Nicolas Anelka
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Anelka playing for Chelsea in 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nicolas Sébastien Anelka | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 March 1979 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Le Chesnay, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1993 | Trappes Saint-Quentin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Clairefontaine | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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
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| *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, shooting, technique and movement off the ball, and was capable of playing both as a main striker and as a second striker.
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 where he became a first team regular and won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award the following season. In 1999, he moved to Real Madrid for £22.3 million and was part of the Real Madrid team that won the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League, but he failed to settle in Spain 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. In January 2009, he was transferred to Chelsea from Bolton for a reported £15 million. While at Chelsea, he won one Premier League title and two FA Cup trophies, played in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League final and won the Premier League Golden Boot award as the league's top goal scorer in 2009. During his transfers over the years, he has built an aggregate transfer cost of just under £90 million. After leaving Chelsea in 2012, 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." He did not play again for the national team.