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Bacary Sagna

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Bacary Sagna
Sagna in 2012
Personal information
Full name Bacary Sagna
Date of birth (1983-02-14) 14 February 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth Sens, France
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Right back
Team information
Current team
 Manchester City
Number 3
Youth career
Sens
1998–2002 Auxerre
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2004 Auxerre B 37 (3)
2004–2007 Auxerre 89 (0)
2007–2014 Arsenal 213 (4)
2014– Manchester City 36 (0)
International career‡
2004–2006 France U21 13 (1)
2007– France 55 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 March 2016
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:42, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

Bacary Sagna (French pronunciation: [bakaʁi saɲa]) (born 14 February 1983) is a French professional footballer who plays for English club Manchester City and the France national team. His former manager at Arsenal, Arsène Wenger, has described him as the best right back in the Premier League. In addition to his regular duties in the full-back position, Sagna played for Arsenal as a centre back on several occasions.[2][3][4]

He began his career at Auxerre, before transferring to Arsenal for £7 million in 2007. In 2014, shortly after winning the FA Cup, his first trophy at the club, he declared he would not continue as an Arsenal player and subsequently moved to Manchester City when his contract expired. A full international since 2007, he was selected by France for two FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Club career

Auxerre

Sagna started his career at FC Sens. He made 87 Ligue 1 appearances for Auxerre and was part of the squad that won the Coupe de France in 2005. He also played in the UEFA Cup in each of his three seasons with the club's first team, making a total of 17 appearances in the competition. He was also voted into the Ligue 1 team of the season for his outstanding displays at the right back position. He played in the same Auxerre team as Abou Diaby, a future Arsenal teammate, and Sunderland centre-back Younès Kaboul. Sagna established himself as one of the league's best full backs and is known as "Mr. Reliable" by fans.[3]

Arsenal

Sagna playing for Arsenal in the 2007–08 season.

2007–08 season

On 12 July 2007, Sagna completed a move to Arsenal from Auxerre for an undisclosed fee, thought to have been an initial €9 million that could have risen to €11 million.[5] He was given the number 3 shirt, previously worn by former defender Ashley Cole.[6]

Sagna made his debut for Arsenal on 19 July 2007 as a starter in the squad that beat Turkish club Gençlerbirliği 3–0 in a friendly at Austria's Bad Waltersdorf Stadion.[7]

On 13 February 2008, exactly one week before Arsenal were set to play the second leg of their round of 16 encounter against Milan in the Champions League, Sagna's older brother, Omar Sagna, died at the age of 28, one day before his birthday. He, however, did play the match after he was advised to by his father. Arsenal went on to win the second leg 0–2 with the same scoreline on aggregate.

On 23 March, Sagna tallied his first Premier League goal off a low header from a corner kick to give Arsenal a 1–0 lead against London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but later went off injured before Chelsea came back to win the game 2–1.[8] At the end of the season, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year.

2008–09 season

Alt text
Sagna taking a throw in against Manchester United

Sagna signed a new deal with Arsenal before the start of the 2008–09 season. Arsenal have signed him for a further two years, taking his contract up to 2014. Sagna stated, "I love Arsenal, it's a great club," and further added, "The manager is also very good and next season we will be fighting for all the trophies." He stunningly saved Arsenal in a 2–2 draw against Aston Villa when he jumped and kicked the ball away so that Arsenal would go into half time with the lead.[9]

2009–10 season

Sagna struggled to replicate his form from the previous two seasons as injuries also prevented him from contributing to the team in the same way. He provided many assists though, his most important contribution arguably being the cross to striker Nicklas Bendtner, who gave Arsenal the 1–0 lead in the 94th minute against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite this, however, Sagna was linked away from the club with various teams, including Serie A's Internazionale, seemingly interested in taking the defender away from London.[10]

2010–11 season

Bacary Sagna playing for Arsenal in 2010

Sagna scored his first goal at the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal against Celtic, a game in which Arsenal went on to win 3–2 and win the Emirates Cup for the second consecutive year. He made his 100th league start for Arsenal on 3 October 2010, a 2–0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. On 14 November, he scored only his second ever official goal for Arsenal in a 2–1 away victory against Everton at Goodison Park, with a powerful shot from the near post. On 8 December 2010, Sagna picked up his first red card in his Arsenal career in a 3–1 home victory against Serbian club Partizan in Arsenal's final Champions League group game of the season.

On 1 January 2011, in a match with Birmingham City, he was involved in an incident where Lee Bowyer stamped on him after Sagna had gone in for a tackle. Bowyer banned by the FA for three games for the stamp. On 5 January, Sagna picked up his second red card of the season after he and Manchester City fullback Pablo Zabaleta headbutted each other in the final moments of Arsenal's 0–0 draw with City at Emirates Stadium. On 19 January, Sagna scored his second goal of the season with Arsenal's second goal in their 3–1 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road in a third round replay. This was Sagna's career best for goal-scoring, his previous best coming in the 2007–08 season where scored only once. Sagna was included in the PFA Team of the Year for his performance in the 2010–11 season.

2011–12 season

On 13 August 2011, Sagna started and played the full 90 minutes against Newcastle United at St James' Park in a 0–0 draw on the opening day of the 2011–12 Premier League season. On Saturday 20 August, he started at left-back and played the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 defeat at the hands of a Liverpool side that picked up its first win over the Gunners away from home in 11 years. On 28 August, Sagna missed Arsenal's game against Manchester United at Old Trafford due to illness.

Sagna sustained a leg break during a match against North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur after a challenge by Benoît Assou-Ekotto forced him to land awkwardly. On 29 January 2012, Sagna came off the bench against Aston Villa as an 89th-minute substitute to mark his comeback. On 26 February, he started in the North London derby again against Spur, scoring a header from a Mikel Arteta cross and inspiring Arsenal to come back from being 2–0 down to go on and win 5–2.[11] He unfortunately sustained another leg break of the same leg in the final home match of the season against Norwich City, which ruled him out of UEFA Euro 2012 in June 2012.[12]

2012–13 season

In October 2012, Sagna marked his return to the first team by starting in Arsenal's 1–0 victory over Queens Park Rangers.[13] On 3 November, he started and played the full 90 minutes at right-back against Manchester United at Old Trafford, a 2–1 league defeat.[14] In his absence with a broken leg, Carl Jenkinson started for Arsenal and earned rave reviews, but Sagna continued to be Arsenal's first-choice right back upon his return. On 9 February 2013, due to an injury to centre-back Laurent Koscielny during warm-ups, Sagna was forced to fill in as a central defender against Sunderland.[15] He performed outstandingly despite playing out of position and helped a ten-man Arsenal win 1–0.[16] On 28 April, Sagna would commit a mistimed tackle inside the penalty box on Robin van Persie in a 1–1 home draw against Manchester United, conceding a penalty to bring the score level after a second-minute Arsenal goal from Theo Walcott.

2013–14 season

Sagna during open top bus parade after winning the FA Cup.

Sagna remained Arsenal's first choice right-back at the start of the season, fighting off competition from Carl Jenkinson.[17] He scored his first goal of the season, his fifth in Arsenal colours, against Stoke City on 22 September, heading in Mesut Özil's free-kick, securing a 3–1 win for the Gunners.[18] On 17 May, Sagna started in the 2014 FA Cup Final as Arsenal beat Hull City 3–2 at Wembley Stadium, his first trophy at the club.[19]

It was announced on 27 May that Sagna would not extend his contract with the Gunners, which was set to expire at the end of the season. Although Arsenal handed him a two-year extension, Sagna was believed to be "90 per cent certain" of leaving the Emirates, thus denying the contract extension. Additional sources understand that Manchester City and a number of top clubs in Europe had expressed an interest in signing him.[20] Sagna said he did not sign a new deal with Arsenal because "the discussions did not go in the direction that I wanted". [21]

Manchester City

It was announced on 13 June 2014 that Sagna had agreed a deal with Manchester City to join the reigning Premier League champions after his contract with Arsenal was set to expire on 30 June. He was City's first signing of the summer and signed a three-year deal, taking the number 3 shirt.[22]

International career

Youth

Sagna has previously represented the French under-21 team, with whom he also participated at the 2006 European Under-21 Championship.

At age 17 Sagna wished to join up with the Senegalese national team, stating, "I wanted to play for Senegal when I was 17, but they didn't reply. So I was a bit disappointed. But when I started playing for Auxerre for the first team, they [Senegal] contacted me and I had a game on the same day with the French national team under 21's so I had to make a choice."

Senior

Sagna received his first senior international cap for France on 22 August 2007 in a friendly match against Slovakia on the road, which they won 1–0, coming on as a substitute for François Clerc after one hour of play. He went on to make his competitive debut for France in their 6–0 away win at the Faroe Islands on 13 October 2007 in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers, playing all 90 minutes. It was his only appearance in the Euro 2008 qualifying. He was not a candidate to join the French team at the Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland as he was still recovering from the injury sustained in Arsenal's Premier League match at Chelsea in March 2008.

After recovering from the injury, Sagna returned to the French team for their friendly match against Sweden in August 2008, playing all 90 minutes in a 3–2 away win. He went on to become a regular in the French team's qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was also a part of the disastrous French World Cup campaign when the team crashed out at the group stage after losing against hosts South Africa.

Sagna missed out on UEFA Euro 2012 with a broken leg.[12]

Personal life

Sagna was born in Sens to Senegalese parents.[23] He is also a Muslim.[24] He has two children with his wife, Ludivine, who is from Auxerre and he uses Twitter to communicate with his fans.[25] His cousin Ibrahima Sonko played in England for Reading and in Turkey for Akhisar Belediyespor.[26]

On 31 March 2011, Sagna became an ambassador for Grassroot Soccer, an international non-profit that uses the power of football to educate, inspire, and mobilise communities to stop the spread of HIV.[27]

Sagna is called "Bac" by the majority of his teammates.[28]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 April 2016[29][30]
Club Season League Cup[31] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Auxerre 2004–05 Ligue 1 26 0 7 0 10 0 43 0
2005–06 23 0 3 0 1 0 27 0
2006–07 38 0 3 0 10 0 51 0
Total 87 0 13 0 21 0 121 0
Arsenal 2007–08 Premier League 29 1 3 0 8 0 40 1
2008–09 35 0 5 0 9 0 49 0
2009–10 35 0 1 0 8 0 44 0
2010–11 33 1 6 1 4 0 43 2
2011–12 21 1 2 0 6 0 29 1
2012–13 25 0 3 0 3 0 31 0
2013–14 35 1 4 0 9 0 48 1
Total 213 4 24 1 47 0 284 5
Manchester City 2014–15 Premier League 10 0 3 0 4 0 17 0
2015–16 25 0 6 0 8 0 39 0
Total 35 0 9 0 12 0 56 0
Career total 335 4 46 1 80 0 461 5

Honours

Club

Auxerre
Arsenal
Manchester City

Individual


References

  1. ^ "Player Profile: Bacary Sagna". Premier League. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna is the best right-back in the Premier League". Give Me Football. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Arsenal boss Wenger: Sagna best right-back in league". tribalfootball.com. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  4. ^ Nik Brumsack (15 February 2013). "Wenger - Sagna can shine at centre back | News Archive | News". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Sagna signe jeudi à Arsenal". L'Équipe (in French). France. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
  6. ^ "Auxerre's Sagna signs for Arsenal". BBC Sport. 12 July 2007. Archived from the original on 20 August 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Match Report". Arsenal Online. 19 July 2007. Archived from the original on 9 August 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
  8. ^ Hughes, Ian (23 March 2008). "Chelsea 2–1 Arsenal". BBC. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  9. ^ "Sagna pens Gunners deal". Sky Sports. 4 June 2008. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Sagna linked with Inter move". Sky Sports. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  11. ^ "Arsenal 5–2 Tottenham" BBC Sport. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Bacary Sagna ruled out of Euro 2012 with broken leg". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  13. ^ Jurejko, Jonathan (27 October 2012). "Arsenal 1–0 QPR". BBC. BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  14. ^ McNulty, Phil (3 November 2012). "Manchester United 2–1 Arsenal". BBC. BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  15. ^ Doyle, Joe (9 February 2013). "TEAM NEWS: Jenkinson starts for Arsenal against Sunderland". Goal.com. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  16. ^ Johnston, Neil (9 February 2013). "Sunderland 0–1 Arsenal". BBC. BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  17. ^ Arsenal Correspondent (30 October 2013). "Chelsea Display Shows Why Carl Jenkinson Is Not Ready to Replace Bacary Sagna". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 11 August 2014. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  18. ^ Nik Brumsack (23 September 2013). "Sagna - Goal was my gift to the team | News Archive | News". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Arsenal 3-2 Hull". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  20. ^ "Sagna tells Arsenal he is leaving". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  21. ^ "Sagna confirms he's leaving". Your Daily Arsenal. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Bacary Sagna: Manchester City agree to sign Arsenal defender". BBC Sport. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  23. ^ "How Senegal snubbed Sagna". SuperSport official website. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  24. ^ Din, Tusdiq (23 August 2011). "Fasting and football. How do top-flight Muslims cope?". The Independent. Retrieved 10 July 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ "Sagna's Twitter page".
  26. ^ "Sonko reveals Arsenal family link". readingfc.co.uk. 8 November 2007. Archived from the original on 10 November 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Bacary Sagna inspires millions as a Grassroot Soccer Ambassador". grassrootsoccer.org. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  28. ^ "Sagna został ojcem" (in Polish). Kanonierzy.com. 9 March 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
  29. ^ "Bacary Sagna". ESPN. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  30. ^ "Bakari SAGNA" (in French). fff.fr. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
  31. ^ Includes FA Cup, League Cup and FA Community Shield.
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