Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (born 14 March 1979) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. As a player, he regularly featured in his country's national team, often scoring at crucial moments. Known for his ability to both score and assist goals, he has been described as a classy and quick player, with good aerial ability, technique, shooting, and movement off the ball, and was capable of playing both as a main striker and as a second striker.

Anelka began his career at Paris Saint-Germain, but soon moved to Arsenal. He became a first team regular and won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award the following season. He moved to Real Madrid for £22.3 million in 1999, but did not settle in well and returned to PSG in a £20 million deal. Despite regular first team football in Paris, Anelka set his eyes upon the Premier League once more, moving on loan to Liverpool in January 2002, but joining Manchester City for £13 million at the start of the 2002–03 season.

After three seasons in Manchester, he moved to Turkish club Fenerbahçe for two seasons, before returning to England to join Bolton Wanderers in deals worth £7 million and £8 million respectively. He was then transferred to Chelsea from Bolton for a reported £15 million in January 2008. In 2009, he won the Premier League Golden Boot award as the league's top goalscorer. During his transfers over the years, he has built an aggregate transfer cost of just under £90 million. On 12 December 2011, Shanghai Shenhua announced that they had reached an agreement with Anelka to join the team in the winter transfer window. After one season there, Anelka joined Italian side Juventus on a six-month loan deal in 2013, after which he was released from Shanghai and signed for West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer. Following his dismissal by West Brom, he signed for Mumbai City FC as a marquee player and was named player-manager in 2015.

Anelka played 69 times at international level and won his first international honours with France at UEFA Euro 2000, and won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup the following year. His failure to settle at club level limited his international appearances, but he returned to the national team for Euro 2008. On 19 June 2010, he was excluded by the French Football Federation (FFF) from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for "comments directed against the national coach, Raymond Domenech, unacceptable to the FFF, French football, and the principles they uphold". Two months later, having failed to turn up to his disciplinary hearing, he was banned for France's next 18 matches by the FFF, effectively ending his international career. Anelka later claimed to be "dying with laughter" at the 18-match ban, as he had already decided to retire from international play.

Anelka was born in Le Chesnay, Yvelines, to parents who had moved from Martinique in 1974. Thereafter, they settled in Trappes, near Paris. His childhood friends from Trappes include the actors Omar Sy and Jamel Debbouze. His mother is a secretary in the local high school. ...

Source: Article "Nicolas Anelka" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Nicolas Anelka, né le 14 mars 1979 au Chesnay, est un footballeur international français qui a évolué au poste d'attaquant.

Grand espoir du football français à ses débuts, Anelka connaît une carrière contrastée, ponctuée par de nombreux conflits avec ses différents clubs et en sélection nationale. Il évolue dans plusieurs des plus grandes formation européennes: le Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, le Real Madrid avec qui il remporte la Ligue des champions 2000, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea et la Juventus.

Avec l'équipe de France, il cumule 69 sélections remportant le Championnat d'Europe en 2000 et la Coupe des confédérations en 2001, mais il n'est pas retenu en équipe nationale par les différents sélectionneurs pour les Coupes du monde 1998, 2002 et 2006 et ne connaît pas la consécration à laquelle il semblait promis, se retrouvant notamment au centre de la polémique qui abîme durablement l'image de la sélection nationale, lors de la Coupe du monde 2010.

En 2012, alors qu'il évolue en Chine, il est, durant une courte période, nommé entraîneur-joueur du Shanghai Shenhua. Après un passage éclair chez les Bianconeri et une saison à West Bromwich, Anelka rejoint le club de Mumbai City en septembre 2014. Neuf mois plus tard, il est nommé entraîneur adjoint de l’équipe première par le club indien. Il ne restera seulement qu’une saison avec ce double rôle. En 2018, il est chargé de conseiller les attaquants du centre de formation du club nordiste LOSC Lille.

Du 3 février 2021 au 4 mai 2021, il est directeur sportif du Hyères FC en National 2.

Nicolas Anelka naît à l'hôpital André Mignot au Chesnay le 14 mars 1979. Ses parents, Marguerite et Jean-Philippe, originaires de la Martinique, arrivent en métropole en 1974. Ils s'installent à Trappes dans les Yvelines, et travaillent pour l'Éducation nationale. Il a deux frères aînés, plus âgés de dix ans, Claude et Didier nés respectivement en 1968 et 1969.

Nicolas grandit dans la cité Van Gogh de Trappes et s'essaye à plusieurs sports tels que le tennis, l'athlétisme et le football qu'il pratique place de la Nuit-Étoilée, dans la rue du Moulin de la galette ou encore celle du Champ de Blé. Il prend sa première licence sportive au FC Trappes-St Quentin en 1986 alors qu'il n'a que sept ans et y joue jusqu'à ses quatorze ans. Il commence en poussin et évolue au poste d'avant-centre, où il fait valoir ses qualités, notamment sa vitesse, ou encore sa détente. Plus tard, il devient avec Jamel Debbouze président d'honneur de son ancien club de Trappes, sponsorisé par Canal+. ...

Source: Article "Nicolas Anelka" de Wikipédia en français, soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA 3.0.