Anelka scored his first intention for Arsenal in a 3–2 domestic win against Manchester United.[31][32] Anelka become a key player in Arsenal's Double win of each the Premier League and FA Cup that season.[33] Anelka scored the second one aim in Arsenal's 2–zero win over Newcastle United in that season's FA Cup final.[34]

Anelka become Arsenal's top scorer within the 1998–99 season with 17 Premier League dreams. This form noticed him voted the PFA Young Player of the Year, however Arsenal did not guard their Premier League and FA Cup titles and made little development in the UEFA Champions League. Fans turned at the striker amid switch hypothesis and a perceived lack of enthusiasm, giving him the nickname "Le Sulk".[35] During the close season, Anelka stated a preference to depart Arsenal, claiming the British press became accountable for his sadness in England.[36] On 2 August 1999, he joined Real Madrid.[37]

With regard to his time with the Gunners, Anelka later stated he believes he must have by no means left Arsenal, a club that he has amazing "love" for.[38][39] Of his former boss at Highbury, Arsène Wenger, Anelka is a massive admirer and a sturdy supporter of him.[forty] Anelka additionally located at twenty ninth in the membership's compilation of the 50 Greatest Gunners of all-time. In all, he made 90 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 28 dreams altogether for the club.[39][38]Real Madrid[edit]

In the summer season of 1999, Anelka moved to Real Madrid for a £22.three million transfer fee. He took time to attain for the membership; on a go to to the soccer tabloid Marca he played a FIFA game with the personnel, who then released the mocking the front-page headline "Anelka finally ratings a purpose...on a video game".[forty two] He did not score for Real Madrid in his first five months on the membership, ultimately recording his first goal in the establishing in shape of the FIFA Club World Championship against Al-Nassr on five January 2000.[forty three] Two days later, he scored two times in opposition to Corinthians in the identical opposition, additionally lacking an 81st-minute penalty kick that could have given him a hat-trick.[44]