Éric Djemba-Djemba

Nantes

Djemba-Djemba rose to prominence with Nantes in France, where he forged a successful partnership with Mathieu Berson. His performances as a feisty and uncompromising tackler for the French club earned him a move to Manchester United for £3.5 million in the summer of 2003, signed by Alex Ferguson as a possible eventual successor to then 31-year-old Roy Keane.

Manchester United

Arriving in England, Djemba-Djemba established his aggressive style on his debut against Arsenal in the FA Community Shield, with a tackle on Arsenal's Sol Campbell which Arsène Wenger called "obscene". In 18 months at Old Trafford, Djemba-Djemba found it difficult to maintain a period of sustained form, and he was eventually unable to establish himself as a player capable of eventually succeeding the ageing captain Roy Keane in the centre of the United midfield. A highlight during his United career was when he scored a looping volley against Leeds United in the League Cup. With the score at 2–2 and three 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 UEFA Champions League win over Greek side Panathinaikos.

Aston Villa

Djemba-Djemba was sold to Aston Villa in the January 2005 transfer window for a fee of £1.5 million. However, the move did little to…

Djemba-Djemba was a member of the Cameroon national team that won the 2002 African Nations Cup and finished as runners-up to France at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. While in the Confederations Cup, Djemba-Djemba stated that he was the last person to have a conversation with Marc-Vivien Foé before Foé collapsed on the pitch and later died in the hospital. He also appeared at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, Djemba-Djemba was not included for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, due to managerial differences. Despite his attempt to make the Cameroon squad for the 2014 World Cup, Djemba-Djemba was not included in the 28-man provisional World Cup squad and thus missing out on the World Cup under the management of Volker Finke.

Djemba-Djemba was born in Douala, Cameroon. He holds Cameroonian and French nationalities. He acquired French nationality by naturalization on 17 October 2001. He was declared bankrupt following his move from Manchester United to Aston Villa in 2007. Djemba-Djemba was married and fathered four children before being divorced. He is a Christian.

Manchester United

FA Cup: 2003–04 FA Community Shield: 2003 Cameroon

African Cup of Nations: 2002 FIFA Confederations Cup runner up: 2003