Claude Makélélé

Claude Makélélé Sinda, born on February 18, 1973, is a football manager and former professional player renowned for his role as a defensive midfielder. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in that position, Makélélé is credited with revolutionizing the role of defensive midfielders in English football, particularly during the 2004–05 FA Premier League season. In that season, he played a crucial role in Chelsea's title-winning campaign, accumulating 95 points. Such was his impact that the defensive midfield position is often referred to colloquially as the Makélélé Role.


Throughout his illustrious playing career, Makélélé showcased his talents at several top clubs, including Nantes, Marseille, Celta Vigo, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain. He achieved remarkable success, winning league titles in France, Spain, and England. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in Real Madrid's conquest of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League.Makélélé also earned recognition on the international stage, representing France for 13 years. He was a key member of the French national team that reached the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Furthermore, he participated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, two UEFA European Championships, and the 1996 Summer Olympics.


Following his retirement from professional football, Makélélé transitioned into coaching and technical roles. He has served as the manager of clubs such as Bastia and Eupen, as well as holding assistant manager positions at Paris Saint-Germain and Swansea. Makélélé also contributed to Chelsea as a youth coach and technical mentor, and he assumed the role of technical director at Monaco.


Claude Makélélé was born in Kinshasa, Zaire . His surname, Makélélé, means noises in Lingala, one of the languages spoken in the country. When he was four years old, he moved to SavignyleTemple, a suburb of Paris in SeineetMarne. His father, André-Joseph Makélélé, was also a football player who represented DR Congo and concluded his career in the third division of Belgium with Union Royale Namur.


Makélélé signed for Sporting Melun-Dammarie 77, where he played for one year before joining the training center of Brest-Armorique in Brittany at the age of 16. Despite the challenges of adapting to a new environment, particularly being away from his family for the first time, Makélélé persevered and worked hard. It was during his time in Nantes that Makélélé truly flourished as a footballer. He was recruited by FC Nantes in December 1991 at the age of 18. Robert Budzynski, Nantes' sporting director, was confident in Makélélé's potential, likening him to the talented Emmanuel Petit.Makélélé quickly established himself in the Nantes first team during the 1992–93 season, competing in the French first division. He spent five seasons at Nantes, winning the French championship in 1995 and helping the club reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League the following season. After his successful stint at Nantes, Makélélé moved to Marseille for a season before embarking on a remarkable journey with other top clubs.


Claude Makélélé made a controversial move from Celta Vigo to Real Madrid. Despite Celta's reluctance to sell him unless a substantial offer was made, Makélélé refused to train until the matter was resolved. Eventually, Celta had to sell him to Real Madrid for 14 million, a price far below their valuation of the player, and only after a falsified police report was made by his agent, Marc Roger.At Real Madrid, Makélélé enjoyed considerable success, adding several trophies to his collection, including two La Liga championships, the Champions League, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup. Under Vicente del Bosque's management, Makélélé became a crucial figure in the Real Madrid side and established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.


However, despite his invaluable contributions to the team's success, Makélélé was one of the lowest-paid members of the squad. Feeling undervalued and insecure about his future at the club following Del Bosque's dismissal and the arrival of David Beckham, Makélélé requested an improved contract in the summer of 2003. The request was flatly refused by the Real Madrid management.Disheartened by the club's response, Makélélé handed in a transfer request and subsequently joined Chelsea. Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez infamously downplayed Makélélé's significance to the team, claiming that he would not be missed due to his perceived limitations on the field.


However, Makélélé's departure was lamented by many within the club, including teammates and former players. Steve McManaman, in his autobiography, hailed Makélélé as the most important but least appreciated midfielder at Real Madrid. Fernando Hierro also criticized Pérez for allowing Makélélé to leave, asserting that he was the most crucial player in the team and that his departure marked the decline of the famous Galacticos era. Makélélé's subsequent success at Chelsea only highlighted the significance of his contributions to both clubs.


Claude Makélélé earned his first cap for France in a match against Norway in July 1995. He represented his country at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Despite missing out on selection for France's successful 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 campaigns, he made his tournament debut at the 2002 World Cup.At Euro 2004, Makélélé was a key player in France's midfield, starting in three out of four matches. He announced his retirement from international football in September 2004 to focus on club football with Chelsea. However, he was persuaded to come out of retirement in August 2005 along with Zinedine Zidane and Lilian Thuram to help France qualify for the 2006 World Cup.


During the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Makélélé played a vital role in France's journey to the final, where they were defeated by Italy on penalties. Despite initially stating his intention to retire from international football again after the tournament, he was called up by France national team manager Raymond Domenech for Euro 2008 qualification matches against Georgia and Italy.Jose Mourinho, then Chelsea manager, criticized Domenech for not respecting Makélélé's retirement and accused him of treating the player like a slave. Despite Mourinho's comments, Makélélé honored the callup and continued to represent France through the Euro 2008 tournament, where France exited in the group stage.
Makélélé and Thuram announced their retirement from international football on 17 June 2008, following France's defeat to Italy in the Euro 2008 tournament.

References

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