Claude Makélélé

Claude Makélélé

Personal information
Full name	Claude Makélélé Sinda
Date of birth	(1973-02-18) 18 February 1973
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Zaire
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
	Stade Brestois
Senior career*
Years	Team	Appsâ€	(Gls)â€
1992–1997	Nantes	169	(9)
1997–1998	Marseille	32	(2)
1998–2000	Celta Vigo	70	(3)
2000–2003	Real Madrid	94	(1)
2003–2008	Chelsea	144	(2)
2008–2011	Paris Saint-Germain	98	(1)
	Total	607	(18)
National team
1995–1996	France U21	11	(1)
1995–2008	France	71	(0)
Teams managed
2011–	Paris Saint-Germain (Assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16 May 2010. † Appearances (Goals).

Claude Makélelé Sinda (French pronunciation: [klod makelele]; born 18 February 1973) is a retired football player and coach who is currently assistant coach of Carlo Ancelotti in Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. Prior to joining Paris Saint-Germain, Makélélé played for Nantes, Olympique de Marseille, Celta Vigo, Real Madrid and Chelsea. In homage to Makélélé, many fans and pundits alike have dubbed the defensive midfield position as the "Makélélé Role."

Biography

Early career

Makélelé was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). "Makelele" means "noises" in Lingala, one of the languages spoken in Congo DR.

He moved to Savigny-le-Temple, a suburb of Paris in Seine-et-Marne, in 1977, when he was four years old. His father, André-Joseph Makélelé, was also a football player. He represented the Congo DR, and ended his career in the Belgian First Division.

Makélélé had never left Savigny-le-Temple until the age of 16, when he joined the training centre of Brest-Armorique in Brittany. According to him, it wasn't easy to adapt to the new life in Brest. The training academy life was tough, especially as it was the first time he was far from his family.

He worked very hard in Brest, but it was in Nantes where he discovered the real pleasure of playing. Makélelé was recruited by FC Nantes Atlantique in December 1991, when he was still 18 years old. Robert Budzinski, the Sport director from Nantes confessed that once he had discovered Makélélé in Brest, he was sure he would become the new Emmanuel Petit.

At the beginning of the 1992–93 season, Makélelé was already in the Nantes A-team, in the French first division. He played at Nantes for five seasons, winning the French Championship in 1995 and helped the club to the semi-final of the Champions League the following season. This earned him a move to Olympique de Marseille for whom he played for one season.

Celta Vigo

He was transferred to Celta Vigo where he spent two successful seasons at the Galician club. While playing alongside Aleksandr Mostovoi, Valery Karpin, Haim Revivo, and Michel Salgado, Celta Vigo achieved historic victories such as 4–1 against Liverpool and 4–0 against Juventus in the UEFA Cup. It was during this time that he began to mould his game into that of a true 'holding midfielder' or 'anchor man'.

Real Madrid

In 2000, he was recruited by Real Madrid. His transfer was controversial because Celta did not want to sell Makélélé unless a substantial improvement on their offer was made. Makélelé refused to train until there was resolution of his contract. Finally, Celta was reluctantly forced to sell him for €14 million, far less than their valuation of the player.

At Real, Makélelé substantially added to his medal tally, winning two Spanish La Liga championships, the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup, the European Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup (now replaced by the FIFA World Club Championship). As an ever-present in Vicente del Bosque's Real Madrid side, Makélelé also established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the world.

However, despite his value to the team, Makélelé was one of its most (relatively) under-paid members, earning a fraction of that paid to teammates like Zinédine Zidane, Luís Figo, Raúl, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Steve McManaman, and Guti. In the summer of 2003, feeling that his position at the club was insecure after the shock sacking of del Bosque and the arrival of David Beckham, and encouraged by teammates Zidane, Raúl, McManaman and Fernando Morientes, Makélelé decided to ask for an improved contract. The Real management flatly refused to consider his request. Upset, Makélelé handed in a transfer request, whereupon he was signed by Chelsea. Club president Florentino Pérez infamously poured scorn on Makélelé's footballing abilities and proclaimed that Makélelé would not be missed:

“

We will not miss Makélelé. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways. He wasn't a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makélelé to be forgotten.

�

His opinion differed from that of players like Zidane, who remarked the following after Makélelé was sold and Beckham was bought:

“

Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?

�

In his autobiography, published in 2006, McManaman described Makélelé as the most important and yet least appreciated midfielder at Real. Retired former Real Madrid player and captain Fernando Hierro also criticised Pérez for both Makélélé's departure and the manner of his departure, saying:

“

I think Claude has this kind of gift – he's been the best player in the team for years but people just don't notice him, don't notice what he does. But you ask anyone at Real Madrid during the years we were talking about and they will tell you he was the best player at Real. We all knew, the players all knew he was the most important. The loss of Makélelé was the beginning of the end for Los Galacticos… You can see that it was also the beginning of a new dawn for Chelsea. He was the base, the key and I think he is the same to Chelsea now.

�

Chelsea

Makélelé (right) with former Chelsea teammate Alex.

In the summer of 2003, he signed for Chelsea for £16.8 million, where then manager Claudio Ranieri proclaimed that Makélelé would be the "battery" of the team. Chelsea finished second in the FA Premier League 2003-04 championship and were eliminated by AS Monaco in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Following the sacking of Ranieri and his succession by José Mourinho, Makélelé was a key player in Chelsea's successful 2004–05 season, winning both the Premiership and the League Cup. His defensive qualities allowed the likes of Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Arjen Robben, Damien Duff, Eiður Guðjohnsen, and Didier Drogba to parade their attacking skills. Makélelé's importance was recognized by Mourinho, who declared him Chelsea's "Player of the Year."

To cap off the 2004–05 season for the Frenchman, he was allowed to take a penalty awarded to Chelsea in the game against Charlton Athletic on the day the Premiership trophy was due to be presented. The Charlton keeper, Stephan Andersen, saved it, but Makélelé scored on the rebound. In September 2005, he was selected as a member of the World XI at the FIFPro awards. The team was chosen by a vote of professional footballers in 40 countries. He added to his sizeable medal haul the following season, winning both the FA Community Shield and the Premier League.

In March 2006, Fulham defeated Chelsea 1–0 in a Premiership game in which Fulham manager Chris Coleman's tactics centered on bypassing Makélelé on the wings when Fulham had possession and putting midfielders on Makélelé when Chelsea were in possession. With Makélelé struggling to function effectively, Chelsea lost the game. Coleman later explained that Makélelé was more than a mere defensive midfielder, but was actually Chelsea's deep-lying playmaker, and Chelsea's attacks were channeled through him. Thus, denying him possession was instrumental in unravelling Chelsea. Mourinho was subsequently forced to counter this tactic by withdrawing Lampard and Michael Essien further back in midfield to relieve the pressure on Makélelé.

On 5 November 2006, in a league encounter with Tottenham Hotspur, Makélélé scored his second goal for the club, a difficult curling volley from the edge of the 18-yard box which sped past Paul Robinson into the left-hand side of the goal to cue a bench-clearing celebration. However, Tottenham sprang a comeback to beat Chelsea 2–1. However, this goal got him the best shot to goals percentage that year with one shot and one goal – 100%.

On 5 December 2006, in a League Cup game against Newcastle United, Makélélé wore the captain's armband in John Terry's absence and with Lampard rested. He was substituted at half-time for Lampard. Makélélé also wore the captain's armband the following season, when Terry, Lampard, and Michael Ballack were all unavailable. Makélélé was captain even when Terry and Lampard returned, for a crucial Champions League tie against Olympiacos, but Terry returned as captain the following weekend for the League Cup defeat against Tottenham. The 2007–08 season was a period of renaissance for the 35-year-old Makélelé, as he played in the majority of Chelsea's fixtures. Despite an ear infection that made him miss an early part of the season, he regained his place and forced Michael Essien into the right-back position, effectively pushing Juliano Belletti out of the team. Makélélé was instrumental in Chelsea's run to the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final under the guidance of manager Avram Grant, but they were defeated by Manchester United in a penalty-shootout after a tie 1-1 in the regular time and kept after extra-time.

Paris Saint-Germain

On 18 July 2008, it was reported that Makélélé was about to take a medical the following day in Paris ahead of a proposed move back to French football. On 21 July, Chelsea announced they had released Makélélé on a free transfer, while Paris Saint-Germain confirmed that the player would join them and would be unveiled at a press conference that afternoon. On 25 February 2010 he announced that he would retire at the end of the 2009/2010 football season. In June 2010, Makélélé retracted his statement and re-signed with Paris Saint-Germain for an additional season. He later retired at the end of the 2010/2011 season. The next season he was appointed the assistant manager alongside Carlo Ancelotti who had joined PSG from his Makelele's previous club, Chelsea.

International career

Makélélé has had a successful international career playing for France. By the end of 2004, he had gained 33 caps, and played for his country at the 1996 Olympic Games, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2004.

Makélélé decided to retire from international football in September 2004, in order to focus on club football with Chelsea, but eleven months later, in August 2005, he and compatriots Zinédine Zidane and Lilian Thuram were persuaded out of retirement to help France qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

As a member of the France national football team competing at the 2006 World Cup, Makélélé's performances as a tireless midfield spoiler were invaluable to France's progress to the final as they defeated Spain, the defending champions Brazil and Euro 2004 finalists Portugal in the knock-out rounds. His partnership with Patrick Vieira in the defensive midfield proved effective as the team conceded only three goals in seven games, a tally only bested by world champions Italy.

After the defeat to Italy on penalties in the World Cup Final, Makélélé initially commented that he was again going to retire from international football. However, he continued to play for France in their qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2008 and even the Euro 2008 finals. He again announced his retirement from international football on 17 June 2008, after France's 2–0 defeat to Italy, along with Thuram again.

Personal life

In the spring of 2004, he began dating French model Noémie Lenoir. Lenoir gave birth to a boy, Kelyan (born 24 January, 2005). The couple split in early 2009. Despite widespread reports that Lenoir was married to Makélélé, she wrote a blog in 2009 clarifying their former relationship, saying: 'I’m not and have never been married. I do have a son. I have a wonderful baby’s father and have a great relationship with him, however I’ve been single for some time now.' In May 2010, Lenoir attempted to commit suicide at Makelele's Paris home by ingesting a lethal amount of drugs and alcohol. Reports after the suicide attempt implied that it was related to Makelele finally calling it quits with Lenoir, which he vehemently denies. Lenoir has had a long battle with substance abuse and later checked into rehab. Claude Makelele has a daughter, Shana (born 10 December, 2002), from a previous relationship and a newborn son (born 31 December, 2010) with his fiancee.

Club statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
France			League		Coupe de France		Coupe de la Ligue		Europe		Total
1992–93	Nantes Atlantique	Division 1	34	1
1993–94			30	0
1994–95			36	3
1995–96			33	0
1996–97			36	5
1997–98	Marseille	Division 1	32	2
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Copa de la Liga		Europe		Total
1998–99	Celta Vigo	La Liga	36	2
1999–2000			34	1
2000–01	Real Madrid	La Liga	33	1
2001–02			32	0
2002–03			29	0
England			League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2003–04	Chelsea	Premier League	30	0	3	0	2	0	11	0	46	0
2004–05			36	1	0	0	4	0	10	0	50	1
2005–06			31	0	3	0	0	0	6	0	40	0
2006–07			29	1	2	0	6	0	9	0	46	1
2007–08			18	0	1	0	2	0	13	0	34	0
France			League		Coupe de France		Coupe de la Ligue		Europe		Total
2008–09	Paris Saint-Germain	Ligue 1	34	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	39	0
2009–10			31	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	31	1
2010–11			33	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	36	0
Country	France		299	12
	Spain		164	4
	England		144	2	9	0	14	0	49	0	216	2
Total			607	18

National team statistics

France national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1995	1	0
1996	0	0
1997	1	0
1998	1	0
1999	0	0
2000	3	0
2001	6	0
2002	9	0
2003	6	0
2004	8	0
2005	5	0
2006	14	0
2007	11	0
2008	6	0
Total	71	0

Honours

Club

Nantes

• Ligue 1: 1994–95

Real Madrid

• UEFA Champions League: 2001–02
• Supercopa de España (2): 2001, 2003
• Intercontinental Cup: 2002
• La Liga(2): 2000–01, 2002–03
• UEFA Super Cup: 2002

Chelsea

• FA Premier League (2): 2004–05, 2005–06
• League Cup (2): 2004–05, 2006–07
• FA Community Shield: 2005
• FA Cup: 2006–07

Paris St Germain

• Coupe de France: 2009–10

France

• 2006 FIFA World Cup: runner-up

Individual

• FIFPro World XI: 2005
• UNFP Trophée d'honneur: 2010

External links

• Claude Makélélé career stats at Soccerbase
• FootballDatabase Claude Makélélé's profile and stats
• BBC profile
• ESPN Profile
• Claude Makélélé – FIFA competition record