Marcel Desailly

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Marcel Desailly (born September 7, 1968 in Accra, Ghana as Odonkey Abbey) is a French football player and a former star for its national team, with whom he won the Template:Wc and Template:Ec2.

Desailly arrived in France as a 4-year-old after being adopted by a French diplomat, and began his career in FC Nantes, turning professional in 1986. In 1992, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, and won the European Cup the following year. In 1994, while a member of AC Milan, he again won the Cup, being the first player to win the Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs. During his time in Milan he won two Italian league titles, in 1994 and 1996. Although he prefers to be a defender, he also played midfield for some time.

Desailly then moved to the English club Chelsea, where he played centre-back until the end of the 2003-04 season. After Template:Ec2, he retired from international football as the all-time leader in appearances for France (116).

Desailly is considered one of the most accomplished players of the game and one of the best players of the past two decades, having won virtually every major team award.

1 Chelsea career
2 French national team
3 End of career
4 Club history
5 External links

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Chelsea career

Desailly moved to Chelsea for a reported 4.6 million pounds prior to the 1998 World Cup. It has been said that if Chelsea bought Desailly after the Template:Wc, they would have paid double, such were his displays in helping the side to its first World Cup victory. Desailly quickly adapted to the English game and Ruud Gullit deployed him in a variety of roles, usually either as a defensive midfielder or centre back. Desailly showed his class as a central defender and was moved next to Franck Leboeuf to form a formidable pairing. Labelled The Rock, Desailly's reputation had been cemented in England after his first season at Chelsea as he propelled them to third in the Premiership. His experience was crucial the following year during the club's Champions League campaign and eventual FA Cup win.

Following Dennis Wise's departure from Chelsea, Desailly was handed the captain's armband and he led the club superbly. His reputation had grown and he was widely regarded among the top few centre-backs in the world. He became the mentor for his eventual successor John Terry as he formed a strong partnership with William Gallas, who was bought to cover the loss of Frank Leboeuf.

Desailly scored an important goal for Chelsea in the final game of the season against Liverpool in 2002/2003 with a powerful header past Jerzy Dudek. The following season, however, Desailly's age began to catch up with him, as he succumbed to injuries and his performances suffered. His lowest moment came in the first leg of the semi-final of the Champions League against Monaco, where he was sent off. However, his final season will not blemish his outstanding record and he goes down as a Chelsea - and football - legend. He was voted as centre back in Chelsea greatest ever XI, next to John Terry.

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French national team

Desailly made his international debut in 1993, but was not established as a first choice defender until 1996. He was an important part of the French team which won the Template:Wc, an achievement for which he was awarded the Légion d'Honneur. Two years later success continued, as France won Template:Ec2. After the tournament, Desailly was made captain of the national team, following the retirement of Didier Deschamps.

In April 2003, Desailly surpassed the record for the number of appearances for the French team, a number which eventually reached 116 when he announced his retirement from international football following Template:Ec2.

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End of career

In 2004, Desailly left Chelsea for Al Gharafa of Qatar, a common destination for players finishing their career. Bizarrely, considering his previous goalscoring record, Desailly finished top scorer for his club in the 2004/05 season.

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