This article is about the footballer. For his former wife, see
Adriana Karembeu.
Christian Karembeu (born 3 December 1970 in Lifou, New Caledonia) is a retired French international footballer and current scout for Arsenal Football Club. He is also part of a Paris-based consortium to expand the A-League with a Pacific Island team.1
Club career
During his career Karembeu played for Nantes (1990–95), Sampdoria (1995–97), Real Madrid (1997–2000), Middlesbrough (2000–01), Olympiakos (2001–04), Servette Genève (2004–05), Bastia (2005). With Real Madrid, he won the Champions League in 1998 and 2000, starting in the former but remaining on the bench for the latter. He last played midfield for Bastia in the French Ligue 1. He announced his retirement on 13 October 2006, although he added that he would "be having a kickabout from time to time". The France legend also took part in a friendly competition for Kettering Town FC with Gianfranco Zola, Les Ferdinand and Gus Poyet.
International career
Born in the French territory of New Caledonia, he was a vital player in the French team that won the 1998 World Cup. In Euro 2000, he was on the squad as well but played only one game. He compiled 53 caps in his career, earning his first one on 14 November 1992 against Finland in a 2–1 victory.
Managing career
In May 2006 Karembeu became a scout for English Premiership side Portsmouth Football Club. However, in August 2009, Christian decided to join Arsenal's ever expanding scouting network.citation needed On 9 December 2005, Karembeu represented the Oceania Football Confederation at the draw for the 2006 World Cup which took place in Leipzig, Germany.
In 2007, he was appointed as non-executive director of Birmingham International Holdings.2 He left after 2010 annual general meeting.3
Commitment
Christian Karembeu is a member of the ‘Champions for Peace’ club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.4
Deeply involved in Peace and Sport’s activities, Christian Karembeu visited Haiti in August 2010 with Founder and President of Peace and Sport, Joel Bouzou, to strengthen the role of sport in the country's reconstruction efforts and attract the attention of the international community to urgent needs that prevail there. He went to meet sports instructors and young beneficiaries of the emergency program that the Haitian Olympic Committee has set up in survivor camps.5
Personal life
The great-grandfather of Christian Karembeu, who came from New Caledonia, was one of the hundred islanders taken to Paris and exhibited there as "cannibals" by the French people. Later the "cannibals" were swapped with Germany for some crocodiles.6
Karembeu was married to Slovak model Adriana SklenaÅ™Ãková, whom he met on an airplane.7 The couple split in March 2011.citation needed
Television
Christian Karembeu is the host of French TV series "Des Iles et des Hommes" (Of Islands and Men), aired on Planete in 2010 and 2011, a travel programme visiting among 6 of the most beautiful islands of the world.
Statistics
8
| France national team |
| Year |
Apps |
Goals |
| 1992 |
1 |
0 |
| 1993 |
0 |
0 |
| 1994 |
6 |
0 |
| 1995 |
4 |
1 |
| 1996 |
13 |
0 |
| 1997 |
4 |
0 |
| 1998 |
10 |
0 |
| 1999 |
4 |
0 |
| 2000 |
4 |
0 |
| 2001 |
6 |
0 |
| 2002 |
1 |
0 |
| Total |
53 |
1 |
Honours
Titles
Following the 1998 World Cup, he was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 1998910
References
| Persondata |
| Name |
Karembeu, Christian |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
Footballer |
| Date of birth |
3 December 1970 |
| Place of birth |
Lifou, New Caledonia |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
