Nicolas Anelka

Anelka playing for Chelsea in 2010

Personal information

Full name

Nicolas Sébastien Anelka^[1]

Date of birth

14 March 1979 (age 46)^[2]

Place of birth

Le Chesnay, France

Height

1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)^[3]

Position(s)

Forward

Youth career

1983–1993

Trappes Saint-Quentin

1993–1995

Clairefontaine^[4]

1995–1996

Paris Saint-Germain

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

1996–1997

Paris Saint-Germain

10

(1)

1997–1999

Arsenal

65

(23)

1999–2000

Real Madrid

19

(2)

2000–2002

Paris Saint-Germain

39

(14)

2001–2002

→ Liverpool (loan)

20

(4)

2002–2005

Manchester City

89

(37)

2005–2006

Fenerbahçe

39

(14)

2006–2008

Bolton Wanderers

53

(21)

2008–2012

Chelsea

125

(38)

2012–2013

Shanghai Shenhua

22

(3)

2013

→ Juventus (loan)

2

(0)

2013–2014

West Bromwich Albion

12

(2)

2014–2015

Mumbai City

13

(2)

Total

508

(157)

International career

1997

France U20

3

(0)

1998–2010

France

69

(14)

Managerial career

2015

Mumbai City

Medal record

Men's football

Representing France
UEFA European Championship
Winner	2000
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner	2001

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (born 14 March 1979) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. As a player, he regularly featured in his country's national team, often scoring at crucial moments. Known for his ability to both score and assist goals, he has been described as a classy and quick player, with good aerial ability, technique, shooting, and movement off the ball, and was capable of playing both as a main striker and as a second striker.^[5]^[6]

Anelka began his career at Paris Saint-Germain, but soon moved to Arsenal. At Arsenal, he won the 1997–98 Premier League and FA Cup double. He became a first team regular and won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award the following season. He moved to Real Madrid for £22.3 million in 1999. He was part of the Real Madrid team that won the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League, but he did not settle in well and returned to PSG in a £20 million deal. Despite regular first team football in Paris, Anelka set his eyes upon the Premier League once more, moving on loan to Liverpool in January 2002 before joining Manchester City for £13 million at the start of the 2002–03 season.

After three seasons in Manchester, he moved to Turkish club Fenerbahçe for two seasons, before returning to England to join Bolton Wanderers in deals worth £7 million and £8 million respectively. He was then transferred to Chelsea from Bolton for a reported £15 million in January 2008. At Chelsea, he won one Premier League title and two FA Cup trophies, as well as played in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League final. In 2009, he won the Premier League Golden Boot award as the league's top goalscorer. During his transfers over the years, he has built an aggregate transfer cost of just under £90 million.^[7] After leaving Chelsea, he had brief stints at Shanghai Shenhua, Juventus, West Bromwich Albion and Mumbai City.

Anelka played 69 times at international level and won his first international honours with France at UEFA Euro 2000, also winning the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup the following year. His failure to settle at club level limited his international appearances, but he returned to the national team for Euro 2008. On 19 June 2010, he was excluded by the French Football Federation (FFF) from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for "comments directed against the national coach, Raymond Domenech."^[8] He did not play again for the national team.^[9]

Early and personal life

[edit]

Anelka was born in Le Chesnay, Yvelines,^[10] to parents who had moved from Martinique in 1974. Thereafter, they settled in Trappes, near Paris. His childhood friends from Trappes include the actors Omar Sy and Jamel Debbouze.^[11] His mother is a secretary in the local high school.^[12]^[13]^[14]

Anelka is married to Barbara Tausia, a Belgian choreographer. Together, they have two sons, Kais, born in 2008, and Kahil, born in 2010.^[15] He acted in the 2002 film Le Boulet as a footballer named Nicolas. He has said that when he retires from football, he would like to work in the film industry because he has a friend in the business.^[16] He said, "I have a friend who's a producer, who makes lots of films. He recently did Astérix. So it's already agreed that I'm going to do other films. It helps to know actors and producers. It's different to football and it's something I enjoy very much because there's no ball. I like pretending to be somebody else, it's fun."^{[citation needed]}

Anelka has two brothers, Claude and Didier.^[17]

After discussing religion with some childhood friends, Anelka converted to Islam in 2004 in the United Arab Emirates, taking the Muslim name of "Abdul-Salam Bilal".^[18] Anelka has said that he initially fasted during daylight hours as is required for the Muslim month of Ramadan, but "I realised I often got injured just after the period of Ramadan, so I don't observe it strictly any more".^[19] Initially, Anelka considered leaving European football to play in the UAE: "I am ready to stay here and to play for a club in the Emirates. I am not keen to go back to England or France." However, this did not come to pass and he briefly moved to Turkey instead, as well as three more English clubs.^[20]

Anelka is also known for his controversial relationship with French comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala and attracted widespread condemnation after performing the quenelle hand gesture, created by M'bala and regarded as anti-Semitic, on the pitch when playing for West Bromwich Albion in 2013.^[21] Anelka responded that the gesture was anti-establishment, not anti-Semitic.^[21] An FA disciplinary hearing nonetheless banned Anelka for five matches, but found that he was not anti-Semitic and had not intended the gesture to express or promote anti-Semitism.^[22] After West Brom suspended him pending their own investigation, Anelka was given notice of termination of his contract by the club due to the club and player being unable to come to terms over the conditions required for the suspension by the club to be lifted, as well as comments made by Anelka on Twitter.^[23] In 2020, Anelka said the quenelle was only a protest against his former manager Steve Clarke, who is not Jewish.^[24]

Anelka has been the subject of the 2012 Canal+ documentary L'Entrée des Trappistes about his friendship with Sy and Debbouze,^[11] and the feature-length 2020 Netflix documentary Anelka: Misunderstood.^[24]

Club career

[edit]

Paris Saint-Germain

[edit]

Anelka began his career at Paris Saint-Germain as a youth player at age 16.^[25]

Arsenal

[edit]

In February 1997, at age 17, Anelka joined Premier League club Arsenal for a £500,000 transfer fee^[26] under newly appointed manager Arsène Wenger. The transfer caused controversy in France as Arsenal sought to sign him for free under the precedent of the recent Bosman ruling, despite there being exceptions for players under the age of 24; Wenger said this age restriction was only for domestic transfers.^[27]

His first team opportunities were limited in the 1996–97 season, but in 1997–98, he broke into the first team after a long-term injury to striker Ian Wright. In November 1997, Anelka scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 3–2 home win against Manchester United.^[28]^[29] Anelka was a key player in Arsenal's Double win of both the Premier League and FA Cup that season.^[30] Anelka scored the second goal in Arsenal's 2–0 win over Newcastle United in that season's FA Cup final.^[31]

Anelka was Arsenal's top scorer in the 1998–99 season with 17 Premier League goals. This form saw him voted the PFA Young Player of the Year, but Arsenal failed to defend their Premier League and FA Cup titles and made little progress in the UEFA Champions League. Fans turned on the striker amid transfer speculation and a perceived lack of enthusiasm, giving him the nickname "Le Sulk".^[32] During the close season, Anelka stated a desire to leave Arsenal, claiming the English press was responsible for his unhappiness in England.^[33] On 2 August 1999, he joined Real Madrid.^[34]

With regard to his time with the Gunners, Anelka later said he believes he should have never left Arsenal, a club that he has great "love" for.^[35]^[36] Of his former boss at Highbury, Arsène Wenger, Anelka is a huge admirer and a strong supporter of him.^[37] Anelka also placed at 29th in the club's compilation of the 50 Greatest Gunners of all-time. In all, he made 90 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 28 goals altogether for the club.^[36]^[35]

Real Madrid

[edit]

In the summer of 1999, Anelka moved to Real Madrid for a £22.3 million transfer fee.^[38] He took time to score for the club; on a visit to the football tabloid Marca he played a FIFA game with the staff, who then released the mocking front-page headline "Anelka finally scores a goal...on a video game".^[39] He failed to score for Real Madrid in his first five months at the club, eventually recording his first goal in the opening match of the FIFA Club World Championship against Al-Nassr on 5 January 2000.^[40] Two days later, he scored twice against Corinthians in the same competition, also missing an 81st-minute penalty kick that would have given him a hat-trick.^[41]

On 28 February 2000, Anelka scored his first La Liga goal in a 3–0 defeat of rivals Barcelona in El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.^[42] However, in March, he was suspended by club president Lorenzo Sanz after refusing to train, because of a disagreement with head coach Vicente del Bosque.^[43] After returning to the team,^[44] Anelka scored in both legs of the Champions League semi-final to give Los Blancos a 3–2 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich and advance to the competition final.^[45]^[46]^[47]^[48] He started in the final, held at the Stade de France in his home city of Paris, as Real Madrid ran out 3–0 winners over Valencia to win an eighth European Cup.^[49]

Return to Paris Saint-Germain

[edit]

Anelka signed a six-year professional contract at Paris Saint-Germain in July 2000, a return to the club at which he used to play as a youth player, in a transfer deal worth £22 million.^[50] The Paris club had finished second in Ligue 1 that season, thereby qualifying for the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League. Anelka's return was met with much fanfare. Canal Plus, which owned Paris Saint-Germain, financed the transfer, while PSG sponsor Nike covered much of Anelka's compensation of £30–35,000 per week.^[51]

Anelka started well and was appointed captain of a team that was briefly at the top of 2000–01 French Division 1, but the team's form quickly dropped.^[52] In December 2000, following a 5–1 loss to Sedan, Philippe Bergeroo was replaced as PSG manager by Luis Fernández. PSG finished ninth in Ligue 1 that season, earning a place in next season's UEFA Intertoto Cup. PSG finished second in the first round of group stage, behind Bayern Munich, but finished bottom of the second group stage, behind Deportivo de La Coruña, Galatasaray and Milan.^[53]

However, once again, Anelka developed issues with his head coach, Luis Fernández (who was already under pressure for benching Ronaldinho due to his work ethic).^{[citation needed]}

Liverpool (loan)

[edit]

After two and a half years, Anelka returned to the Premier League in December 2001 to join Liverpool on a short-term loan deal until the end of the season. He contributed to Liverpool's late push to come second in the 2001–02 FA Premier League, scoring goals against Everton,^[54] Fulham,^[55] Blackburn Rovers,^[56] Ipswich Town,^[57] and in the 2001–02 FA Cup against Birmingham City,^[58] but manager Gérard Houllier opted not to offer him a permanent deal after the end of the season in favour of signing Senegalese forward El Hadji Diouf.^[59]

Manchester City

[edit]

Anelka joined Manchester City on 24 May 2002, with the £13 million transfer fee paid by manager Kevin Keegan, then a club record high.^[60] In his first season at City, Anelka was the club's top scorer with 14 goals, including a goal in the last ever Manchester Derby at Maine Road against Manchester United, against former club Arsenal and a last minute winner at Anfield after scoring a penalty just moments earlier. In his second season at City, he finished top scorer again, in the club's first season at the City of Manchester Stadium, with 25 goals. On 16 October 2004, he won and scored a penalty against Chelsea, which led to José Mourinho's first defeat as Chelsea manager.^[61]

Fenerbahçe

[edit]

In January 2005, Manchester City announced Anelka had completed a £7 million transfer to Turkish team Fenerbahçe.^[62] He helped the Turkish club win the Süper Lig title in 2005,^[63] and played with them in the UEFA Cup that season, as well as the UEFA Champions League the season after.^[64]

Bolton Wanderers

[edit]

On 25 August 2006, Bolton Wanderers signed Anelka on a four-year deal for a club record transfer fee of £8 million.^[65] He made his debut for Bolton against Watford on 9 September 2006.^[66] He opened his account on 19 September in a League Cup match against Walsall, scoring the last goal of a 3–1 away win.^[67] After 11 matches without a goal in the Premier League, he scored his first goals – a brace – on 25 November to help down Arsenal 3–1.^[68] He finished the 2006–07 Premier League season as Bolton's top scorer with eleven goals.^[69]

In January 2007, Anelka stated he would be willing to leave Bolton for a return to former club Arsenal.^[70] However, he pledged his future to Bolton in July 2007 following talks with manager Sammy Lee.^[71] Anelka later said he would reluctantly consider leaving the club if Bolton's poor start to the 2007–08 season continued,^[72] but later signed a new four-year contract lasting until 2011 on 30 August.^[73] In June 2020 Anelka admitted he signed the contract so that Bolton could get a bigger transfer fee when he left.^[74]

Chelsea

[edit]

On 11 January 2008, it was confirmed Anelka would join Chelsea for £15 million.^[75] He made his Chelsea debut against Tottenham Hotspur on 12 January 2008,^[76] and scored his first goal two weeks later in the FA Cup against Wigan Athletic. He scored his first league goal on 2 February against Portsmouth, but failed to score again for Chelsea during the 2007–08 season.^[77]

In the 2008 Champions League final, Anelka delivered Chelsea's seventh penalty which was saved by Edwin van der Sar, resulting in Manchester United winning the competition. Anelka later blamed manager Avram Grant for his penalty miss, claiming Grant brought him on to play as a late substitute without a proper warm up beforehand and also too late in the game to acclimatize himself in it.^[78]

On 3 August 2008, Anelka scored four goals in a 5–0 friendly win against Milan.^[79]

With Didier Drogba injured at the beginning of the 2008–09 season, Anelka made a very impressive start to the campaign. His goalscoring spree won him the Golden Boot Award on 14 November 2008 for being the first player that season to score ten Premier League goals.^[80] Anelka scored his first competitive hat-trick for Chelsea against Sunderland, in a 5–0 home win on 1 November 2008, and followed this up with two braces against Blackburn Rovers, then West Bromwich Albion.^[81] He established himself as an important member of the squad and maintained his place in the team despite the return to fitness of Drogba. After the arrival of Guus Hiddink, Anelka was more often played on the wing. Furthermore, he was ranked among the top goalscorers in the league for the season. He scored another hat-trick against Watford in the FA Cup to earn Chelsea a 3–1 victory at Vicarage Road.^[82] On 10 May, he scored one goal and set up another in a 4–1 away win against former club Arsenal. Anelka did not celebrate the goal which he scored in the game, as he disclosed "he still loved Arsenal".^[83] A goal in Chelsea's final Premier League game of the season at Sunderland put him as top goal scorer for the season in the Premier League, earning him the Golden Boot with 19 goals.^[84]

Anelka scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season against West London rivals Fulham in a 2–0 win at Craven Cottage, before continuing his fine form with the opening goal in Chelsea's 3–0 win over Burnley the following weekend. He scored his third goal of the season in the opening match of the 2009–10 Champions League group stage in the 1–0 victory over Porto.^[85] Anelka scored one of the best goals of his season against APOEL in the Champions League with the ball being passed into the net from outside the box. Anelka scored his third league goal of the season against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in a 2–0 win with the second goal coming from compatriot Florent Malouda.^[86] Anelka continued his fine scoring run in the Champions League with the winner in the 1–0 victory over Porto at the Estádio do Dragão, making Chelsea only the second ever English side to win at Porto's home ground. He continued his scoring in the season by scoring Chelsea's first goal in a 3–3 draw against Everton in the Premier League, his first goal in the competition since October.^[87] He followed that up with another goal in Chelsea's 2–1 victory over Portsmouth.^[88]

On 16 January 2010, on his return from injury, Anelka scored twice in an astonishing 7–2 victory over Sunderland.^[89] He continued this fine form into the next match scoring in an FA Cup tie against Preston North End, bringing his tally in the previous four matches to five goals. After the return of Didier Drogba from the African Cup of Nations, Anelka had been playing on the wing to support him. Anelka scored his first goal since January in a 1–0 win over his former club Bolton in April 2010, putting Chelsea four points ahead of second-place Manchester United.^[90] On the final day of the season, Anelka scored two goals against Wigan Athletic, including the first Chelsea goal in the sixth minute,^[91] to help Chelsea win their third Premier League title and their first in four years.^[92] Anelka (along with Ashley Cole) joined Henning Berg in the exclusive band of players who have won the Premier League title with two different clubs.^[93] On 24 June 2010, Chelsea announced Anelka had signed a new one-year extension to his existing contract that will keep him at the club until 2012.^[94]

Anelka started the 2010–11 campaign in fine form for Chelsea. He assisted Florent Malouda's last goal against West Brom on the opening day of the Premier League season, scored a double in the next game against Wigan Athletic, then won a penalty against Stoke City in Chelsea's third game of the season. He continued this fine form in Chelsea's first Champions League match, scoring a first half brace against MŠK Žilina. Further goals against Marseille and Spartak Moscow ensured this was the first season since playing for Paris Saint-Germain he had scored at least four goals in a Champions League season. On 19 October, during Chelsea's Champions League group stage match against Spartak, Anelka continued his impressive goal scoring form in the Champions League, scoring the second goal of the match and his 50th goal for Chelsea in the 43rd minute of the game. He ended the 2010–11 season with 16 goals from 45 appearances in all competitions.

Anelka scored Chelsea's first goal of the 2011–12 season against West Brom in a 2–1 Premier League victory. This would prove to be Anelka's final goal for Chelsea, however, as he failed to find the net in 14 further appearances in 2011. On 3 December 2011, after Chelsea's 3–0 victory against Newcastle United, manager André Villas-Boas confirmed to the media that Anelka, along with centre-back Alex, had submitted transfer requests to the club and would be free to leave Chelsea in January.^[95] On 12 December, Chelsea confirmed Anelka would join Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua. Zhu Jun, owner of Shanghai Shenhua, confirmed his club had sealed a deal with Anelka in his Weibo on 12 December 2011.^[96] This deal was later officially announced by both clubs and was finalized the same day.^[97]^[98]

In total, Anelka scored 59 goals for Chelsea in 184 appearances.^[99]

Shanghai Shenhua

[edit]

On 1 January 2012, Anelka moved to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, with his annual salary reported to be around €12 million.^[100] Following his move, Anelka revealed he turned down the chance to join his former club PSG the previous month in favour of signing for Shanghai Shenhua, and explained that his move was because he did not have attractive offers to remain within Europe.^[101] On 21 February 2012, he scored his debut goal in a pre-season friendly match against Hunan Billows, just 40 seconds after the start of the match. Anelka failed to make his Chinese Super League (CSL) debut due to ankle injury on the opening league match of the season against Jiangsu Sainty.^[102] He eventually made his CSL debut and scored his first CSL goal on 16 March 2012, in a 3–2 away defeat against bitter rivals Beijing Guoan.^[103] On 11 April 2012, Anelka was named as part of the coaching staff to help struggling manager Jean Tigana.^[104]

On 19 June 2012, it was confirmed that Anelka's former Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba would join Shanghai Shenhua.^[105] On 7 June 2012, it was claimed Anelka was keen on a move back to the Premier League after he was involved in a heated exchange with a fan for refusing to bow in front of the travelling Shenhua fans with his teammates.^[106] Anelka provided two assists for Drogba and headed in a late equaliser to earn Shenhua a point in a 3–3 draw with Shandong Luneng Taishan on 25 August.^[107]^[108]

Juventus (loan)

[edit]

On 26 January 2013, Anelka joined Italian side Juventus on a five-month loan deal.^[109] He made his debut for Juventus against Celtic in the Champions League.^[110] Anelka made two further appearances for Juventus, both in Serie A, as the club won the league title.^[111]

West Bromwich Albion

[edit]

On 4 July 2013, Anelka joined West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer after being released by Shanghai Shenhua, marking another return to the Premier League, the sixth Premier League club he has played for in his career.^[112] He said he would like to end his career in England, at West Brom.^[113] On 22 August 2013, Anelka reportedly walked out of a training session telling staff he was leaving the club to retire. The reports were quickly denied by the club, which confirmed Anelka would miss one match and that he had left the session early on compassionate grounds following the death of his agent.^[114] On 28 August 2013, it was announced that since completing his week of compassionate leave, Anelka had decided to remain with the club and would begin training the following day in preparation for West Brom's forthcoming match against Swansea City.^[115] He subsequently returned full-time to the team.^{[citation needed]}

Anelka scored his first goal for the club in a 3–3 draw with West Ham United on 28 December 2013, scoring a first-half brace in his first appearance in over two months. During his goal celebration he performed a quenelle, a hand gesture popularized by his comedian friend Dieudonné, described by some critics as an inverted Nazi salute.^[21] The Football Association (FA) and anti-racism organisations investigated the incident following allegations of anti-Semitism.^[21] On 27 February 2014, an FA disciplinary hearing banned Anelka for five matches, fined him £80,000 and ordered him to complete an educational course. In the hearing, the FA disciplinary hearing panel concluded, "[W]e did not find that Nicolas Anelka is an anti-Semite or that he intended to express or promote anti-Semitism by his use of the quenelle."^[22] Anelka and the FA both decided not to appeal this verdict.^[116] In the 2020 documentary Anelka: Misunderstood, Anelka said that the quenelle was only a protest at former West Brom manager Steve Clarke, who is not Jewish.^[24]

Anelka used social media to announce he was terminating his contract with West Brom.^[117] West Brom responded that Anelka had given the club no official notification of his intention to leave, and later gave him 14 days notice of termination from the club for gross misconduct.^[118]^[119]

Mumbai City FC

[edit]

On 15 September 2014, Anelka joined Mumbai City of the newly formed Indian Super League.^[120]^[121] Following a three-match global ban, he made his debut on 28 October 2014 in a 5–1 defeat at Chennaiyin FC.^[122] Five days later, in his first home match at the DY Patil Stadium, Anelka scored the match's only goal to defeat Kerala Blasters.^[123] On 5 November, he scored his only other goal of the season, for a home game of the same outcome against the Delhi Dynamos.^[124] Anelka played a total of seven matches for Mumbai, as they finished seventh and did not qualify for the end-of-season play-offs.^[125]

In January 2015, Anelka had agreed a deal to join Algerian side NA Hussein Dey on an 18-month contract. However, the move was blocked by the Algerian Football Federation as, "Only those aged under 27 and playing on the international level for their countries are allowed to sign up with our clubs."^[126] Anelka subsequently returned to Mumbai and was named the team's player-manager on 3 July 2015.^[127]

International career

[edit]

Anelka in action for France during a friendly match against Colombia in April 2008.

At youth level, Anelka played for the French under-20 team at the 1997 World Youth Championship, and made his senior team debut for France in a goalless draw with Sweden national team on 22 April 1998. Anelka was not selected for the 1998 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but quickly became France's first choice centre forward during the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying campaign, scoring the opening goal in France's 3–2 win over Russia on his first international start^[128] and scoring both goals in a comfortable 2–0 win over England at Wembley Stadium in February 1999.^[129] Anelka made his first appearance in a major tournament at Euro 2000, which France went on to win. He also formed part of the squad which won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he scored his only tournament goal in a 5–0 win over hosts South Korea in the opening game.^[130] In November 2002, he rejected an emergency call-up by Jacques Santini to face Serbia and Montenegro and was barred by the manager; in February 2004 he eyed a return for the UEFA Euro 2004 squad as Djibril Cissé was suspended.^[131]^[132]

In November 2005, now under, Raymond Domenech, Anelka returned to the France squad for a friendly against Costa Rica in Martinique. The match in the homeland of Anelka's parents was the team's first in the French Caribbean.^[133] He scored in the 3–2 win.^[134] When Cissé was forced out of 2006 World Cup due to injury, Lyon striker Sidney Govou was called up as Cissé's replacement rather than Anelka.^[135]

Anelka came on as a substitute in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Lithuania on 24 March 2007, and scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory. Following his performance, Anelka was praised by France manager Raymond Domenech: "It is the Nicolas I like to see... when he shows these qualities, he is a candidate for a permanent place."^[136] He also scored in the 2–0 victory against Ukraine on 2 June 2007.^[137]

Anelka featured in the France squad for Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.^[138] Anelka started France's first group game against Romania, but was substituted after 72 minutes.^[139] He did not start either of France's remaining two games in the tournament against the Netherlands and Italy, coming on as a substitute in both games.^[140]^[141]

Anelka played a key role in France's 2010 World Cup playoff against the Republic of Ireland. He scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute that put France in a good position with one away goal.^[142]

During the 2010 World Cup, Anelka was sent home after reportedly abusing coach Raymond Domenech at half-time during the 2–0 defeat to Mexico.^[143] Following criticism of his positioning by Domenech, Anelka is reported to have said, "Va te faire enculer, sale fils de pute,"^[144] meaning, "Go fuck yourself, you dirty son of a whore."^[145] The incident was later reported by the media, and the player refused to publicly apologise when asked to do so by French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes.^[146] The next day, the squad refused to go to training in protest against Anelka's expulsion.^[147] Anelka was subsequently given an 18-game suspension from international football by the FFF as punishment for his actions, effectively ending his international career. Anelka later claimed to be "dying with laughter" at the 18-match ban, as he had already decided to retire from international play.^[148]

Anelka took L'Équipe to court for their front page, demanding €150,000 in compensation. He lost the case as he only denied the wording of the insult that was attributed to him, and not the fact that he made an insult.^[149] In a 2018 documentary, Domenech said that Anelka only insulted his management, not him as a person or his mother.^[150]

Retirement

[edit]

After retiring as a player, Anelka joined the technical staff of Dutch Eredivisie side Roda JC in February 2017, claiming he wanted to help his friend and the club's shareholder Aleksey Korotaev.^[151] In November 2018, he joined Lille as a youth forwards coach.^[152] On 3 February 2021 he became the sporting director of Hyères, under the new ownership of Mourad Boudjellal.^[153] He departed three months later, on 4 May, with no first team game taking place during his tenure due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France.^[154] On 25 January 2024, Anelka was appointed as president of TFF First League club Ümraniyespor.^[155] Less than six months later, on 8 July, Anelka resigned from his position at the club.^[156]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^{[citation needed]}^[157]^[158]^[159]^[160]^[161]
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other^[a]		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Paris Saint-Germain	1995–96	Division 1	2	0	—		—		—		—		2	0
	1996–97	Division 1	8	1	—		1	0	1	0	—		10	1
	Total		10	1	–		1	0	1	0	–		12	1
Arsenal	1996–97	Premier League	4	0	—		—		—		—		4	0
	1997–98	Premier League	26	6	9	3	3	0	2	0	—		40	9
	1998–99	Premier League	35	17	5	0	0	0	5	1	1	1	46	19
	Total		65	23	14	3	3	0	7	1	1	1	90	28
Real Madrid	1999–2000	La Liga	19	2	0	0	—		9	2	3	3	31	7
Paris Saint-Germain	2000–01	Division 1	27	8	0	0	1	0	9	5	—		37	13
	2001–02	Division 1	12	2	—		0	0	7	3	—		19	5
	Total		39	10	0	0	1	0	16	8	–		56	18
Liverpool (loan)	2001–02	Premier League	20	4	2	1	—		—		—		22	5
Manchester City	2002–03	Premier League	38	14	1	0	2	0	—		—		41	14
	2003–04	Premier League	32	16	4	4	2	0	5	4	—		43	24
	2004–05	Premier League	19	7	—		0	0	—		—		19	7
	Total		89	37	5	4	4	0	5	4	–		103	45
Fenerbahçe	2004–05	Süper Lig	14	4	2	0	—		2	0	—		18	4
	2005–06	Süper Lig	25	10	6	2	—		6	0	—		37	12
	2006–07	Süper Lig	—		—		—		2	0	—		2	0
	Total		39	14	8	2	–		10	0	–		57	16
Bolton Wanderers	2006–07	Premier League	35	11	3	0	1	1	—		—		39	12
	2007–08	Premier League	18	10	—		—		4	1	—		22	11
	Total		53	21	3	0	1	1	4	1	–		61	23
Chelsea	2007–08	Premier League	14	1	3	1	2	0	5	0	—		24	2
	2008–09	Premier League	37	19	5	4	0	0	12	2	—		54	25
	2009–10	Premier League	33	11	4	1	0	0	7	3	1	0	45	15
	2010–11	Premier League	32	6	3	1	1	2	9	7	1	0	46	16
	2011–12	Premier League	9	1	0	0	2	0	4	0	—		15	1
	Total		125	38	15	7	5	2	37	12	2	0	184	59
Shanghai Shenhua	2012	Chinese Super League	22	3	2	0	—		3	1	—		27	4
Juventus (loan)	2012–13	Serie A	2	0	—		—		1	0	—		3	0
West Bromwich Albion	2013–14	Premier League	12	2	0	0	0	0	—		—		12	2
Mumbai City	2014	Indian Super League	7	2	0	0	—		—		—		7	2
	2015	Indian Super League	6	0	0	0	—		—		—		6	0
	Total		13	2	0	0	–		–		–		13	2
Career total			508	157	49	17	15	3	93	29	6	4	671	210

^ Appearances in Trophée des Champions, UEFA Super Cup, Community Shield (1998, 2009, 2010), Supercopa de España, FIFA Club World Cup (2000), Turkish Super Cup, Chinese Super Cup, Supercoppa Italiana

International

[edit]

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[162]^[163]
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
France	1998	3	1
	1999	7	2
	2000	10^[a]	2
	2001	7	1
	2002	1	0
	2005	2	1
	2006	3	1
	2007	10	3
	2008	11	1
	2009	9	2
	2010	6	0
Total		69	14

^ One appearance and one goal from the match against FIFA XI on 16 August 2000 which FIFA and the French Football Federation count as an official friendly match.^[164]

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Anelka goal.

List of international goals scored by Nicolas Anelka
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	10 October 1998	Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Russia	1–0	3–2	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying	^[165]
2	10 February 1999	Wembley Stadium, London, England	England	1–0	2–0	Friendly	^[166]
3	10 February 1999	Wembley Stadium, London, England	England	2–0	2–0	Friendly	^[166]
4	6 June 2000	Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca, Morocco	Morocco	4–1	5–1	Friendly	^[167]
5	16 August 2000	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France	World XI	5–0	5–1	Friendly	^[168]
6	30 May 2001	Daegu Stadium, Daegu, South Korea	South Korea	3–0	5–0	2001 FIFA Confederations Cup	^[169]
7	9 November 2005	Stade Pierre-Aliker, Fort-de-France, France	Costa Rica	1–2	3–2	Friendly	^[170]
8	11 October 2006	Stade Auguste-Bonal, Montbéliard, France	Faroe Islands	3–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying	^[171]
9	24 March 2007	Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania	Lithuania	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying	^[172]
10	2 June 2007	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Ukraine	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying	^[173]
11	13 October 2007	Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands	Faroe Islands	1–0	6–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying	^[174]
12	10 September 2008	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Serbia	2–0	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	^[175]
13	10 October 2009	Stade de Roudourou, Guingamp, France	Faroe Islands	4–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	^[176]
14	14 November 2009	Croke Park, Dublin, Republic of Ireland	Republic of Ireland	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	^[177]

Honours

[edit]

Arsenal

Real Madrid

UEFA Champions League: 1999–2000^[181]

Paris Saint-Germain

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001^[182]

Fenerbahçe

Süper Lig: 2004–05^[182]

Chelsea

Premier League: 2009–10^[178]
FA Cup: 2008–09,^[183] 2009–10^[184]
FA Community Shield: 2009^[185]
Football League Cup runner-up: 2007–08^[186]
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2007–08^[187]

Juventus

Serie A: 2012–13^[182]

France U18

UEFA European Under-18 Championship: 1997^[182]

France

Individual

Division 1 Rookie of the Year: 1998^[188]
Premier League Player of the Month: February 1999, November 2008^[178]
PFA Young Player of the Year: 1998–99^[189]
PFA Team of the Year: 1998–99 Premier League,^[190] 2008–09 Premier League^[191]
Premier League Golden Boot: 2008–09^[178]

References

[edit]

^ "Nicolas Sebastien Anelka". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
^ "Nicolas Anelka". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
^ "Player Profiles". West Bromwich Albion F.C. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013.
^ "INF, formateur de talents" (in French). FFF. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
^ "Chelsea complete £15m Anelka deal". BBC Sport. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
^ "Ancelotti: Anelka has it all". Chelsea FC. 31 October 2009. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014.
^ "Nicolas Anelka second most expensive player ever". Box Office Football. 31 August 2009. Archived from the original on 16 April 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
^ "Communiqué de la Fédération" (in French). FFF. 19 June 2010. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ "Nicolas Anelka laughs at 'nonsense' 18-match French ban". BBC Sport. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
^ "Nicolas Anelka". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Anelka, Debbouze, Sy, les trois de Trappes". Le Journal de Dimanche (in French). 5 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "Nicolas Anelka haunts old coach as Bolton beats Arsenal". The New York Times. 26 November 2006.
^ "One-on-One with Nicolas Anelka" Archived 28 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine. FourFourTwo Retrieved 8 January 2012.
^ "Nicolas Anelka: de Trappes à Wembley" (in French). Le Point. 20 February 1999.
^ Chelsea: The players The Guardian, 20 May 2008; Retrieved 10 February 2009
^ Bryant, Tom (24 October 2007). "Has a journalist ever won an international cap?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
^ The £85m man lights Blue touchpaper The Observer, 30 November 2008
^ Taylor, Louise How Big Sam and Allah made Le Sulk smile The Guardian, 14 February 2007; Retrieved 10 February 2009
^ Din, Tusdiq (23 August 2011). "Fasting and football. How do top-flight Muslims cope?". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
^ Stammers, Steve Muslim Anelka to quit England. This is London, 10 June 2004; Retrieved 24 May 2014
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Nicolas Anelka: West Brom striker defends goal celebration". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Nicolas Anelka banned and fined £80,000 for 'quenelle' gesture". BBC Sport. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
^ "Albion update on Anelka Contract". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c Varley, Ciaran (6 August 2020). "Anelka: Misunderstood - new Netflix documentary recaps boycotts, bans and fallouts". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "Nicolas Anelka joins Mumbai City in Indian Super League". sports-nova.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
^ "Number 9 Nicolas Anelka". Arseweb. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
^ Duxbury, Nick. "French talk of blocking Anelka deal: Football". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "Nicolas Anelka Bio". ESPN Soccernet. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
^ "Games played by Nicolas Anelka in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ "Arsenal London 1997-98". Skladyfutbol.pl. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
^ "BBC News | Football | Arsenal at the double". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ "Anelka – I'm no 'Le Sulk'". Sky Sports. 25 November 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
^ "Anelka: The story so far ..." BBC. 2 August 1999. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
^ "Suker replaces Anelka at Arsenal". BBC. 2 August 1999. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Greatest 50 Players – 29. Nicolas Anelka". Arsenal.com. 19 May 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Nicolas Anelka". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
^ "Nicholas Anelka slams Wenger haters". Get Football News France.com. 4 March 2017.
^ "Nicolas Anelka". Football-Heroes. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ "Nicolas Anelka opens up on his Real Madrid 'nightmare' in his new Netflix film". Arsenal FC News. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "Anelka finally opens account". BBC. 5 January 2000.
^ "Anelka doubles up but then pays the penalty for Real". The Guardian. 9 January 2000.
^ "Anelka proves the Real deal". The Guardian. 29 February 2000.
^ "Anelka: 'They treat me like a dog'". BBC. 14 March 2000.
^ "Apology Behind Him, Real Madrid's Forward Helps Break Bayern : A Goal Returns Anelka to Favor". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
^ "Real Madrid 2–0 Bayern Munich". The Guardian. 4 May 2000.
^ "Bayern Munich 2–1 Real Madrid". The Guardian. 10 May 2000.
^ "Anelka sparks Real celebrations". BBC Sport. 3 May 2000. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
^ "Anelka seals Real's final ticket". BBC Sport. 9 May 2000. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
^ "Real Madrid 3–0 Valencia". The Guardian. 25 May 2000.
^ "Nicolas Anelka factfile". Metro. 11 January 2008.
^ "Anelka set to return home in £20 Million Deal". The Guardian. 11 July 2000.
^ "Liverpool take a gamble on Anelka". The Guardian. 22 December 2001.
^ "2000–01". Paris St. Germain. 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
^ "Everton hold Liverpool". BBC Sport. 23 February 2002. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
^ "Liverpool see off Fulham". BBC Sport. 2 March 2002. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
^ "Liverpool win Rovers thriller". BBC Sport. 8 May 2002. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
^ "Rampant Reds sink Ipswich". BBC Sport. 11 May 2002. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
^ "Liverpool cruise through". BBC Sport. 5 January 2002. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
^ "Houllier: No Anelka regrets". BBC Sport. 4 January 2003.
^ "Anelka agrees Man City move". BBC Sport. 24 May 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
^ "Man City 1–0 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 16 October 2004.
^ "Anelka completes Fenerbahce move". BBC Sport. 31 January 2005. Retrieved 30 July 2007.
^ "Fenerbahce Istanbul – Süper Lig 2004/2005 – Fussballdaten – Die Fußballdatenbank". Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
^ "Fenerbahçe - Appearances Champions League 2005/2006". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ "Bolton sign Anelka in record deal". BBC Sport. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
^ "Allardyce buoyed by Anelka debut". BBC Sport. 11 September 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
^ "Walsall 1–3 Bolton". BBC Sport. 19 September 2006. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
^ Sanghera, Mandeep (25 November 2006). "Bolton 3–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
^ "Premier League 2006/2007 - Top Scorer". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ "Anelka's Wenger admiration". Sky Sports. 23 January 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ "Anelka makes commitment to Bolton". BBC Sport. 9 July 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
^ "Bolton form may mean Anelka exit". BBC Sport. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
^ "Anelka signs new deal with Bolton". BBC Sport. 30 August 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
^ "Nicolas Anelka answers YOUR questions!". www.bwfc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
^ Bryant, Tom (11 January 2008). "Chelsea capture £15m Anelka". London: guardian.co.uk.
^ "Anelka shines as Chelsea win". Eye Football. 12 January 2008.
^ "Nicolas Anelka". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
^ Nakrani, Sachin; Hytner, David (23 May 2008). "Anelka blames miss on lack of warm-up to put more heat on Grant". guardian.co.uk.
^ "Chelsea rout sorry Milan". Sky Sports. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
^ "Anelka win Barclays Golden Boot Award". Premier League. 14 November 2008. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014.
^ Bevan, Chris (1 November 2008). "Chelsea 5–0 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
^ Dominic Fifield (16 February 2009). "FA Cup: Watford 1–3 Chelsea". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
^ "Anelka: I still love Arsenal". Four Four Two.com. 15 May 2009.
^ "Sunderland 2–3 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 24 May 2009.
^ McNulty, Phil (15 September 2009). "Chelsea 1–0 F.C. Porto". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
^ McNulty, Phil (4 October 2009). "Chelsea 2–0 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
^ Dawkes, Phil (12 December 2009). "Chelsea 3–3 Everton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
^ "Chelsea 2-1 Portsmouth". 16 December 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ Lyon, Sam (16 January 2010). "Chelsea 7–2 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
^ Fifield, Dominic (13 April 2010). "Nicolas Anelka strikes as Chelsea beat Bolton and extend lead at summit". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
^ Chelsea break records to win title ESPN Soccernet, 9 May 2010
^ Chelsea 8–0 Wigan Athletic Archived 25 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Premier League, 9 May 2010
^ "Only 10 players have ever won the Premier League title with two clubs". GiveMeSport. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ "Anelka signs new Chelsea contract". BBC Sport. 24 June 2010.
^ "Nicolas Anelka and Alex submit Chelsea transfer requests". BBC Sport. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
^ 申花宣布签约阿内尔卡两年朱骏微博晒合影表欢迎 (in Chinese). sina. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
^ 转会快讯：法国前锋阿内尔卡冬季正式加盟上海申花 (in Chinese). Shenhuafc. 12 December 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
^ "Anelka move agreed". chelseafc. 12 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ "Torres, Matic & Chelsea's January hits and misses". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
^ "Que les gros salaires lèvent le doigt" (in French). Eurosport. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
^ "I Could Have Moved to Paris Saint-Germain: Former Chelsea Striker Nicolas Anelka On January Choice". Inside Futbol. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
^ "Anelka fails to make Shanghai Shenhua debut due to ankle injury". Goal.com. 10 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
^ "Nicolas Anelka scores in Shanghai Shenhua debut". Goal.com. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
^ "Nicolas Anelka added to Shanghai Shenhua coaching staff" Archived 14 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. ESPN FC. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
^ "Drogba confirms Shanghai move". Sky Sports. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
^ "Nicolas Anelka seeks Premier League return as China adventure turns sour". Metro. 6 July 2012.
^ "African goalscorers in Europe & China August 25–26". BBC Sport. 27 August 2012.
^ "Former Chelsea strikers Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka could be sold by Shanghai Shenhua". The Independent. London. 28 August 2012. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022.
^ "Anelka at Juventus for medical". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
^ "I 5 campioni d'Italia che non-ricordi [The 5 champions of Italy who you don't remember]". Eurosport. 6 May 2013.
^ "Conte's Juventus retain title with ease ahead of Napoli - Serie A in 2012/13". FootballCritic. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ "Albion seal Anelka deal". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 4 July 2013. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
^ "Nicolas Anelka: West Brom signing hopes to retire in England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
^ "Premier League: West Brom rule out Nicolas Anelka amid retirement reports". Sky Sports.
^ "Nicolas Anelka: West Brom striker returning to club duty". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
^ "Nicolas Anelka and FA decide not to appeal over five-game ban". BBC Sport. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ "Nicolas Anelka announces he has left West Brom". ITV News. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
^ "Albion update on Anelka contract". Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
^ "West Brom sack Nicolas Anelka for 'gross misconduct'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
^ "Nicolas Anelka joins Mumbai City". sports-nova.com. 15 September 2014. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
^ "Nicolas Anelka joins Indian Super League side Mumbai City". BBC Sport. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
^ Suchindran, Aravind (28 October 2014). "Elano, Mendoza shine as Chennai trounce Mumbai 5–1". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
^ "ISL: Anelka strike helps Mumbai edge past Kerala". The Times of India. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
^ Netto, Brendon (5 November 2014). "Mumbai City FC 1–0 Delhi Dynamos FC: Anelka again the difference as Mumbai record second consecutive win". Goal.com. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
^ "Indian Super League 2014 - 3. Round". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ "Transfer news: Nicolas Anelka misses out on Algerian move due to his age". Sky Sports. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
^ "Nicolas Anelka named Mumbai City player-manager". BBC Sport. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
^ "France v Andorra". 11v11. 14 October 1998.
^ "Nicolas Anelka factfile". ITV Sport. 20 June 2010. Archived from the original on 24 June 2010.
^ "Five-star France outclass South Korea". BBC Sport. 30 May 2001. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "Anelka eyes France return". BBC News. 6 February 2004. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "Anelka overlooked by France". The Guardian. 25 March 2004. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "France - Costa Rica : match inédit en Martinique". L'Obs (in French). 10 November 2005. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "France rallies to beat Costa Rica; Anelka scores". China Daily. 10 November 2005. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "Broken leg agony for Djibril". Metro. DMG Media. 8 June 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
^ "Ronaldo rejoices". Daily Express. 26 March 2007. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2007.
^ "France v Ukraine, 02 June 2007". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ "Final squads announced for EURO". UEFA Euro 2008. 28 May 2008. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013.
^ "Canny Romania leave France frustrated". UEFA Euro 2008. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
^ "Dominant Dutch progress in style". UEFA Euro 2008. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
^ "France sunk as Italy grab lifeline". UEFA Euro 2008. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
^ "Republic of Ireland 0–1 France". BBC Sport. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
^ Dawkes, Phil (17 June 2010). "France 0–2 Mexico". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
^ Fagot, Vincent (19 June 2010). "Anelka, une petite Coupe et puis s'en va". Le Monde. France. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
^ "World Cup 2010: Nicolas Anelka sent home by France Football Federation (FFF)". The Guardian. London. 19 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
^ "Nicolas Anelka sent home after bust-up". BBC Sport. 19 June 2006. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
^ "French players in revolt after Anelka sent home". CNN. 20 June 2010.
^ "Nicolas Anelka given 18-match France suspension". BBC Sport. 17 August 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
^ "Anelka loses case over World Cup insult". FourFourTwo. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "Mondial-2010 : ce qu'a vraiment dit Nicolas Anelka à Raymond Domenech". La Depeche (in French). 5 June 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ Anelka dagelijks aan de slag met jeugd Roda JC – NOS (in Dutch)
^ Carr, Corrina (7 November 2018). "Nicolas Anelka to take up a Lille youth coaching role". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
^ "Nicolas Anelka Nouveau directeur sportif du Hyeres FC" (in French). Hyeres FC. 3 February 2021.
^ "National 2. Nicolas Anelka quitte (déjà) le Hyères FC" (in French). footamateur.fr. 4 May 2021.
^ "Nicolas Anelka Set To Be CEO of Turkish Club". beIN Sports. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
^ "Nicolas Anelka istifa etti!" [Nicolas Anelka resigns!]. beIN Sports Turkey (in Turkish). 8 July 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
^ "Anelka British stats". 11v11.com. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
^ "Anelka French stats". LFP. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
^ "Anelka Turkey stats". TFF. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
^ "Anelka Chelsea stats". Bounder.Friardale.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
^ "Anelka UEFA stats". UEFA. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
^ "Anelka, Nicolas". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^ "Nicolas Anelka". French Football Federation. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ Pla Diaz, Emilio (23 July 2006) "Zinedine Zidane – Century of International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^ "Russia vs. France". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "England vs. France". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "Morocco vs. France". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "France v World XI, 16 August 2000". 11v11. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "South Korea vs. France". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "France vs. Costa Rica". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "France vs. Faroe Islands". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "Lithuania vs. France". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "France vs. Ukraine". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "Faroe Islands vs. France". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "France vs. Serbia". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "France vs. Faroe Islands". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ "France 1-0 Rep Ireland (14 Nov, 2009) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Nicolas Anelka: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
^ Moore, Glenn (18 May 1998). "Football: Gunners train sights on European glory". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ "Arsenal show no charity at home from home". The Irish Times. Dublin. 10 August 1998. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ "Real storm to Cup glory". BBC News. 24 May 2000. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "N. Anelka: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
^ Bevan, Chris (30 May 2009). "Chelsea 2–1 Everton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ McNulty, Phil (15 May 2010). "Chelsea 1–0 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ McNulty, Phil (9 August 2009). "Chelsea 2–2 Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ Stevenson, Jonathan (24 February 2008). "Tottenham 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ McNulty, Phil (22 May 2008). "Man Utd earn dramatic Euro glory". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ Garin, Erik; Pierrend, José Luis (18 January 2018). "France – Footballer of the Year". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
^ "English PFA Young Player Of The Year Award, History and Information". www.napit.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (1999). The 1999–2000 Official PFA Footballers Factfile. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press. p. 352. ISBN 978-1-85291-607-7.
^ "Giggs earns prestigious PFA award". BBC Sport. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2020.

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nicolas Anelka.

Nicolas Anelka at the French Football Federation (in French)
Nicolas Anelka – UEFA competition record (archive)
Nicolas Anelka – FIFA competition record (archived)

France squads

v t e France squad – UEFA Euro 2000 winners (2nd title)
1 Lama 2 Candela 3 Lizarazu 4 Vieira 5 Blanc 6 Djorkaeff 7 Deschamps (c) 8 Desailly 9 Anelka 10 Zidane 11 Pires 12 Henry 13 Wiltord 14 Micoud 15 Thuram 16 Barthez 17 Petit 18 Leboeuf 19 Karembeu 20 Trezeguet 21 Dugarry 22 Ramé Coach: Lemerre

v t e France squad – 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup winners (1st title)
1 Ramé 2 Sagnol 3 Lizarazu 4 Vieira 5 Gillet 6 Djorkaeff 7 Pires 8 Desailly (c) 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

v t e France squad – UEFA Euro 2008
1 Mandanda 2 Boumsong 3 Abidal 4 Vieira 5 Gallas 6 Makélélé 7 Malouda 8 Anelka 9 Benzema 10 Govou 11 Nasri 12 Henry 13 Evra 14 Clerc 15 Thuram (c) 16 Frey 17 Squillaci 18 Gomis 19 Sagnol 20 Toulalan 21 Diarra 22 Ribéry 23 Coupet Coach: Domenech

v t e France squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup
1 Lloris 2 Sagna 3 Abidal 4 Réveillère 5 Gallas 6 Planus 7 Ribéry 8 Gourcuff 9 Cissé 10 Govou 11 Gignac 12 Henry 13 Evra (c) 14 Toulalan 15 Malouda 16 Mandanda 17 Squillaci 18 Diarra 19 Diaby 20 Valbuena 21 Anelka 22 Clichy 23 Carrasso Coach: Domenech

Awards

Premier League Golden Boot

FIFA Club World Cup / FIFA Intercontinental Cup top scorers

2000: Anelka & Romário
2005: Amoroso, Crouch, Noor & Saborío
2006: Aboutrika
2007: Washington
2008: Rooney
2009: Denílson
2010: Molina
2011: Messi & Adriano
2012: Delgado & Satō
2013: Ronaldinho, Conca, Delgado & Iajour
2014: Bale, Ramos & Torrado
2015: Suárez
2016: Ronaldo
2017: Ronaldo, Romarinho & Antônio
2018: Bale & Borré
2019: Bounedjah & Elhouni
2020: Gignac
2021: Lukaku, Veiga, Ibrahim & Diaby
2022: Pedro
2023: Alvarez, Maâloul & Benzema
2024: Rahimi

PFA Young Player of the Year

1974: Beattie
1975: Day
1976: Barnes
1977: Gray
1978: Woodcock
1979: Regis
1980: Hoddle
1981: Shaw
1982: Moran
1983: Rush
1984: Walsh
1985: Hughes
1986: Cottee
1987: Adams
1988: Gascoigne
1989: Merson
1990: Le Tissier
1991: Sharpe
1992: Giggs
1993: Giggs
1994: Cole
1995: Fowler
1996: Fowler
1997: Beckham
1998: Owen
1999: Anelka
2000: Kewell
2001: Gerrard
2002: Bellamy
2003: Jenas
2004: Parker
2005: Rooney
2006: Rooney
2007: Ronaldo
2008: Fàbregas
2009: Young
2010: Milner
2011: Wilshere
2012: Walker
2013: Bale
2014: Hazard
2015: Kane
2016: Alli
2017: Alli
2018: Sané
2019: Sterling
2020: Alexander-Arnold
2021: Foden
2022: Foden
2023: Saka
2024: Palmer