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Eric Djemba-Djemba
Personal information
Full name	Eric Daniel Djemba-Djemba
Date of birth	4 May 1981 (age 28)
Place of birth	Douala, Cameroon
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	OB
Number	19
Senior career*
National team‡
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 June 2009.; † Appearances (Goals).; ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11:29, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

Eric Daniel Djemba-Djemba (born 4 May 1981) is a Cameroonian football defensive midfielder who currently plays for Danish side Odense BK and the Cameroon national football team.

[edit] Biography

Djemba-Djemba rose to prominence with Nantes in France. His impressive performances as a feisty and uncompromising tackler for the French club earned him a dream move to Manchester United for £3.5 million in the summer of 2003, signed by Alex Ferguson as a possible eventual successor to Roy Keane, by then in his 32nd year.

Arriving in England, Djemba-Djemba was a complete unknown to many fans and pundits alike. He wasted no time in establishing his ultra-aggressive style during his debut against Arsenal in the FA Community Shield, leaving an impression - literally - on Arsenal's Sol Campbell with a typically rambunctious challenge which Arsène Wenger called "obscene".

In 18 months at Old Trafford, Djemba-Djemba found it difficult to maintain a period of sustained form despite his footballing ability, and he was eventually unable to establish himself as a player capable of filling captain Roy Keane's shoes. It did not help Djemba-Djemba's cause that United were in a period of transition and he was constantly being rotated in and out of the team with a number of other potential suitors to Keane's midfield mantle, as coach Sir Alex Ferguson searched for a worthy successor to his captain. However he did score an excellent looping volley against Leeds United in the League Cup. With the score at 2-2 and 3 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.^[1] He scored only once more for United, in a 5-0 Champions League win over Greek side Panathinaikos.^[2]

Djemba-Djemba was sold to Aston Villa in the January 2005 transfer window for a fee of £1.5 million (a £2 million loss). 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 pecking order. After being played only once, as a late substitute, by new Villa manager Martin O'Neill on the first day of the 2006-2007 season, Djemba-Djemba was loaned out to Championship club Burnley for the remainder of the season in the January transfer window.

Djemba-Djemba made his first appearance for Burnley on January 13th 2007 against Southampton, playing the full 90 minutes. Early in his time at Turf Moor, Djemba-Djemba was sent off for the Lancashire side after a second bookable offence at Derby County; however he impressed with his skillful and effective play during his loan spell.

During July 2007, all signs pointed to Eric leaving Villa Park after he was the only member of the first-team squad not to be included in the North American tour and on August 2, 2007, Djemba-Djemba's contract was terminated by Aston Villa.

Djemba-Djemba was a member of the Cameroon team that won the 2002 African Nations Cup and finished runner-up to France at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. He also appeared at the 2002 World Cup.

Following his departure from Aston Villa, Eric joined Qatar SC on a free transfer. He only played one season at the Qatar-based club, but managed to get his football career back on track.

On 16 July 2008, Djemba-Djemba signed a 3-year contract with Danish outfit Odense Boldklub. He made his Odense debut against former club Aston Villa in the Intertoto Cup. Odense lost the match 1-0 losing 3-2 on aggregate.

[edit] References

^ "Leeds 2-3 Man Utd". BBC Sport. 28 October 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/3204813.stm. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
^ "Man Utd wreak Greek havoc". BBC Sport. 16 September 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/champions_league/3109724.stm. Retrieved 3 November 2009.

[edit] External links

(Danish) OB profile
(Danish) Career statistics at danskfodbold
(French) Official website
Eric Djemba-Djemba career stats at Soccerbase

[0] "Leeds 2-3 Man Utd". BBC Sport. 28 October 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/3204813.stm. Retrieved 16 September 2009.

[1] "Man Utd wreak Greek havoc". BBC Sport. 16 September 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/champions_league/3109724.stm. Retrieved 3 November 2009.

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