Henri Camara facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Henri Camara | ||
| Date of birth | 10 May 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Dakar, Senegal | ||
| Height | 1.76m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ASC Diaraf | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–1999 | Strasbourg | 0 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Neuchâtel Xamax | 32 | (17) |
| 2000–2001 | Grasshoppers | 11 | (3) |
| 2001–2003 | Sedan | 59 | (22) |
| 2003–2005 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 30 | (7) |
| 2004–2005 | → Celtic (loan) | 18 | (8) |
| 2005 | → Southampton (loan) | 13 | (4) |
| 2005–2009 | Wigan Athletic | 69 | (20) |
| 2007–2008 | → West Ham United (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Stoke City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Sheffield United | 23 | (4) |
| 2010–2011 | Atromitos | 28 | (3) |
| 2011–2014 | Panetolikos | 102 | (29) |
| 2014–2015 | Kalloni | 13 | (1) |
| 2015 | Lamia | 9 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | Panetolikos | 5 | (0) |
| 2016 | Apollon Smyrni | 13 | (6) |
| 2016–2017 | Ionikos | 23 | (10) |
| 2017–2018 | Fostiras | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 464 | (135) | |
| National team | |||
| 1999–2008 | Senegal | 99 | (29) |
|
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Henri Camara (born 10 May 1977) is a former professional footballer from Senegal. He played as a striker, which means he was mainly focused on scoring goals. Henri started his career in the late 1990s and played for many teams in France, Switzerland, Scotland, England, and Greece. He stopped playing football in 2018.
He was also a very important player for the Senegal national team. Between 1999 and 2008, he played 99 games for his country and scored 29 goals. He was part of the Senegal team that surprised everyone at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He scored two goals in that tournament, helping Senegal reach the quarter-finals for the first time ever!
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Europe
Henri Camara was born in Dakar, Senegal. He began his football journey in France with Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace from 1998 to 1999. After that, he moved to Switzerland. He played for Neuchâtel Xamax (1999–2000) and then Grasshopper Club Zürich. With Grasshoppers, he won the Swiss Championship in 2001, which was a great achievement!
He then went back to France to play for Sedan. When Sedan's team was moved down to a lower league in 2003, Henri looked for a new club.
Playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers
In August 2003, Henri Camara joined Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team that had just moved up to the Premier League in England. He was a regular player and often created chances to score. He scored a very important goal against Leicester City, helping Wolves win 4–3 after being 3–0 down!
Towards the end of that season, he started scoring more goals, with 6 in the last 9 games. Even though his goals couldn't stop the team from moving down a league, fans chose him as their Player of the Year. However, Henri didn't want to play in a lower league and looked for a move away.
Loan Spells at Celtic and Southampton
Henri Camara went on loan to Celtic in Scotland for the 2004–05 season. He scored eight goals there. Later, in January 2005, he moved back to England on loan to Southampton. Unfortunately, Southampton also moved down a league at the end of that season.
Time at Wigan Athletic
Henri finally found a new permanent club in August 2005 when he joined Wigan Athletic. Wigan had just been promoted to the Premier League. He signed a three-year deal. In 2006, his contract was extended because he was scoring so many goals. He played very well with his teammate Jason Roberts.
He faced another fight to stay in the Premier League with Wigan. This time, he was lucky, and Wigan managed to stay up on the very last day of the season.
Later, Henri was loaned to West Ham United for the 2007–08 season. He didn't have the best time there. When he returned to Wigan, he scored two goals in a League Cup game against Notts County. He also scored the winning goal against Everton in a 1–0 victory. In 2006, he played in the 2006 Football League Cup Final for Wigan.
In February 2009, Henri joined Stoke City on loan. He left Wigan at the end of the 2008–09 season.
Later Career in England and Greece
Henri Camara then joined Sheffield United in England. He scored his first goal for them in a 1–0 win against Peterborough United. He played 23 games and scored four goals that season.
After his time in England, Henri moved to Greece. On 11 May 2010, he signed a one-year deal with Super League Greece team Atromitos.
He then joined Panetolikos in June 2011. Even though he played in all 30 league games and was their top scorer with 7 goals, his team still moved down a league. However, he signed another deal with Panetolikos in 2012. He scored 10 goals that season, helping the team return to the Greek Super League after just one year! He signed a third deal with Panetolikos in 2013.
Henri also played for Kalloni and Lamia in Greece. He returned to Panetolikos for a short time in 2015. In January 2016, he joined Apollon Smyrni. He finished his career playing for Fostiras in the Greek third division. He retired from football in August 2018 at the age of 41.
International Career
Henri Camara played his first international game for Senegal on 28 February 1999. He became famous during the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Senegal surprised everyone by reaching the quarter-finals. Henri scored two goals in the tournament, including a "golden goal" against Sweden in the Round of 16, which meant Senegal won the game instantly!
He also played in many Africa Cup of Nations tournaments for Senegal: in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008.
Henri also played in a charity football match for Ronaldinho's team, which was between Europe and the rest of the world. He came on as a substitute and scored two goals to help his team win.
Even though his father was from Guinea, Henri chose to play for Senegal. He explained that Senegal was his country and it was an easy choice for him.
Honours
Wigan Athletic
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06
