Geremi facts for kids
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Geremi with Newcastle United in 2009
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Geremi Sorele Njitap Fotso | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 December 1978 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bafoussam, Cameroon | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right back, midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Racing Bafoussam | 28 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Cerro Porteño | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Gençlerbirliği | 57 | (9) | ||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Real Madrid | 45 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | → Middlesbrough (loan) | 33 | (7) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Chelsea | 72 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Newcastle United | 49 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2010 | Ankaragücü | 12 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | AEL | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Total | 312 | (29) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 1996–2010 | Cameroon | 118 | (13) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Geremi Sorele Njitap Fotso, born on December 20, 1978, is a former professional footballer from Cameroon. Everyone knows him as Geremi. He was a very flexible player. He could play as a defender on the right side, a midfielder on the right, or a defensive midfielder. People knew him for his strength, speed, tough playing style, and amazing free-kick goals.
Geremi had his most successful times playing for two big clubs: Real Madrid and Chelsea. He won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid. With Chelsea, he won important national trophies.
Geremi played for the Cameroon national team 118 times between 1996 and 2010. He scored 13 goals for his country. He was part of the team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002. He also played in the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2010. In 2000, he won a gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Contents
Geremi's Football Journey
Starting Out in Cameroon
Geremi was born in Bafoussam, Cameroon. His family loved football, and his father was a former player. His dad encouraged him to focus on school. However, Geremi's football duties for his club and country took up a lot of his time. He decided to become a professional player.
Geremi started his career with a local team in Bafoussam, Racing FC, in 1995. Racing FC was a top-division club in Cameroon. They had won the league championship the year before Geremi joined. In his only season there, they won the Cameroonian Cup.
Playing in South America
In 1996, Geremi got an offer from Cerro Porteño in Paraguay. He was scouted while playing for the Cameroon U21 national team in Brazil. Geremi was 18 years old when he arrived at the club.
He played for Cerro Porteño for six months. He then decided he wanted to play in Europe. He felt he was too far from his family in Paraguay. He quickly signed a contract with a team in Turkey.
Moving to Turkey
Geremi spent two seasons playing in Turkey for Gençlerbirliği. He played in 57 games for them. After this, he moved to the famous club Real Madrid.
Success at Real Madrid
Geremi played for Real Madrid for three years. During this time, he won the UEFA Champions League twice. He scored two goals for Real Madrid. One was a late winning goal against Raja Casablanca in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship. The other was against Bayern Munich in the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
In 2000, Geremi was even nominated for the Ballon d'Or award. This award is for the best football player in the world. A former Real Madrid coach, Vicente del Bosque, once said that Geremi was one of the most important players in his team. He said Geremi helped keep the whole team together.
Geremi wanted to play more regularly. So, for the 2002–03 season, he moved to Middlesbrough on loan. He had a very good season there.
Winning Trophies with Chelsea
In July 2003, Chelsea bought Geremi from Real Madrid for £6.9 million. He had a great first season at Stamford Bridge. Later in his time at Chelsea, he played less often. He was sometimes played as a right-back, which was not his favorite position.
However, Chelsea's manager, José Mourinho, thought highly of Geremi. Mourinho said he liked having Geremi on the team because he was always ready to help. He would play any position and do any job the manager asked him to do.
In his last year at Chelsea, Geremi scored a winning goal against West Ham United with a long-range free-kick. This was his final goal for Chelsea. His last game for Chelsea was against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final. The game went to penalties, and Geremi's penalty was saved. Chelsea lost the match.
While at Chelsea, Geremi helped the club win the Premier League in both 2004–05 and 2005–06. He played enough games to earn a winner's medal in both seasons.
Time at Newcastle United
Geremi joined Newcastle United on July 6, 2007. He signed a three-year contract. He was made club captain for the 2007–08 FA Premier League season. However, a new manager later gave the captaincy to Michael Owen.
Geremi played his first game for Newcastle in a 3–1 win against Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Newcastle in a 4–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur with a free-kick. He also scored with a header against West Ham. In his first season, Geremi played 27 league games, scoring two goals and assisting five.
In the 2008–09 season, Geremi played less often. Newcastle was relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season. In the 2009–10 season, Geremi's playing time dropped even more. He scored his third goal for Newcastle in a League Cup match against Huddersfield Town. In January 2010, Geremi left Newcastle to join a Turkish club.
Later Career Clubs
On January 31, 2010, Geremi moved to MKE Ankaragücü in Turkey. He signed a contract for one and a half years.
On August 25, 2010, Geremi moved to AEL in Greece. He signed a two-year contract. However, his contract was ended on January 11, 2011.
Playing for Cameroon
Geremi started his international career with Cameroon's youth teams. He played in the 1995 U-20 Youth World Cup. He played in all four games for the team.
Geremi made his debut for the senior Cameroon national team in October 1996. He played in four of Cameroon's World Cup qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Geremi won an Olympic Gold medal with Cameroon in Sydney in 2000. He was the captain of the team. He also won two Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2000 and 2002.
Geremi was part of the Cameroon team that qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan. He played in all three of Cameroon's World Cup games in 2002. He scored a free-kick in a friendly match against England before the tournament.
Cameroon did not qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Geremi played in nine of their ten games and scored twice.
In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon reached the finals but lost to Egypt. Geremi played in every game and was named to the Team of the Tournament.
Geremi played his 100th game for Cameroon on February 11, 2009. He scored a goal in a 3–1 friendly win against Guinea in Paris.
Geremi played in 11 qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored one goal during the qualification process. In January 2010, Geremi played in the 2010 Cup of Nations. Cameroon lost to Egypt in extra time.
Geremi was part of the Cameroon team that played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played in all three of Cameroon's matches.
About Geremi's Family
Geremi's father, Samuel, was also a footballer. He played for Cameroon in the 1970s. Samuel was known as "Poison Arrow" because he could shoot powerfully and accurately. Geremi has 17 brothers and sisters.
Geremi's cousin, Pierre Webó, was also a professional footballer. He played alongside Geremi for Cameroon at the 2010 World Cup.
Geremi can speak English, Spanish, and Turkish.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Racing Bafoussam | 1995 | Cameroonian Premier League | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | 5 | 0 | |||||
| 1996 | 23 | 5 | – | – | 23 | 5 | ||||||||
| Total | 28 | 5 | — | — | 28 | 5 | ||||||||
| Cerro Porteño | 1997 | Paraguayan Primera División | 6 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | |||
| Gençlerbirliği | 1997–98 | Süper Lig | 28 | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | 31 | 5 | |||
| 1998–99 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | 32 | 6 | |||||
| Total | 57 | 9 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | 63 | 11 | |||||
| Real Madrid | 1999–2000 | La Liga | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 1 | |
| 2000–01 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |||
| Total | 45 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 76 | 2 | |||
| Middlesbrough (loan) | 2002–03 | Premier League | 33 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 7 | ||
| Chelsea | 2003–04 | Premier League | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | – | 39 | 1 | |
| 2004–05 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 20 | 0 | |||
| 2005–06 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
| Total | 72 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 109 | 4 | ||
| Newcastle United | 2007–08 | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 0 | ||||
| 2009–10 | Championship | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 9 | 1 | |||
| Total | 49 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 54 | 3 | ||||
| Ankaragücü | 2009–10 | Süper Lig | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 12 | 2 | |||
| AEL | 2010–11 | Super League Greece | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 11 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 312 | 29 | 21 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 43 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 397 | 34 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | 1996 | 3 | 0 |
| 1997 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2006 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 10 | 1 | |
| Total | 118 | 13 |
International Goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 26 May 2002 | Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe, Japan |  England |
2–2 | Draw | International friendly |
| 2. | 21 June 2003 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |  Turkey |
1–0 | Win | 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 3. | 9 February 2005 | Stade Dominique Duvauchelle, Creteil, France |  Senegal |
1–0 | Win | Friendly |
| 4. | 27 March 2005 | Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon |  Sudan |
2–1 | Win | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5. | 4 June 2005 | Stade de l'Amitié, Cotonou, Benin |  Benin |
1–4 | Win | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 29 January 2006 | Cairo Military Academy Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |  DR Congo |
2–0 | Win | 2006 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 7. | 3 September 2006 | Stade Amahoro, Kigali, Rwanda |  Rwanda |
0–3 | Win | 2008 Africa Nations Cup qualification |
| 8. | 17 June 2007 | Stade Omnisports Roumdé Adjia, Garoua, Cameroon | Rwanda |
2–1 | Win | 2008 Africa Nations Cup qualification |
| 9. | 26 January 2008 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana |  Zambia |
5–1 | Win | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 10. | 4 February 2008 | Tamale Stadium, Tamale, Ghana |  Tunisia |
2–3 | Win | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 11. | 11 February 2009 | Stade Robert Bobin, Bondoufle, France |  Guinea |
3–1 | Win | Friendly |
| 12. | 10 October 2009 | Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon |  Togo |
3–0 | Win | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13. | 17 January 2010 | Estádio Nacional da Tundavala, Lubango, Angola | Zambia |
3–2 | Win | 2010 Africa Cup of Nations |
Awards and Honours
Geremi won many awards and honours during his football career:
Racing Bafoussam
- Cameroonian Cup: 1996
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2000–01
- UEFA Champions League: 1999–2000, 2001–02
Chelsea
- Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06
- FA Community Shield: 2005
Newcastle United
- Football League Championship: 2009–10
Cameroon National Team
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2000
- African Cup of Nations: 2000, 2002
Individual Awards
- Africa Cup of Nations: Team of All Tournaments
See also
In Spanish: Geremi Njitap para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
