Claude Makélélé facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Claude Makélélé

Makélélé in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth	(1973-02-18) 18 February 1973 (age 52)
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Zaire
Height	1.74 m
Playing position	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)
National team
1993–1994	France U21	7	(1)
1995–2008	France	71	(0)
Teams managed
2014	Bastia
2017–2019	Eupen
2024	Asteras Tripolis
Honours Men's football Representing  France FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2006
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Claude Makélélé Sinda (born on 18 February 1973) is a French football manager and former professional player. He was a defensive midfielder, known for his amazing skills on the field. Many people think he is one of the best defensive midfielders ever. He even changed how people saw this position, especially in English football. Because of him, the defensive midfield role is sometimes called the "Makélélé Role."

Makélélé played for many famous clubs like 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.

Born in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Makélélé played for the French national team for 13 years. He helped France reach the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He also played 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 different football roles.

Claude Makélélé's Football Journey

Starting Out in Football

Claude Makélélé was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (which is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). His last name, "Makélélé," means "noises" in Lingala, a language spoken there. When he was four years old, 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 national team.

At 15, Makélélé joined Sporting Melun-Dammarie 77. After a year, he moved to the training center of Brest-Armorique in Brittany at age 16. It was tough for him to get used to being away from his family. He worked very hard there.

He later joined FC Nantes in December 1991 when he was 18. The sporting director at Nantes, Robert Budzynski, believed Makélélé would become a great player. By the 1992–93 season, Makélélé was already playing for Nantes' first team in the French first division. He played for Nantes for five seasons. During this time, he won the French championship in 1995. The club also reached the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League the next season. After Nantes, he moved to Marseille for one season.

Playing for Top Clubs

Celta Vigo Adventure

Makélélé then moved to Celta Vigo in Spain. He had two successful seasons with the team. Playing with other talented players, Celta Vigo achieved big wins. They beat Liverpool 4–1 and Juventus 4–0 in the UEFA Cup.

Real Madrid: The Galácticos Era

In 2000, Makélélé joined Real Madrid. This move was a bit tricky because Celta Vigo didn't want to sell him easily. Makélélé even refused to train until his contract was sorted out. Finally, Celta Vigo sold 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 key player for Real Madrid and became known as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

Even though he was very important, Makélélé was not paid as much as some of his famous teammates like Zinedine Zidane or Luís Figo. In 2003, he asked for a better contract, but Real Madrid refused. Feeling unhappy, Makélélé asked to leave the club. This led to his move to Chelsea.

Chelsea: The "Makélélé Role"

Makélélé in 2008

Makélélé (right) with Alex

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.

In the 2004–05 season, under new manager José Mourinho, Makélélé was a crucial player. Chelsea won both the FA Premier League and the League Cup. His strong defensive play allowed other attacking players like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba to focus on scoring goals. Mourinho even called him Chelsea's "Player of the Year." In September 2005, he was chosen for the World XI team at the FIFPro awards.

In March 2006, Fulham beat Chelsea by focusing on stopping Makélélé. Fulham's manager explained that Makélélé was more than just a defensive player; he was Chelsea's deep-lying playmaker. This meant Chelsea's attacks often started with him. By stopping him, Fulham could stop Chelsea.

On 5 November 2006, Makélélé scored his second goal for Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur. It was a difficult curling shot from outside the box. He sometimes wore the captain's armband when regular captains were not playing.

The 2007–08 season was great for Makélélé, even at 35 years old. He played in most of Chelsea's games. He was very important in Chelsea reaching the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final. However, they lost to Manchester United in a penalty shootout.

Paris Saint-Germain

Makélélé with Paris Saint-Germain in 2009

On 18 July 2008, Makélélé returned to French football, joining Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

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

International Career with France

Makélélé first played for France in July 1995. He also represented his country at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

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

In September 2004, Makélélé decided to retire from international football to focus on Chelsea. But in August 2005, the national team manager, Raymond Domenech, convinced him and other players like Zinedine Zidane to come back. They helped France qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

At the 2006 World Cup, Makélélé was amazing. He worked tirelessly in midfield. His teamwork with Patrick Vieira was very effective. France only let in three goals in seven games and kept four clean sheets. They reached the final but lost to Italy on penalties.

After the World Cup final, Makélélé said he would retire from international football again. However, Domenech called him up for more games. Chelsea manager José Mourinho was upset, saying Domenech was treating Makélélé like a "slave." But Makélélé said he would always play for his country.

Makélélé continued to play for France through the Euro 2008 qualifiers and finals. France left the tournament early. He announced his final retirement from international football on 17 June 2008.

Makélélé's Unique Playing Style

T-shirt

Claude Makélélé is seen as one of the best players in his position. He changed how the defensive midfielder role was played, especially in the Premier League. That's why the position is often called "the Makélélé role."

He was a tough and hard-working player. He usually played right in front of his team's defenders. His main job was to protect the defense and win the ball back. He was great at tackling, reading the game, and stopping opponents' attacks. He was known for his quickness, good positioning, smart play, energy, and ability to win the ball.

Even though he wasn't the fastest or most skilled with the ball, he was also very good at starting attacks from deep in midfield. He could control the pace of the game with short, accurate passes. This helped connect the defense to the attack after he won the ball. His physical strength, despite being small, and his low center of gravity gave him great balance. This allowed him to keep the ball even when strong opponents tried to take it. Makélélé was also known for being tough, aware, consistent, and having a strong mindset.

Coaching and Beyond

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

After retiring as a player, Makélélé became a coach. He was the head coach of Bastia starting in May 2014. However, he was sacked in November 2014 after less than six months. Before Bastia, he was an assistant coach at Paris Saint-Germain. In January 2016, he became the technical director at Monaco.

Makélélé also worked as an assistant coach at Swansea City in January 2017. He then 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. There, he worked as a youth coach and technical mentor. He left Chelsea in September 2023.

Most recently, Makélélé was appointed head coach of the Greek club Asteras Tripolis on 14 September 2024. However, he left the club after only three weeks and three games. He was unbeaten in those games.

Honours

Player

Nantes

• French 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