Marcel Desailly (French pronunciation: [maʁ.sɛl də.sɑˈji]; born Odenke Abbey; 7 September 1968) is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He also enjoyed a distinguished career at club level with several major European clubs.
He first met close friend and fellow France international Didier Deschamps at the FC Nantes youth programme.
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Relocated to France with his family when he was 4 years old.
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He moved to France after he was adopted as a young boy by a French diplomat.
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Following his release from Chelsea in summer 2004, Glasgow Celtic FC made a last-minute attempt to secure his services before the international transfer deadline, but an agreement could not be reached in time.
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Retired from international football after the Euro 2004 Championships. He had won a record 116 caps for France.
Took the place of Didier Deschamps when he left as captain of the French Soccer Team
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He began his soccer career with the French club "FC Nantes Atlantique", in 1986, and stayed there until 1992. He played for French club "Olympique Marseille" 1992-1994. Then, he played for Italian club "AC Milan" 1994-1998. After that, he played for English club "Chelsea FC" from 1998 to 2004.
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World and European Champion honours with the French team in July 1998 and July 2000. He also played for France in the 2002 World Cup.
$12 Million
