Eric Djemba-Djemba

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Eric Djemba-Djemba
Djemba twins 1.jpg
Djemba-Djemba in 2008
Personal information
Full name Eric Daniel Djemba-Djemba
Date of birth (1981-05-04) 4 May 1981 (age 32)
Place of birth Douala, Cameroon
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Hapoel Tel Aviv
Number 19
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2001–2003 Nantes 42 (1)
2003–2005 Manchester United 20 (0)
2005–2007 Aston Villa 11 (0)
2007 → Burnley (loan) 15 (0)
2007–2008 Qatar SC 29 (3)
2008–2012 OB 109 (3)
2012– Hapoel Tel Aviv 24 (0)
National team‡
2002– Cameroon 24 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 March 2013.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 July 2012

Eric Daniel Djemba-Djemba (born 4 May 1981) is a Cameroonian footballer who currently plays for Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv. He has previously played club football in France, England, Qatar and Denmark.

Contents

Club career [edit]

Nantes [edit]

Djemba-Djemba rose to prominence with Nantes in France. His impressive performances as a feisty and uncompromising tackler for the French club earned him a dream move to Manchester United for £3.5 million in the summer of 2003, signed by Alex Ferguson as a possible eventual successor to the 31-year-old Roy Keane.

Manchester United [edit]

Arriving in England, Djemba-Djemba was unknown to many fans and pundits alike.[citation needed] He established his aggressive style during his debut against Arsenal in the FA Community Shield, with a tackle on Arsenal's Sol Campbell which Arsène Wenger called "obscene".[citation needed]

In 18 months at Old Trafford, Djemba-Djemba found it difficult to maintain a period of sustained form despite his footballing ability, and he was eventually unable to establish himself as a player capable of filling captain Roy Keane's shoes. To some he was deemed as a failure at Old Trafford and didn't rise up to the occasion on several big matches. It did not help Djemba-Djemba's cause that United were in a period of transition and he was constantly being rotated in and out of the team with a number of other potential suitors to Keane's midfield mantle, as coach Sir Alex Ferguson searched for a worthy successor to his captain. However he did score an excellent looping volley against Leeds United in the League Cup. With the score at 2–2 and 3 minutes of extra time left, Quinton Fortune swung in a corner which reached Djemba-Djemba, who hit it first time and it looped over Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson which secured a 3–2 win and progression to the next round.[1] He scored only once more for United, in a 5–0 Champions League win over Greek side Panathinaikos.[2]

Aston Villa [edit]

Djemba-Djemba was sold to Aston Villa in the January 2005 transfer window for a fee of £1.5 million (a £2 million loss). However, the move did little to restore the player's reputation as he found it difficult to move ahead of Gavin McCann and Steven Davis in Villa's midfield pecking order. After being played only once, as a late substitute against Arsenal in the first ever game at the Emirates Stadium,[3] by new Villa manager Martin O'Neill on the first day of the 2006–07 season, Djemba-Djemba was loaned out to Championship club Burnley for the remainder of the season in the January transfer window.

Burnley loan [edit]

Djemba-Djemba made his first appearance for Burnley on 13 January 2007 against Southampton, playing the full 90 minutes. Early in his time at Turf Moor, Djemba-Djemba was sent off for the Lancashire side after a second bookable offence at Derby County; however he impressed with his skillful and effective play during his loan spell.

During July 2007, all signs pointed to Djemba-Djemba leaving Villa Park after he was the only member of the first-team squad not to be included in the North American tour and on August 2, 2007, his contract was terminated by Aston Villa.

Qatar SC [edit]

Following his departure from Aston Villa, Djemba-Djemba joined Qatar SC on a free transfer. He only played one season at the Qatar-based club, but managed to get his football career back on track.

Odense BK [edit]

On 16 July 2008, Djemba-Djemba signed a three-year contract with Danish outfit Odense Boldklub, the contract was later extended with a year. He made his Odense debut against former club Aston Villa in the Intertoto Cup. Odense drew the match 1–1, losing 2–1 on aggregate. In his career in Odense, Djemba-Djemba has impressed the club's fans, with his good ball skills and great performances. In his first season as an Odense player, he played tremendous football and was by many called the league's best player.[by whom?]

Hapoel Tel Aviv [edit]

On 14 August 2012, Djemba-Djemba signed a two-year contract with Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv.[4]

International career [edit]

Djemba-Djemba was a member of the Cameroon team that won the 2002 African Nations Cup, they also finished runner-up to France at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. He also appeared at the 2002 World Cup.

Eric was also recently made an honorary member of the Royal Troon Golf Club.

Club [edit]

Manchester United

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Leeds 2–3 Man Utd". BBC Sport. 28 October 2003. Retrieved 16 September 2009. 
  2. ^ "Man Utd wreak Greek havoc". BBC Sport. 16 September 2003. Retrieved 3 November 2009. 
  3. ^ BBC (20 August 2006). "Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa". 
  4. ^ "Djemba-Djemba signed for Hapoel: I found a warm home" (in Hebrew). ONE. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012. 

External links [edit]

Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. – current squad
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