NICOLAS ANELKA
Nicolas Sebastien Anelka is a French international footballer who plays in the Barclays Premier League for Chelsea FC. After conversion to Islam, Anelka changed his name to Abdul-Salam Bilal. Nicolas Anelka first broke through into the scene with Arsenal, who signed him from Paris St Germain. He began his youth career with Trappes Saint-Quentin and was famously part of the Clairefontaine academy before being involved in the Paris St Germain youth academy.Arsene Wenger spotted the youngster, who was known for his exceptional pace. Arsenal decided to take the gamble in buying the youngster, but played a relatively low fee of just £500,000 in 1997. Anelka’s first goal came in the match against Manchester United, but he found first-team opportunities limited in his first season with Arsenal. However, an injury to first-team player Ian Wright provided Anelka with the opportunity to impress Arsene Wenger. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands, as he scored 17 goals from 35 appearances.
It brought him to the attention of Spanish side Real Madrid who decided to pay a whopping £22 million in 1999. This transfer fee also made Anelka a record signing for Real Madrid. Even though he started extremely well, he soon found opportunities limited and did not settle well in his new surroundings. As a result, Real Madrid decided to send him back to Paris St Germain in order to help his confidence. He spent two seasons with PSG, who had bought him for £20 million.
After failing to settle in France, Anelka was loaned to English Premier League club Liverpool. It proved to be a success for both club and player, but Liverpool did not show any interest in signing the player on a permanent deal. As a result, Anelka decided to leave for Manchester City in a £13 million deal. He spent three seasons with City, the most memorable of which came in 2003-04 when he scored 24 goals from 43 appearances.
After spending three seasons with City, Anelka was on the move once again, with Turkish club Fenerbahce deciding to sign the player for £7 million. However, he spent only one season with Fenerbahce before returning to Bolton for £8 million. This proved to be a major decision on the career of the player, but he stayed only for two more seasons with Bolton before moving to Chelsea in a £15 million deal.
So far, he has made the most appearances in his career for Chelsea – 125. In total, clubs have spent a whopping £90 million on Anelka, putting him at the top of the pile when it came to the total transfer fees paid.
Anelka made his international debut for France in 1998 and officially retired in 2010. He had made 69 appearances and scored 14 goals. Over the years, Anelka has won the Premier League and the Champions League in his club career, while the European championships is the most prominent trophy he has won internationally. Anelka has also won the Barclays Golden Boot in the 2008-09 season.
