Eric Djemba-Djemba
Encyclopedia
Eric Daniel Djemba-Djemba (born 4 May 1981) is a Cameroon
ian footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Danish
side Odense BK and the Cameroon national football team
. He has previously played club football in France, England and Qatar.
for £
3.5 million in the summer of 2003, signed by Alex Ferguson
as a possible eventual successor to Roy Keane
, by then in his 32nd year.
, Djemba-Djemba was a complete unknown to many fans and pundits alike. He wasted no time in establishing his ultra-aggressive style during his debut against Arsenal
in the FA Community Shield
, leaving an impression – literally – on Arsenal's Sol Campbell
with a typically rambunctious challenge which Arsène Wenger
called "obscene". Alas, Eric Djemba Djemba's United career was shortlived due to the arrival of Juan Sebastien Veron.
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 raise 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. He scored only once more for United, in a 5–0 Champions League win over Greek side Panathinaikos.
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, by new Villa manager Martin O'Neill
on the first day of the 2006–2007 season
, Djemba-Djemba was loaned out to Championship club Burnley for the remainder of the season in the January transfer window.
, 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.
-based club, but managed to get his football career back on track.
that won the 2002 African Nations Cup and finished runner-up to France at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
. He also appeared at the 2002 World Cup
.
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
side Odense BK and the Cameroon national football team
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
. He has previously played club football in France, England and Qatar.
Nantes
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 UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
3.5 million in the summer of 2003, signed by Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
as a possible eventual successor to Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
, by then in his 32nd year.
Manchester United
Arriving in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Djemba-Djemba was a complete unknown to many fans and pundits alike. He wasted no time in establishing his ultra-aggressive style during his debut against Arsenal
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...
in the FA Community Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
, leaving an impression – literally – on Arsenal's Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell is an English footballer who is currently a free agent. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's...
with a typically rambunctious challenge which Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
called "obscene". Alas, Eric Djemba Djemba's United career was shortlived due to the arrival of Juan Sebastien Veron.
In 18 months at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, 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
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
's shoes. To some he was deemed as a failure at Old Trafford and didn't raise 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
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
searched for a worthy successor to his captain. However he did score an excellent looping volley against Leeds United in the League Cup
League Cup
In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
. 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
Paul Robinson (goalkeeper)
Paul William Robinson is an English footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers as a goalkeeper in the Premier League. He had also been an England international and he earned 41 caps between 2003 and 2007 before his retirement from international football in August 2010.He joined Leeds United at 16...
which secured a 3–2 win and progression to the next round. He scored only once more for United, in a 5–0 Champions League win over Greek side Panathinaikos.
Aston Villa
Djemba-Djemba was sold to Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
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
Gavin McCann
Gavin Peter McCann is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He has one England cap to his name, playing against Spain at Villa Park in 2001.-Club career:...
and Steven Davis
Steven Davis
Steven Davis is a Northern Irish association footballer who currently plays for Scottish Premier League club Rangers and the Northern Ireland national team...
in Villa's midfield pecking order. After being played only once, as a late substitute, by new Villa manager Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
on the first day of the 2006–2007 season
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
, Djemba-Djemba was loaned out to Championship club Burnley for the remainder of the season in the January transfer window.
Burnley loan
Djemba-Djemba made his first appearance for Burnley on January 13, 2007 against Southampton, playing the full 90 minutes. Early in his time at Turf MoorTurf Moor
Turf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire. It is the home ground of Burnley Football Club, which has played there since moving from its Calder Vale ground in 1883. The stadium, which is situated on Harry Potts Way, named so after the club's longest serving Manager, has a capacity of...
, Djemba-Djemba was sent off for the Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
side after a second bookable offence at Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
; 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
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
tour and on August 2, 2007, his contract was terminated by Aston Villa.
Qatar SC
Following his departure from Aston Villa, Djemba-Djemba joined Qatar SC on a free transfer. He only played one season at the QatarQatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
-based club, but managed to get his football career back on track.
Odense
On 16 July 2008, Djemba-Djemba signed a three-year contract with Danish outfit Odense Boldklub. He made his Odense debut against former club Aston Villa in the Intertoto Cup. Odense draw the match 1–1 losing 2–1 on aggregate.International career
Djemba-Djemba was a member of the Cameroon teamCameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
that won the 2002 African Nations Cup and finished runner-up to France at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in France in June 2003. France retained the title they had won in 2001, but the tournament was overshadowed by the death of Cameroon player Marc-Vivien Foé, who died of heart failure in his side's...
. He also appeared at the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
.
Club
Manchester United- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
(1): 2003–04 - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
(1): 20032003 FA Community ShieldThe 2003 FA Community Shield was the 81st FA Community Shield, a football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions...