Christian Karembeu
Encyclopedia
Christian Karembeu 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.
(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
.
, 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.
. However, in August 2009, Christian decided to join Arsenal's ever expanding scouting network.
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. He left after 2010 annual general meeting.
, a Monaco
-based international organization.
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.
model Adriana Sklenaříková, whom he met on an airplane. The couple split in March 2011.
in 2010 and 2011, a travel to 6 among the most beautiful islands of the world.
|1990/91||rowspan="2"|Nantes||rowspan="2"|Division 1
||4||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991/92||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992/93||rowspan="3"|Nantes Atlantique||rowspan="3"|Division 1
||35||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993/94||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||34||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||rowspan="2"|Sampdoria||rowspan="2"|Serie A
||32||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||30||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="3"|Real Madrid||rowspan="3"|La Liga
||16||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||20||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||15||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000/01||Middlesbrough||Premier League
||33||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||rowspan="3"|Olympiacos
||rowspan="3"|Alpha Ethniki
||24||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002/03||22||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003/04||22||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Servette
||||12||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Bastia
||Ligue 1
||7||0||||||||||||||||
169||5||||||||||||||||
62||6||||||||||||||||
51||0||||||||||||||||
33||4||||||||||||||||
68||3||||||||||||||||
12||0||||||||||||||||
395||18||||||||||||||||
|}
|-
|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
|}
in 1998
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. He is also part of a Paris-based consortium to expand the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
with a Pacific Island team.
Club career
During his career Karembeu played for NantesFC Nantes Atlantique
Football Club de Nantes is a French association football club based in Nantes, Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as a result of local clubs based in the city coming together to form one big club. From 1992–2007, the club was referred to as FC Nantes...
(1990–95), Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
(1995–97), Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
(1997–2000), Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
(2000–01), Olympiakos
Olympiacos CFP
----Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus, , , transliterated Olympiakos Sindesmos Filathlon Pireos, is the most popular multisport club and the most successful in Greece, based in Piraeus....
(2001–04), Servette Genève
Servette
Servette is a district of the city of Geneva, Switzerland. The district's name comes from the Latin word for forest, silva, and means "little forest". Its name alludes to Servette's rural past, before Geneva grew beyond its walls and incorporated the area....
(2004–05), Bastia
SC Bastia
Sporting Club de Bastia is a French association football club based in Bastia on the island of Corsica. The club currently plays in the Championnat National, the third division of French football. Bastia previously had stints in both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2...
(2005). With Real Madrid, he won the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
in 1998 and 2000, starting in the former but remaining on the bench for the latter. He last played midfield
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for Bastia
SC Bastia
Sporting Club de Bastia is a French association football club based in Bastia on the island of Corsica. The club currently plays in the Championnat National, the third division of French football. Bastia previously had stints in both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2...
in the French Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
. 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
Kettering Town F.C.
Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08...
with Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola, OBE, Ufficiale OMRI is a retired Italian footballer and manager, who most recently managed West Ham United from 2008 to 2010, after having been assistant manager of the Italy U-21 under Pierluigi Casiraghi...
, Les Ferdinand
Les Ferdinand
Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Queens Park Rangers, Besiktas J.K., Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England...
and Gus Poyet
Gustavo Poyet
Gustavo Augusto Gus Poyet Domínguez is a former Uruguay international footballer and current manager of English side Brighton & Hove Albion.During his playing career, Poyet featured for teams including Real Zaragoza, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur....
.
International career
Born in the French territory of New CaledoniaNew Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, 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
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
in a 2–1 victory.
Managing career
In May 2006 Karembeu became a scout for English Premiership side Portsmouth Football ClubPortsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. However, in August 2009, Christian decided to join Arsenal's ever expanding scouting network.
On 9 December 2005, Karembeu represented the Oceania Football Confederation
Oceania Football Confederation
The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
at the draw for the 2006 World Cup which took place in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany.
In 2007, he was appointed as non-executive director of Birmingham International Holdings. He left after 2010 annual general meeting.
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 SportPeace and Sport
Peace and Sport, "L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport” is a neutral and apolitical international initiative based in the Principality of Monaco and placed under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco....
, a Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
-based international organization.
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.
Personal life
Karembeu was married to SlovakSlovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
model Adriana Sklenaříková, whom he met on an airplane. The couple split in March 2011.
Television
Christian Karembeu is the host of French TV series "Des Iles et des Hommes" (Of Islands and Men), aired on PlanetePlanète
Planète was a French fantastic realism magazine created by Jacques Bergier and Louis Pauwels. It ran from 1961 to 1972.They were the authors of the successful book The Morning of the Magicians , subtitled "Introduction to Fantastic Realism," published in October 1959 Jacques Bergier set...
in 2010 and 2011, a travel to 6 among the most beautiful islands of the world.
Statistics
|-|1990/91||rowspan="2"|Nantes||rowspan="2"|Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||4||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991/92||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992/93||rowspan="3"|Nantes Atlantique||rowspan="3"|Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||35||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993/94||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||34||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||rowspan="2"|Sampdoria||rowspan="2"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||32||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||30||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="3"|Real Madrid||rowspan="3"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||16||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||20||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||15||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000/01||Middlesbrough||Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
||33||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||rowspan="3"|Olympiacos
Olympiacos CFP
----Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus, , , transliterated Olympiakos Sindesmos Filathlon Pireos, is the most popular multisport club and the most successful in Greece, based in Piraeus....
||rowspan="3"|Alpha Ethniki
Super League Greece
The Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...
||24||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002/03||22||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003/04||22||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Servette
Servette FC
Servette FC is a Swiss football club, based in Geneva currently playing in the Swiss Super League. They were playing in the Swiss Challenge League, the second highest tier of Swiss football having been relegated from the Swiss Super League at the end of 2004/05 season...
||||12||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Bastia
SC Bastia
Sporting Club de Bastia is a French association football club based in Bastia on the island of Corsica. The club currently plays in the Championnat National, the third division of French football. Bastia previously had stints in both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2...
||Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||7||0||||||||||||||||
169||5||||||||||||||||
62||6||||||||||||||||
51||0||||||||||||||||
33||4||||||||||||||||
68||3||||||||||||||||
12||0||||||||||||||||
395||18||||||||||||||||
|}
|-
|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
- Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
- 2 UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
titles: 1997–98, 1999–00 - 1 Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
titles: 19981998 Intercontinental CupThe 1998 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 1 December 1998 between Real Madrid, winners of the 1997-98 UEFA Champions League, and Vasco da Gama, winners of the 1998 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo in front of 51,514 fans...
,
- 2 UEFA Champions League
- Olympiacos
- 2 Greek Championships: 2001–02, 2002–03
- FranceFrance national football teamThe France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: 19981998 FIFA World CupThe 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... - UEFA European ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
: 2000
- FIFA World Cup
- Individual
- Oceania Footballer of the YearOceania Footballer of the YearThe Oceania Footballer of the Year award is presented to the best football player from the Oceania region. The winner is chosen by a forum of journalists. The award is dominated by Australian players, though New Zealand's Wynton Rufer is tied with Harry Kewell for the most titles with 3...
: 1995, 1998
- Oceania Footballer of the Year
Titles
Following the 1998 World Cup, he was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1998