Moustapha Salifou
Encyclopedia
Moustapha Salifou is a Togo
lese footballer who plays as a midfielder
for 1. FC Saarbrücken
in Germany
's 3rd Liga
. He is notable for spending time in England
with Aston Villa
. Signed by Martin O'Neill
in 2007, Salifou became a popular figure amongst Aston Villa's fans despite rarely playing for the first team during his four seasons with the club.
, Salifou started his career in his native Togo with Modèle Lomé. The midfielder had fleeting stints with Swiss side FC Wil
, French team Stade Brest 29 and German team Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
, prior to moving to England. On August 31, 2007, Salifou signed a one-year deal with Aston Villa
, joining for a nominal fee after a successful trial. Martin O'Neill
commented that "He has great determination to succeed at this level and may well prove to be an excellent asset". Salifou encountered problems acquiring a work permit though, and was forced to train with his old club in Switzerland. Salifou had no choice.
It was reported on September 25, 2007 that the work permit had been granted and that Salifou was to join up with the squad within a week, however, he did not join up with his new club until October 18, 2007. Salifou made his debut for Aston Villa Reserves on 22 October 2007 creating two of the goals in a 6–0 win over Chelsea
reserves. Salifou made his debut for the first team on 12 January 2008 – coming on amidst terrific cheers from the Aston Villa crowd – as a 90th minute substitute in a 3–1 win against Reading
. Despite not having played a game, his name was chanted loudly to the tune of Daddy Cool by the Holte End. He was later rewarded with a one-year extension to his contract – his deal now runs until June 2011. This surprisingly being the first time a premiership footballer has been given an extension on a contract purely based on the strength of his fan made song. Salifou made his second appearance for the club on the 15 March 2008, coming on as a late substitute in the 2–0 away defeat at Portsmouth
, as well as appearing in the 4–0 defeat to Manchester United
. On 6 November 2008, Martin O'Neill
decided to change his starting eleven for Villa's UEFA Cup
match against Slavia Prague. Salifou started and played the full ninety minutes, earning enthusiastic praise from Stan Collymore
.
Despite rarely featuring for the club at all during the 2009–10 season, Salifou was named in caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald
's 22-man Premier League squad for 2010–11. He failed to make an impact during this season too, and underwent a trial at AS Monaco
in January 2011. With the arrival of Jean Makoun
to Villa in January 2011, Salifou found himself without a squad number for a period after the number 17 shirt was given to Makoun. He did however score a goal in a friendly against kungsbacka if. However, he was later given the number 37. On 27 May 2011, Aston Villa announced that Salifou was one of a number of players who was released by the club after their contracts expired.
Salifou remained a free agent until November 2011, when he was signed by Saarbrücken
. He took the number 16 shirt on arrival at the German
club.
, and was called up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. He played in all three of Togo's group games in that World Cup against South Korea, Switzerland
and France
.
The midfielder earned glowing reports after a positive performance at the 2006 World Cup, which alerted the attention of many French league clubs, and prompted the nickname the 'Togolese Zidane
' or 'the great of the figure of eight' from his compatriot Emmanuel Adebayor
, due to Salifou's playmaking nature.
On 8 January 2010, the bus containing the Togo squad
for the Africa Cup of Nations was subjected to an attack from gunmen; Salifou was on the bus during the attack, but was said to be 'shaken but okay' after the incident.
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
lese footballer who plays as a midfielder
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 1. FC Saarbrücken
1. FC Saarbrücken
1. FC Saarbrücken is a German association football club based in the city of Saarbrücken, Saarland. The club began its existence as the football department of Turnverein Malstatt formed in 1903...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's 3rd Liga
3rd Liga
The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
. He is notable for spending time in England
England
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...
with Aston Villa
Aston 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...
. Signed by 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...
in 2007, Salifou became a popular figure amongst Aston Villa's fans despite rarely playing for the first team during his four seasons with the club.
Club career
Born in LoméLomé
Lomé, with an estimated population of 737,751, is the capital and largest city of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels...
, Salifou started his career in his native Togo with Modèle Lomé. The midfielder had fleeting stints with Swiss side FC Wil
FC Wil
FC Wil, also known as FC Wil 1900, is a Swiss football club, playing in the town of Wil, Canton St. Gallen in the east of Switzerland. The club was founded in 1900, hence the name....
, French team Stade Brest 29 and German team Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen is a German association football club in Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was formed as Oberhausener SV in December 1904 out of the merger of Emschertaler SV and the football enthusiasts of Oberhausener TV 1873...
, prior to moving to England. On August 31, 2007, Salifou signed a one-year deal with Aston Villa
Aston 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...
, joining for a nominal fee after a successful trial. 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...
commented that "He has great determination to succeed at this level and may well prove to be an excellent asset". Salifou encountered problems acquiring a work permit though, and was forced to train with his old club in Switzerland. Salifou had no choice.
It was reported on September 25, 2007 that the work permit had been granted and that Salifou was to join up with the squad within a week, however, he did not join up with his new club until October 18, 2007. Salifou made his debut for Aston Villa Reserves on 22 October 2007 creating two of the goals in a 6–0 win over Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
reserves. Salifou made his debut for the first team on 12 January 2008 – coming on amidst terrific cheers from the Aston Villa crowd – as a 90th minute substitute in a 3–1 win against Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
. Despite not having played a game, his name was chanted loudly to the tune of Daddy Cool by the Holte End. He was later rewarded with a one-year extension to his contract – his deal now runs until June 2011. This surprisingly being the first time a premiership footballer has been given an extension on a contract purely based on the strength of his fan made song. Salifou made his second appearance for the club on the 15 March 2008, coming on as a late substitute in the 2–0 away defeat at Portsmouth
Portsmouth 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...
, as well as appearing in the 4–0 defeat to Manchester United
Manchester 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...
. On 6 November 2008, 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...
decided to change his starting eleven for Villa's UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
match against Slavia Prague. Salifou started and played the full ninety minutes, earning enthusiastic praise from Stan Collymore
Stan Collymore
Stanley Victor "Stan" Collymore is an English football pundit and former footballer, who played from 1990 until 2001. He held the British transfer record when he moved from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool for £8.5 million in 1995 and was capped three times at senior level by the England...
.
Despite rarely featuring for the club at all during the 2009–10 season, Salifou was named in caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald
Kevin MacDonald (footballer)
Kevin Duncan MacDonald is a Scottish former footballer who played in the Liverpool "double" winning side of 1986....
's 22-man Premier League squad for 2010–11. He failed to make an impact during this season too, and underwent a trial at AS Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
in January 2011. With the arrival of Jean Makoun
Jean Makoun
Jean II Makoun is a Cameroonian footballer who plays for Greek Superleague club Olympiacos on loan from Aston Villa. He also plays in the Cameroon national football team.-Early career:...
to Villa in January 2011, Salifou found himself without a squad number for a period after the number 17 shirt was given to Makoun. He did however score a goal in a friendly against kungsbacka if. However, he was later given the number 37. On 27 May 2011, Aston Villa announced that Salifou was one of a number of players who was released by the club after their contracts expired.
Salifou remained a free agent until November 2011, when he was signed by Saarbrücken
1. FC Saarbrücken
1. FC Saarbrücken is a German association football club based in the city of Saarbrücken, Saarland. The club began its existence as the football department of Turnverein Malstatt formed in 1903...
. He took the number 16 shirt on arrival at the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
club.
International career
He is a member of the Togo national teamTogo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
, and was called up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. He played in all three of Togo's group games in that World Cup against South Korea, Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
and France
France national football team
The 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...
.
The midfielder earned glowing reports after a positive performance at the 2006 World Cup, which alerted the attention of many French league clubs, and prompted the nickname the 'Togolese Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
' or 'the great of the figure of eight' from his compatriot Emmanuel Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor
Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is a Togolese footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur as a striker on loan from Manchester City. He plays in the same position for the Togo national team. Adebayor previously played for Metz, Monaco and Arsenal and was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008...
, due to Salifou's playmaking nature.
On 8 January 2010, the bus containing the Togo squad
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
for the Africa Cup of Nations was subjected to an attack from gunmen; Salifou was on the bus during the attack, but was said to be 'shaken but okay' after the incident.