Eric Daniel Djemba-Djemba (born 4 May 1981) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He previously played club football in France, England, Qatar, Denmark, Israel, Serbia, Scotland, India and Indonesia. In international competition, he represented

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

, having appeared for his country 34 times, including at the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

Club career

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 the 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 Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

. 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 The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

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 restore the player's reputation as he found it difficult to move ahead of Gavin McCann and Steven Davis in Villa's midfield. After being played only once, as a late substitute against Arsenal in the first ever game at the Emirates Stadium, by new Villa manager Martin O'Neill on the first day of the 2006–07 season, Djemba-Djemba was loaned out to Championship club Burnley for the remainder of the season in the January transfer window.

Loan to Burnley

Djemba-Djemba made his first appearance for Burnley on 13 January 2007 against

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, playing the full 90 minutes. Early in his time at

Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional footba ...

, he was sent off for the

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

side after a second bookable offence at

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

; however he impressed with his skillful and effective play during his loan spell. During July 2007, all signs pointed to Djemba-Djemba leaving

Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway station ...

after he was the only member of the first-team squad not to be included in the

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

tour and his contract was subsequently terminated by Aston Villa.

Qatar SC

Following his departure from Aston Villa, Djemba-Djemba joined

Qatar SC Qatar Sports Club ( ar, نادي قطر الرياضي) is a sports club based in Doha, Qatar. It is best known for its football team which competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club was founded in 1961 as a merger of two Qatari football clubs ...

. He only played one season at the

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

-based club, but managed to get his football career back on track.

Odense BK

On 16 July 2008, Djemba-Djemba signed a three-year contract with Danish outfit

Odense Boldklub Odense Boldklub (; also known as Odense BK or the more commonly used OB) is a Danish professional football club based in the city Odense. The club has won three Danish championships and five Danish Cup trophies. OB play in the Danish Superliga ...

, the contract was later extended with a year. He previously went on a trial with the club and made his Odense debut against former club Aston Villa in the

Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foo ...

. Odense drew the match 1–1, losing 2–1 on aggregate. In his career in Odense, Djemba-Djemba impressed the club's fans, with his good ball skills and great performances. In his first season as an Odense player, he played good football and was by many called the league's best player. In 2009, in the 72nd minute against Esbjerg fb away, Djemba-Djemba became the first player in the Danish league to assist with his sock, as the sole of his right boot had come off, forcing him to finish the game with one boot. Later that year, Djemba-Djemba was among three other players to be nominated for the SAS Liga player of the year. In the summer of 2010, Djemba-Djemba was linked a move back to England by joining West Brom and Italian side Lecce. After traveling to England for transfer talk, the move was broken down and this led accusations against West Brom by the club and Djemba-Djemba, himself. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Djemba-Djemba's future at OB was uncertain after his contract expired. Despite expected negotiations, Djemba-Djemba instead left the club. The year before, he, along with Peter Utaka, had been told by the club's officials that their contracts would not be renewed. As a result of their contracts not being renewed, the club decided to release players sooner rather than later.

Hapoel Tel Aviv

On 14 August 2012, Djemba-Djemba signed a two-year contract with Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv. Djemba-Djemba played a total of 28 league games with the

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

-based team.

Partizan

On 24 July 2013, Djemba-Djemba signed a two-year contract with

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

n side Partizan. He made his debut in a Champions League qualifying match away to Ludogorets Razgrad on 31 July 2013, coming on as a substitute in the 64th minute. However, Djemba-Djemba hardly played for Partizan during the first half of the season. The club's signing of

Nikola Drinčić Nikola Drinčić ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Дринчић, ; born 7 September 1984) is a Montenegrin professional football coach and a former player, he played as a central midfielder. He is an assistant coach with IMT. After playing for Serbia's ...

on 20 December meant that Djemba-Djemba became surplus to requirements and his contract was terminated on 23 December 2013. Djemba-Djemba once went on three month unpaid at the club.

St Mirren

On 5 February 2014, Djemba-Djemba signed a short-term deal with

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...

club St Mirren. He said he hoped his move to St Mirren can help him gain a place in the

squad for the

2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Upon joining the club, manager

Danny Lennon Danny Lennon (born 6 April 1969) is a Scottish football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Scottish League One club Clyde. In his playing career he is best known for his spells at Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle. ...

described Djemba-Djemba as the club's biggest signing. Djemba-Djemba made his debut for the club, in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup, as St Mirren lost 2–1 against

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

. After making just three appearances in all competitions, he was released by the club at the end of the season and also failed to secure a place on the Cameroon squad for the world cup.

Chennaiyin FC

In October 2014, Djemba-Djemba signed a short-term deal with

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...

club

Chennaiyin FC Chennaiyin Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was founded in August 2014 during the inaugural season o ...

Later career

In February 2015, Djemba-Djemba signed for

Indonesian Super League Liga 1 ( en, League 1), also known as BRI Liga 1 for sponsorship reasons with Bank Rakyat Indonesia, is the men's top professional football division of the Indonesian football league system. Administered by the PT Liga Indonesia Baru (), Liga 1 ...

club then legally known as Persebaya Bhayangkara. Before he could make a debut, the league was cancelled following FIFA's sanction on Indonesia for governmental intervention. In 2016 Djemba-Djemba joined French fifth-tier club Châteaubriant. In September 2021, he announced his retirement from playing professional football.

International career

Djemba-Djemba was a member of the Cameroon team that won the

2002 African Nations Cup The 2002 African Cup of Nations was the 23rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was hosted by Mali. Just like in 2000, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four. Ca ...

and finished as runners-up to France at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. While in the Confederations Cup, Djemba-Djemba revealed that he was the last person to have a conversation with

Marc-Vivien Foé Marc-Vivien Foé (1 May 1975 – 26 June 2003) was a Cameroonian professional footballer, who played as a defensive midfielder for both club and country. Having initially played for Canon Yaoundé, Foé went on to play professionally in Ligue 1 ...

before Foé collapsed on the pitch and later died in the hospital. He also appeared at the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

. However, Djemba-Djemba was not included for the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

, due to managerial differences. Despite his attempt to make the Cameroon squad for the

, 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.

Personal life

Djemba-Djemba was born in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the com ...

, Cameroon. 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. Djemba-Djemba is a Christian.

Honours

Manchester United *

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

: 2003–04 * FA Community Shield: 2003 Cameroon * Africa Cup of Nations: 2002

References

External links