Aruna Dindane facts for kids
Dindane playing for Lens in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aruna Dindane | ||
| Date of birth | 26 November 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Ivory Coast | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1995 | Inconditionnel D'Adjamé | ||
| 1995–1998 | ASEC Mimosas | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–2000 | ASEC Mimosas | 22 | (9) |
| 2000–2005 | Anderlecht | 131 | (50) |
| 2005–2010 | Lens | 102 | (27) |
| 2009–2010 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 19 | (8) |
| 2010–2012 | Lekhwiya | 23 | (5) |
| 2012 | Al-Gharafa | 26 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Al-Sailiya | 18 | (2) |
| 2013–2014 | Crystal Palace | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 341 | (102) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000–2010 | Ivory Coast | 64 | (18) |
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Aruna Dindane (born 26 November 1980) is a former professional footballer from the Ivory Coast. He played as a striker, which means he was mainly responsible for scoring goals.
He played 64 games for the Ivory Coast and scored 18 goals. He also took part in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and two FIFA World Cups, which are huge international football competitions.
Contents
Club Career
Aruna Dindane started his football journey in his home country, the Ivory Coast. He later moved to play for clubs in different countries, showing his skills on a global stage.
Anderlecht
In 2000, Dindane moved from ASEC Mimosas in Ivory Coast to Anderlecht, a big club in Belgium. He helped Anderlecht win the Belgian First Division Championship twice, in 2001 and 2004. He also helped them win the Belgian Supercup in 2000 and 2001.
In 2003, Dindane won two important awards in Belgium. He received the Belgian Ebony Shoe as the best player of African background in the Belgian League. He also won the Belgian Golden Shoe, which is given to the best player in the entire Belgian League. This shows how talented he was.
Lens
After his time in Belgium, Dindane moved to France in June 2005. He signed with RC Lens, a club in the French Ligue 1. He played there for several years.
Portsmouth
In August 2009, Dindane joined Premier League team Portsmouth in England. He joined them on a one-year loan deal. This meant he played for Portsmouth for a year, but his main club was still Lens.
He scored his first goal for Portsmouth in a League Cup game in September 2009. Later, he scored three goals in one game (a "hat-trick") against Wigan Athletic in October. He continued to score important goals for the team.
Financial Challenges
In March 2010, there was a problem. If Dindane played one more game, Portsmouth would have to pay a large fee to Lens. Because Portsmouth was having money problems, they couldn't afford this fee. So, he was left out of some games.
However, he later played in the FA Cup semi-final. Portsmouth tried to make a deal with Lens so he could play in the FA Cup Final without the club having to pay the fee. Dindane was injured for the final and didn't play.
After his loan at Portsmouth ended, Dindane wanted to stay in English football. But in May 2010, he decided to sign a three-year deal with Lekhwiya in Qatar.
Qatar
In January 2012, Dindane moved to another Qatari club, Al-Gharafa. After a short time there, he signed a one-year contract with Al-Sailiya Sport Club in May 2012.
Return to England
After playing in Qatar, Dindane returned to England. In March 2013, he signed with Crystal Palace until the end of the season. However, he didn't play any official games for the team and was released before the season ended.
After Retirement
After he stopped playing professional football, Aruna Dindane continued to be involved in the sport. He worked as the general secretary for the Association des Footballeurs Ivoiriens, which is the Ivorian Footballers Association. This role means he helped manage and support footballers in his home country.
International Career
Aruna Dindane made his first appearance for the Ivory Coast in April 2000. He played for his country in many important matches and tournaments.
He was part of the Ivory Coast team that played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In one memorable game, he scored two goals to help his team win 3–2 against Serbia and Montenegro. Even though they won that game, the team didn't make it to the next round because of earlier losses.
Dindane also represented his country in the 2006 African Cup of Nations and the 2008 African Cup of Nations. These are big tournaments for African national teams.
After his successful time playing for Portsmouth in England, he was chosen to be part of the Ivory Coast squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He started in the first two group games against Portugal and Brazil. Overall, he played 64 international games for his country and scored 18 goals.
Honours
ASEC Mimosas
- Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division: 2000
- CAF Super Cup: 1999
Anderlecht
- Belgian First Division: 2000–01, 2003–04
- Belgian Supercup: 2000, 2001
Lens
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005
- Ligue 2: 2008–09
Ivory Coast
- Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2006
Individual
- Belgian Ebony Shoe: 2003
- Belgian Golden Shoe: 2003
See also
In Spanish: Aruna Dindane para niños
