Nationality: French
Date of Birth: February 18, 1973
Place Of Birth: Kinshasa, Zaire (Now Congo)
Playing Position: Defensive
Current Club: Chelsea
Club Career: 1992–1997 → Nantes
1997–1998 → Marseille
1998–2000 → Celta Vigo
2000–2003 → Real Madrid
2003 → Chelsea
International Career: France
Honours :
French Ligue 1 (1995)
Spanish La Liga (2001, 2003)
Spanish Super Cup (2001, 2003)
UEFA Champions League (2002)
European Super Cup (2002)
Intercontinental Cup (2002)
English Premiership (2005, 2006)
English League Cup (2005, 2007)
English Community Shield (2005)
FA Cup (2007)
Chelsea
In the summer of 2003 he signed for Chelsea for £16.8 million, where then manager Claudio Ranieri proclaimed that Makélélé would be the "battery" of the team . Unfortunately, Chelsea aspirations to win the 2003–04 championship under Ranieri’s inconsistent management, eventually failed and they finishing second in the English Premier League and were eliminated by AS Monaco in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Following the sacking of Ranieri and his succession by José Mourinho, Makélélé was the unsung hero in Chelsea FC’s successful 2004–05 season, winning both the Premiership and the League Cup. His defensive qualities allowed the likes of Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Arjen Robben, Damien Duff, Eidur Gudjohnsen, and Didier Drogba to parade their attacking skills. However, Makélélé’s importance was recognised by Mourinho, who declared him Chelsea’s Player of the Year.
To cap off a brilliant 2004–05 for the Frenchman, he was allowed to take a penalty awarded to Chelsea in the game against Charlton Athletic on the day the Premiership trophy was due to be presented. The Charlton keeper saved it, but Makélélé scored on the rebound. In September 2005 he was selected as a member of the World XI at the FIFPro awards. The team was chosen by a vote of professional footballers in 40 countries. He added to his sizeable medal haul the following season, winning both the FA Community Shield and the English Premiership.
In March 2006, Fulham defeated Chelsea 1–0 in a Premiership game in which Fulham manager Chris Coleman’s tactics centred on bypassing Makélélé on the wings when Fulham had possession and putting midfielders on Makélélé when Chelsea were in possession. With Makélélé struggling to function effectively, Chelsea lost the game. Coleman later explained that Makélélé was more than a mere defensive midfielder, but was actually Chelsea’s deep-lying playmaker, and Chelsea’s attacks were channelled through him. Thus, denying him possession was instrumental in unravelling Chelsea. Mourinho was subsequently forced to counter this tactic by withdrawing Lampard and Michael Essien further back in midfield to relieve the pressure on Makélélé .
On November 5, 2006 in a league encounter with Tottenham, Makélélé scored his 2nd goal for the club, a difficult curling volley from the edge of the 18 yard box which sped past Paul Robinson into the left-hand side of the goal. However Tottenham sprung a comeback to beat Chelsea 2–1, the first defeat Chelsea had conceded to Tottenham in over a decade.
On December 5, 2006 in a Carling Cup game against Newcastle United, Makélélé wore the captain’s armband for Chelsea with John Terry’s absence and with Frank Lampard rested. He was substituted at half-time for Lampard. With the 2007–08 season approaching questions have been asked over how prominent a role Makelele will play in the new campaign. With the emergence of John Obi Mikel as his successor and Mourinho opting to play a 4 3 3 formation with 3 central midfielders, he may be relegated to a squad player status and losing his status as one of the first names on Mourinho’s teamsheet. However, with Makelele recently signing a new contract until 2009, his spot in the side seems safe for now.Information From http://www.wikipedia.org
