Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (born 14 March 1979) is a French professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who played as aforward. As a player, he regularly featured in his country'snational 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 mainstriker and as asecond striker.[5][6]
Anelka began his career atParis Saint-Germain, but soon moved toArsenal. At Arsenal, he won the1997–98 Premier League and FA Cup double. He became a first team regular and won thePFA Young Player of the Year Award the following season. He moved toReal Madrid for £22.3 million in 1999. He was part of the Real Madrid team that won the1999–2000 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 thePremier League once more, moving on loan toLiverpool in January 2002 before joiningManchester City for £13 million at the start of the 2002–03 season.
After three seasons in Manchester, he moved to Turkish clubFenerbahçe for two seasons, before returning to England to joinBolton 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 the2007–08 UEFA Champions League final. In 2009, he won thePremier 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 in 2012, he had brief stints atShanghai Shenhua,Juventus,West Bromwich Albion andMumbai City.
Anelka played 69 times at international level and won his first international honours withFrance atUEFA Euro 2000, also winning the2001 FIFA Confederations Cup the following year. His failure to settle at club level limited his international appearances, but he returned to the national team forEuro 2008. On 19 June 2010, he was excluded by theFrench Football Federation (FFF) from the2010 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]
Anelka is married toBarbara Tausia, a Belgian choreographer. Together, they have two sons, Kais, born in 2008, and Kahil, born in 2010.[15] He acted in the 2002 filmLe 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 didAstérix. 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]
After discussing religion with some childhood friends, Anelka converted toIslam 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 ofRamadan, 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 comedianDieudonné and attracted widespread condemnation after performing thequenelle hand gesture, created by M'bala and regarded asanti-Semitic, on the pitch when playing forWest Bromwich Albion in 2013.[21] Anelka responded that the gesture was anti-establishment, not anti-Semitic.[21] AnFA 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 onTwitter.[23] In 2020, Anelka said thequenelle was only a protest against his former managerSteve Clarke, who is not Jewish.[24]
Anelka has been the subject of the 2012Canal+ documentaryL'Entrée des Trappistes about his friendship with Sy and Debbouze,[11] and the feature-length 2020Netflix documentaryAnelka: Misunderstood.[24]
In February 1997, at age 17, Anelka joinedPremier League clubArsenal for a £500,000 transfer fee[26] under newly appointed managerArsène Wenger. The transfer caused controversy in France as Arsenal sought to sign him for free under the precedent of the recentBosman ruling, despite there being exceptions for players under the age of 24; Wenger said this age restriction was only for domestic transfers.[27]
Anelka was Arsenal's top scorer in the1998–99 season with 17Premier League goals. This form saw him voted thePFA Young Player of the Year, but Arsenal failed to defend their Premier League and FA Cup titles and made little progress in theUEFA 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 joinedReal Madrid.[34]
With regard to his time withthe 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]
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 tabloidMarca he played aFIFA 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 theFIFA Club World Championship againstAl-Nassr on 5 January 2000.[40] Two days later, he scored twice againstCorinthians in the same competition, also missing an 81st-minute penalty kick that would have given him ahat-trick.[41]
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 inLigue 1that season, thereby qualifying for the2000–01 UEFA Champions League. Anelka's return was met with much fanfare.Canal Plus, which owned Paris Saint-Germain, financed the transfer, while PSG sponsorNike 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 of2000–01 French Division 1, but the team's form quickly dropped.[52] In December 2000, following a 5–1 loss toSedan,Philippe Bergeroo was replaced as PSG manager byLuis Fernández. PSG finished ninth in Ligue 1 that season, earning a place in next season'sUEFA Intertoto Cup. PSG finished second in the first round of group stage, behind Bayern Munich, but finished bottom of the second group stage, behindDeportivo de La Coruña,Galatasaray andMilan.[53]
However, once again, Anelka developed issues with his head coach, Luis Fernández (who was already under pressure for benchingRonaldinho due to his work ethic).[citation needed]
After two and a half years, Anelka returned to the Premier League in December 2001 to joinLiverpool on a short-term loan deal until the end of the season, brought in to fill the gap left byRobbie Fowler's departure.[54]
Anelka joinedManchester City on 24 May 2002, with the £13 million transfer fee paid by managerKevin Keegan, then a club record high.[61] In his first season at City, Anelka was the club's top scorer with 14 goals, including a goal in the last everManchester Derby atMaine Road against Manchester United, against former club Arsenal and a last minute winner atAnfield 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 theCity of Manchester Stadium, with 25 goals. On 16 October 2004, he won and scored a penalty againstChelsea, which led toJosé Mourinho's first defeat as Chelsea manager.[62]
On 25 August 2006,Bolton Wanderers signed Anelka on a four-year deal for a club record transfer fee of £8 million.[66] He made his debut for Bolton againstWatford on 9 September 2006.[67] He opened his account on 19 September in aLeague Cup match againstWalsall, scoring the last goal of a 3–1 away win.[68] After 11 matches without a goal in thePremier League, he scored his first goals – a brace – on 25 November to help down Arsenal 3–1.[69] He finished the 2006–07 Premier League season as Bolton's top scorer with eleven goals.[70]
In January 2007, Anelka stated he would be willing to leave Bolton for a return to former club Arsenal.[71] However, he pledged his future to Bolton in July 2007 following talks with managerSammy Lee.[72] Anelka later said he would reluctantly consider leaving the club if Bolton's poor start to the2007–08 season continued,[73] but later signed a new four-year contract lasting until 2011 on 30 August.[74] In June 2020 Anelka admitted he signed the contract so that Bolton could get a bigger transfer fee when he left.[75]
On 11 January 2008, it was confirmed Anelka would join Chelsea for £15 million.[76] He made his Chelsea debut againstTottenham Hotspur on 12 January 2008,[77] and scored his first goal two weeks later in theFA Cup againstWigan Athletic. He scored his first league goal on 2 February againstPortsmouth, but failed to score again for Chelsea during the2007–08 season.[78]
Anelka with Chelsea
In the2008 Champions League final, Anelka delivered Chelsea's seventh penalty which was saved byEdwin van der Sar, resulting in Manchester United winning the competition. Anelka later blamed managerAvram 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.[79]
On 3 August 2008, Anelka scored four goals in a 5–0 friendly win against Milan.[80]
WithDidier Drogba injured at the beginning of the2008–09 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.[81] Anelka scored his first competitive hat-trick for Chelsea againstSunderland, in a 5–0 home win on 1 November 2008, and followed this up with two braces against Blackburn Rovers, thenWest Bromwich Albion.[82] 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 ofGuus 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 theFA Cup to earn Chelsea a 3–1 victory atVicarage Road.[83] 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".[84] 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.[85]
Anelka warming up for Chelsea
Anelka scored his first goal of the2009–10 season againstWest London rivals Fulham in a 2–0 win atCraven Cottage, before continuing his fine form with the opening goal in Chelsea's 3–0 win overBurnley the following weekend. He scored his third goal of the season in the opening match of the2009–10 Champions Leaguegroup stage in the 1–0 victory overPorto.[86] Anelka scored one of the best goals of his season againstAPOEL 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 compatriotFlorent Malouda.[87] Anelka continued his fine scoring run in the Champions League with the winner in the 1–0 victory over Porto at theEstádio 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.[88] He followed that up with another goal in Chelsea's 2–1 victory over Portsmouth.[89]
On 16 January 2010, on his return from injury, Anelka scored twice in an astonishing 7–2 victory over Sunderland.[90] He continued this fine form into the next match scoring in an FA Cup tie againstPreston North End, bringing his tally in the previous four matches to five goals. After the return of Didier Drogba from theAfrican 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.[91] On the final day of the season, Anelka scored two goals against Wigan Athletic, including the first Chelsea goal in the sixth minute,[92] to help Chelsea win their third Premier League title and their first in four years.[93] Anelka (along withAshley Cole) joinedHenning Berg in the exclusive band of players who have won the Premier League title with two different clubs.[94] 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.[95]
Anelka started the2010–11 campaign in fine form for Chelsea. He assisted Florent Malouda's last goal against West Brom on the opening day of thePremier League season, scored a double in the next game against Wigan Athletic, then won a penalty againstStoke City in Chelsea's third game of the season. He continued this fine form in Chelsea's firstChampions League match, scoring a first half brace againstMŠK Žilina. Further goals againstMarseille andSpartak 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 Leaguegroup 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 the2011–12 season against West Brom in a 2–1Premier 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, managerAndré Villas-Boas confirmed to the media that Anelka, along with centre-backAlex, had submitted transfer requests to the club and would be free to leave Chelsea in January.[96] On 12 December, Chelsea confirmed Anelka would join Chinese clubShanghai Shenhua.Zhu Jun, owner of Shanghai Shenhua, confirmed his club had sealed a deal with Anelka in hisWeibo on 12 December 2011.[97] This deal was later officially announced by both clubs and was finalized the same day.[98][99]
In total, Anelka scored 59 goals for Chelsea in 184 appearances.[100]
On 1 January 2012, Anelka moved to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, with his annual salary reported to be around €12 million.[101] 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.[102] On 21 February 2012, he scored his debut goal in a pre-season friendly match againstHunan Billows, just 40 seconds after the start of the match. Anelka failed to make hisChinese Super League (CSL) debut due to ankle injury on the opening league match of the season againstJiangsu Sainty.[103] He eventually made his CSL debut and scored his first CSL goal on 16 March 2012, in a 3–2 away defeat against bitter rivalsBeijing Guoan.[104] On 11 April 2012, Anelka was named as part of the coaching staff to help struggling managerJean Tigana.[105]
On 19 June 2012, it was confirmed that Anelka's former Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba would join Shanghai Shenhua.[106] 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.[107] Anelka provided two assists for Drogba and headed in a late equaliser to earn Shenhua a point in a 3–3 draw withShandong Luneng Taishan on 25 August.[108][109]
On 26 January 2013, Anelka joined Italian sideJuventus on a five-month loan deal.[110] He made his debut for Juventus againstCeltic in theChampions League.[111] Anelka made two further appearances for Juventus, both inSerie A, as the club won theleague title.[112]
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.[113] He said he would like to end his career in England, at West Brom.[114] 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.[115] 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 againstSwansea City.[116] He subsequently returned full-time to the team.[citation needed]
Anelka scored his first goal for the club in a 3–3 draw withWest Ham United on 28 December 2013, scoring a first-half brace in his first appearance in over two months. During hisgoal celebration he performed aquenelle, a hand gesture popularized by his comedian friendDieudonné, described by some critics as an inverted Nazi salute.[21]The Football Association (FA) and anti-racism organisations investigated the incident following allegations ofanti-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 thequenelle."[22] Anelka and the FA both decided not to appeal this verdict.[117] In the 2020 documentaryAnelka: Misunderstood, Anelka said that thequenelle was only a protest at former West Brom managerSteve Clarke, who is not Jewish.[24]
Anelka used social media to announce he was terminating his contract with West Brom.[118] 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.[119][120]
On 15 September 2014, Anelka joinedMumbai City of the newly formedIndian Super League.[121][122] Following a three-match global ban, he made his debut on 28 October 2014 in a 5–1 defeat atChennaiyin FC.[123] Five days later, in his first home match at theDY Patil Stadium, Anelka scored the match's only goal to defeatKerala Blasters.[124] On 5 November, he scored his only other goal of the season, for a home game of the same outcome against theDelhi Dynamos.[125] Anelka played a total of seven matches for Mumbai, as they finished seventh and did not qualify forthe end-of-season play-offs.[126]
In January 2015, Anelka had agreed a deal to join Algerian sideNA Hussein Dey on an 18-month contract. However, the move was blocked by theAlgerian 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."[127] Anelka subsequently returned to Mumbai and was named the team's player-manager on 3 July 2015.[128]
In November 2005, now under,Raymond Domenech, Anelka returned to the France squad for a friendly againstCosta Rica inMartinique. The match in the homeland of Anelka's parents was the team's first in the French Caribbean.[134] He scored in the 3–2 win.[135] When Cissé was forced out of2006 World Cup due to injury,Lyon strikerSidney Govou was called up as Cissé's replacement rather than Anelka.[136]
Anelka came on as a substitute in theEuro 2008 qualifier againstLithuania on 24 March 2007, and scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory. Following his performance, Anelka was praised by France managerRaymond Domenech: "It is the Nicolas I like to see... when he shows these qualities, he is a candidate for a permanent place."[137] He also scored in the 2–0 victory againstUkraine on 2 June 2007.[138]
Anelka featured in the France squad forEuro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.[139] Anelka started France's first group game againstRomania, but was substituted after 72 minutes.[140] He did not start either of France's remaining two games in the tournament against theNetherlands andItaly, coming on as a substitute in both games.[141][142]
Anelka played a key role in France's2010 World Cup playoff against theRepublic of Ireland. He scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute that put France in a good position with one away goal.[143]
During the2010 World Cup, Anelka was sent home after reportedly abusing coach Raymond Domenech at half-time during the 2–0 defeat toMexico.[144] Following criticism of his positioning by Domenech, Anelka is reported to have said, "Va te faire enculer, sale fils de pute,"[145] meaning, "Go fuck yourself, you dirty son of a whore."[146] The incident was later reported by the media, and the player refused to publicly apologise when asked to do so byFrench Football Federation (FFF) presidentJean-Pierre Escalettes.[147] The next day, the squad refused to go to training in protest against Anelka's expulsion.[148] 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.[149]
Anelka tookL'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.[150] In a 2018 documentary, Domenech said that Anelka only insulted his management, not him as a person or his mother.[151]
After retiring as a player, Anelka joined the technical staff of DutchEredivisie sideRoda JC in February 2017, claiming he wanted to help his friend and the club's shareholder Aleksey Korotaev.[152] In November 2018, he joinedLille as a youthforwards coach.[153] On 3 February 2021 he became the sporting director ofHyères, under the new ownership ofMourad Boudjellal.[154] He departed three months later, on 4 May, with no first team game taking place during his tenure due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in France.[155] On 25 January 2024, Anelka was appointed as president ofTFF First League clubÜmraniyespor.[156] Less than six months later, on 8 July, Anelka resigned from his position at the club.[157]
^One appearance and one goal from the match against FIFA XI on 16 August 2000 whichFIFA and theFrench Football Federation count as an official friendly match.[165]
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
