Olivier Kapo

Early career

He began his professional career with Auxerre in 1999. He joined Juventus on a free transfer in the summer of 2004, but he struggled to adapt to life in Turin and did not play much as he was behind Pavel Nedvěd in the left midfield role. As a result, he was loaned to Monaco for the 2005–06 season. When Juventus were forcibly relegated to Serie B, Kapo returned to Turin, but went back on loan due to the abundance of midfielders. He signed for Spanish La Liga club Levante, scoring five goals in 32 appearances.

Birmingham City

Kapo signed for Birmingham City on 29 June 2007 for a fee of £3 million. He claimed to have rejected other offers to sign for the club, suggesting his style of play was better suited to English football. He scored on his Premier League debut, against Chelsea in a 3–2 defeat on 12 August 2007.

Wigan Athletic

Kapo signed for Wigan Athletic on 16 July 2008, signing a three-year deal for a fee reported as £3.5 million, a move which reunited him with former manager Steve Bruce. He scored his first goal for Wigan in a 4–1 League Cup win over Ipswich Town on 24 September 2008, and his first league goal in a 2–1 defeat to Chelsea on 28 February 2009. On 8 January 2010, Kapo moved to Boulogne on a six-month loan deal, and left Wigan by mutual consent in August 2010.

Celtic

On 4 November 2010, Kapo signed for Celtic on an 18-month deal. He was allocated the number 77 jersey. He stated he turned down better money…

He won nine caps for France. He represented his country in the 2003 Confederations Cup, scoring against New Zealand, and was a substitute in the final as France beat Cameroon. He has also scored in friendlies against Egypt and Serbia and Montenegro. Kapo's last cap came in 2004.

Born in Marcory, Ivory Coast, Kapo acquired French nationality by naturalization on 3 November 1998.

His nephew, Maxen, is a footballer who turned professional with Paris Saint-Germain and made his senior debut with Lausanne-Sport.