Claude Makélélé facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Claude Makélélé

Makélélé in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Claude Makélélé Sinda
Date of birth	(1973-02-18) 18 February 1973 (age 52)
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Zaire
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1989–1990	Melun-Dammarie
1990–1991	Brest
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1997	Nantes	169	(9)
1997–1998	Marseille	32	(2)
1998–2000	Celta Vigo	70	(3)
2000–2003	Real Madrid	94	(1)
2003–2008	Chelsea	144	(2)
2008–2011	Paris Saint-Germain	98	(1)
Total		607	(18)
International career
1993–1994	France U21	7	(1)
1995–2008	France	71	(0)
Managerial career
2014	Bastia
2017–2019	Eupen
2024	Asteras Tripolis
Medal record Men's football Representing  France FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2006
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Claude Makélélé Sinda (born 18 February 1973) is a famous French football manager and former professional football player. He was known for playing as a defensive midfielder. He last managed the club Asteras Tripolis in Greece. Many people think Makélélé is one of the best defensive midfielders ever. He changed how the defensive midfield role was played, especially in English football. This was very clear during the 2004–05 FA Premier League season. He helped Chelsea win the league title with a huge 95 points. Because of his amazing play, the defensive midfield position is sometimes called the "Makélélé Role."

During his playing career, Makélélé played for many top clubs. These included Nantes, Marseille, Celta Vigo, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain. He won league titles in France, Spain, and England. He also won the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid. He was even chosen for the FIFPRO Men's World 11 team while playing for Chelsea.

Makélélé was born in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). He played for the French national team for 13 years. He was a key player when France reached the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He also played for France in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, two UEFA European Championships, and the 1996 Summer Olympics. After he stopped playing, Makélélé became a coach and worked in technical roles for different clubs.

Claude Makélélé: Early Football Journey

Makélélé was born in Kinshasa, Zaire. The name "Makélélé" means "noises" in Lingala, a language spoken there. When he was four, in 1977, his family moved to Savigny-le-Temple, a suburb of Paris, France. His father, André-Joseph Makélélé, was also a football player. He played for the DR Congo and finished his career in Belgium.

Starting Out in Youth Football

At age 15, Makélélé joined Sporting Melun-Dammarie 77. He played there for a year. Then, at 16, he moved to the training center of Brest-Armorique in Brittany. Even though he grew up playing in Brest, he signed his first professional contract in Nantes. Nantes signed Makélélé in December 1991, when he was 18. Robert Budzynski, Nantes' sporting director, was very impressed. He believed Makélélé would become a great player, like Emmanuel Petit.

Playing for FC Nantes and Marseille

By the start of the 1992–93 season, Makélélé was already playing for the Nantes first team. They were in the French first division. He played for Nantes for five seasons. During this time, he helped them win the French championship in 1995. The next season, he helped the club reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. His strong performances earned him a move to Marseille, where he played for one season.

Makélélé's Time in Spain

Success with Celta Vigo

After Marseille, Makélélé moved to Celta Vigo in Spain. He had two very successful seasons with the club in Galicia. He played alongside talented players like Aleksandr Mostovoi and Valeri Karpin. Celta Vigo achieved big wins during his time there. They beat Liverpool 4–1 and Juventus 4–0 in the UEFA Cup.

Joining Real Madrid's "Galacticos"

In the summer of 2000, Makélélé joined Real Madrid. His transfer was a bit difficult because Celta Vigo did not want to sell him easily. Makélélé even refused to train until his contract situation was sorted out. Finally, Celta Vigo had to sell him for €14 million.

At Real Madrid, Makélélé won many trophies. He won two Spanish La Liga championships, the Champions League, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup. He was a regular player in Vicente del Bosque's Real Madrid team. He became known as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

Even though he was very important to the team, Makélélé was not paid as much as some of his famous teammates. Players like Zinedine Zidane, Luís Figo, and Ronaldo earned much more. In 2003, Makélélé felt his place at the club was not secure. The coach, Del Bosque, was surprisingly fired, and David Beckham joined the team. Makélélé asked for a better contract, but Real Madrid refused. He then asked to leave the club.

Real Madrid's president, Florentino Pérez, famously said that Makélélé would not be missed. He said Makélélé "wasn't a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres." However, many players and experts disagreed. Fernando Hierro, a former Real Madrid captain, said Makélélé was "the best player in the team for years but people just don't notice him." He added that "The loss of Makélélé was the beginning of the end for Los Galacticos." Zinedine Zidane also famously said, "Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?" This showed how important Makélélé was to the team's balance.

Chelsea Years: The "Makélélé Role"

Makélélé playing for Chelsea in 2008

Makélélé (right) with Alex at Chelsea

In the summer of 2003, Makélélé joined Chelsea for £16.8 million. The manager at the time, Claudio Ranieri, said Makélélé would be the "battery" of the team.

First Season at Chelsea (2003–04)

In his first season, Chelsea finished second in the 2003–04 FA Premier League. They also reached the semi-finals of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, where they were knocked out by Monaco.

Winning Titles with Mourinho (2004–05)

After Ranieri was replaced by José Mourinho, Makélélé became a crucial player for Chelsea. In the 2004–05 season, Chelsea won both the FA Premier League and the League Cup. Makélélé's strong defensive play allowed attacking players like Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Didier Drogba to focus on scoring goals. Mourinho recognized his importance and named him Chelsea's "Player of the Year."

At the end of the 2004–05 season, Makélélé even got to take a penalty kick in a game against Charlton Athletic. The goalkeeper saved it, but Makélélé scored on the rebound. In September 2005, he was chosen for the World XI team at the FIFPro awards. This team is picked by professional footballers from many countries. The next season, he won more trophies, including the FA Community Shield and another Premier League title.

Tactical Importance (2005–06)

In March 2006, Chelsea lost to Fulham. Fulham's manager, Chris Coleman, focused his tactics on stopping Makélélé. He made sure Chelsea's attacks couldn't go through Makélélé. Coleman explained that Makélélé was more than just a defensive midfielder; he was Chelsea's deep-lying playmaker. By stopping him, Fulham could disrupt Chelsea's entire game. This showed how vital Makélélé was to Chelsea's strategy.

Later Seasons and Captaincy (2006–08)

On 5 November 2006, Makélélé scored his second goal for Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur. It was a difficult curling shot from outside the box. Even though Chelsea lost that game, it was a memorable goal.

Makélélé sometimes wore the captain's armband for Chelsea. This happened when regular captains like John Terry and Frank Lampard were not playing. He even captained the team in a big Champions League match against Olympiacos.

The 2007–08 season was a great one for Makélélé, even though he was 35. He played in most of Chelsea's games. He helped Chelsea reach the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, but they lost to Manchester United in a penalty shootout.

Moving to Paris Saint-Germain

Makélélé with Paris Saint-Germain in 2009

On 18 July 2008, Makélélé moved back to French football, joining Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a free transfer from Chelsea.

In February 2010, he said he would retire at the end of that season. However, in June, he changed his mind and signed for one more season with PSG. He won the Coupe de France with PSG at the end of the 2009–10 season. He finally retired from playing football after that season. The next season, he became an assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti at PSG.

International Career with France

Makélélé first played for the French national team in July 1995 against Norway. He also represented France at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

He did not play in France's winning teams for the 1998 World Cup or Euro 2000. His first major tournament was the 2002 World Cup. He was a key midfielder for France at Euro 2004.

In September 2004, Makélélé decided to retire from international football to focus on Chelsea. But 11 months later, in August 2005, the national team manager, Raymond Domenech, convinced him, Zinedine Zidane, and Lilian Thuram to come out of retirement. They helped France qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

At the 2006 World Cup, Makélélé was amazing. He worked tirelessly in midfield, helping France reach the final. He and Patrick Vieira formed a very strong defensive midfield partnership. France only let in three goals in seven games and kept four clean sheets. They lost to Italy in the World Cup Final after a penalty shootout.

After the World Cup, Makélélé again said he would retire from international football. However, Domenech called him up for Euro 2008 qualification matches. Chelsea manager José Mourinho was upset, saying Domenech was treating Makélélé "like a slave." Despite this, Makélélé said he would "humbly honor the call." He continued to play for France through the Euro 2008 tournament. France was knocked out in the group stage. Makélélé announced his final retirement from international football on 17 June 2008.

Makélélé's Style of Play

A shirt worn by Makélélé at PSG

Many people consider Makélélé one of the best players in his position. He changed the role of the defensive midfielder in football. In England, this position became known as "the Makélélé role." He was a tough and hard-working player.

He usually played in front of his team's defenders. His main job was to protect the defense and win the ball back. He was known for his strong tackles and his ability to read the game. He could break up opponents' attacks and mark players well. He was also good at knowing where to be on the field.

Makélélé was not the fastest or most skillful player with the ball. He wasn't great at heading the ball either. However, he was very good at starting attacks after winning the ball. He could control the pace of the game with short, accurate passes. This helped connect the defense to the attack. Even though he wasn't very tall, his strength and low center of gravity gave him great balance. This helped him keep the ball in tight spaces. Besides his defensive skills, Makélélé was known for being tough, aware, consistent, and mentally strong.

Managerial Career

Makélélé in 2013, in his coaching role at Paris Saint-Germain

Makélélé became the head coach of Bastia on 24 May 2014. However, he was sacked less than six months later, on 3 November 2014. Before Bastia, Makélélé was an assistant coach at Paris Saint-Germain. In January 2016, he joined Monaco as a technical director.

Makélélé then became an assistant coach at Swansea City in January 2017. He later became the head coach of the Belgian team Eupen in November 2017. He left Eupen in August 2019 to return to his old club, Chelsea. At Chelsea, he worked as a youth coach and technical mentor. In September 2023, he left Chelsea.

On 14 September 2024, Makélélé was appointed head coach of the Greek club Asteras Tripolis. He watched his new team play from the stands the day after his appointment. Surprisingly, Makélélé left the club after only three weeks and three games. He was unbeaten in those games.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Source:

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Achievements

Player Honours

Nantes

• Division 1: 1994–95

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2000–01, 2002–03
• Supercopa de España: 2001, 2003
• UEFA Champions League: 2001–02
• UEFA Super Cup: 2002
• Intercontinental Cup: 2002

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06
• FA Cup: 2006–07
• Football League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07
• FA Community Shield: 2005
• UEFA Champions League Runner-Up: 2007–08

Paris Saint-Germain

• Coupe de France: 2009–10

France

• FIFA World Cup Runner-Up: 2006

Individual Awards

• FIFPro World XI: 2005
• Chelsea Players' Player of the Year: 2006
• ESPN World Team of the Decade: 2009
• UNFP Trophée d'Honneur: 2010

See also

In Spanish: Claude Makélélé para niños