Marcel Desailly

Marcel Desailly (French pronunciation: [maʁ.sɛl də.sɑˈji]; born Odenke Abbey; 7 September 1968) is a retired France international footballer, who played mostly as a defender and was a member of the France squads that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. During a successful career at club level, lasting from 1986 to 2006, Desailly won UEFA Champions League medals with both Marseille and Milan, and also played for Nantes and Chelsea, among others.

Club career

Marcel Desailly was born as Odenke Abbey on 7 September 1968 in Accra, Ghana, the son of Ghanaian parents. He had his name changed when his mother married the head of the French Consulate in Accra, who adopted all of her children (the former professional footballer Seth Adonkor, seven years his elder, was a half-brother of his). The family relocated to France when Desailly was four years old. Following Adonkor's lead, he began his career at FC Nantes. There, as part of the famed FC Nantes youth programme, he played alongside a young Didier Deschamps, who was a very good central back, who became his closest friend. Desailly turned professional in 1986, two years after his half-brother had died in a car accident. In 1992, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, where he reunited with Deschamps, and won the UEFA Champions League the following year. In 1994, while playing for AC Milan, he again won the Cup (scoring in the final himself), 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 sweeper and central defender, he played as a defensive midfield for Milan.

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Famous quotes by Marcel Desailly:

"I'm not at 100 percent, I'm still feeling the pain, ... I am not ready to play against England."
"He lost consciousness for 2 seconds, like he fell into a black hole. His eyes were wide open, but he had no idea where he was."
"King will have a lot of experience around him, Sol campbell, (David) Beckham, even Michael Owen will be able to help, ... They have for sure to tell him this will be a tough game from start to finish, and the first that makes the mistake will lose the game."
"I read somewhere that Campbell loves to play against Henry, ... I hope after the game he thinks differently."
"Democracy is at stake here. It's an undeniable fact that (Le Pen's) political party is a fascist party."
"Yes, I know. But I'm not the boss. The coach (Jacques Santini) is master of the ship. It's up to him to say."
"He is very physical, holds the ball up well. He can trouble teams with his heading, especially on the second ball. We have to be wary of him."
"Like the vast majority of French, I am shocked. I just hope that the French come to their senses and vote against him."
"It was this year or never. Even if I am mistaken I don't think Lyon will win the Champions League. That elimination in those conditions will pull the rug from under their feet."
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EA Sports FC 25 UEFA Dreamchasers Leaked Players ft. Kyllian Mbappe and Harry Kane

The Times of India 21 Mar 2025
The complete breakdown of the leaked player list and the anticipated arrival times of UEFA Dreamchasers in FC 25 is listed below.Leaked Dreamchaser Icons and HeroesIcon Birgit Prinz – GermanyIcon ...
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