Olivier Tébily facts for kids
In Birmingham City colours, 2005
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Olivier Tébily | ||
| Date of birth | 19 December 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Ivory Coast | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1998 | Niort | 91 | (5) |
| 1998–1999 | Châteauroux | 23 | (1) |
| 1999 | Sheffield United | 8 | (0) |
| 1999–2002 | Celtic | 38 | (0) |
| 2002–2008 | Birmingham City | 83 | (0) |
| 2008 | Toronto FC | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 247 | (6) | |
| International career | |||
| 1999–2004 | Ivory Coast | 18 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Olivier Tébily (born 19 December 1975) is a former professional footballer. He played as a defender. Olivier is a French citizen. He played 18 international matches for his home country, the Ivory Coast.
He played in the top football leagues in four different countries. These included Châteauroux in France, Celtic in Scotland, Birmingham City in England, and Toronto FC in the United States and Canada.
Contents
Early Life and Football Dreams
Olivier Tébily was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He grew up in France. As a child, he was a big fan of the English football club Arsenal. He later became a French citizen.
Olivier's Club Career
Tébily started his football journey as a young player at Niort. This club was in the second division of French football. He spent several years there, learning and growing as a player.
In January 1998, he moved to Châteauroux. This team had just been promoted to the top French league, Division 1. Even though his team was relegated, his strong play caught the eye of others.
The next year, in March 1999, Steve Bruce signed him for the English club Sheffield United. The transfer fee was £200,000.
Playing for Sheffield United
Olivier's time at Sheffield United was short. During his seventh game for the club, Kenny Dalglish was watching. Dalglish was soon appointed as the Director of Football at Celtic. He quickly brought Tébily to Celtic in June 1999 for £1.25 million. On July 8, he became the third player signed by manager John Barnes.
Adventures at Celtic
Olivier Tébily's first game for Celtic was a pre-season match against Leeds United. He accidentally scored an own goal in that game. This showed that his performances could sometimes be a bit unpredictable. Because of this, Celtic fans gave him the nickname "Bombscare."
In the next pre-season game against Newcastle United, he made up for it. He scored a goal for his own team and played strong defense against famous striker Alan Shearer.
He played regularly until Christmas. Then, he joined the Ivory Coast national team for the 2000 African Cup of Nations. After the tournament, his return to Celtic was delayed. The team was held in a military camp in Ivory Coast. This was to keep them safe because fans were upset about their early exit from the competition. They were able to go home after FIFA president Sepp Blatter helped.
His next game for Celtic was a surprising Scottish Cup loss at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. This loss led to the famous newspaper headline "Super Caley go ballistic, Celtic are atrocious." It also resulted in manager John Barnes being fired. Kenny Dalglish took over as manager for the rest of the season. During this time, Tébily played on and off.
In the 2000–01 season, new manager Martin O'Neill gave him only three starts. He began the next season playing well. However, he lost his spot when Bobo Baldé became fit again. Still, he played enough games to earn a medal when Celtic won the SPL. He even received a nomination for the 2001 African Footballer of the Year award.
Tébily wanted to play more often. Since that wasn't happening at Celtic, he was made available for transfer. On March 22, 2002, he joined manager Steve Bruce again. He moved to Birmingham City for £700,000. Birmingham City was playing in the Championship at the time. Celtic believed he had more potential. They included a clause in the deal that would give them money if Birmingham sold him later. During his time at Celtic, he scored two goals. One was in a UEFA Cup game and the other in a big 8–0 win in the League Cup.
Time at Birmingham City
Steve Bruce had become Birmingham's manager a few months before Tébily arrived. Bruce was building a new team to try and reach the play-offs. He saw Tébily's main strengths as his size, power, and speed. Another quality that quickly became clear was his full commitment to the team.
A great example of this was his performance in the play-off semifinal against Millwall. He played in a new position, central midfield. He closely marked Tim Cahill, a future star for Everton and Australia. Tébily won the ball with a strong tackle even after losing his boot! In that season, Tébily's teams never lost a game, whether he was playing for Celtic or Birmingham.
Tébily played regularly in Birmingham's first season in the Premier League. However, on December 21, he injured his knee ligaments during a match. He bravely finished the game, but the injury was serious. It kept him out for the rest of the season.
When he returned fit for the 2003–04 Premier League season, Tébily was no longer a first-choice player. But his ability to play in different positions made him a useful substitute for the manager. For the next couple of years, he played on and off.
Coach Mark Bowen noted that Tébily sometimes lacked confidence and had trouble staying focused. This led to inconsistent performances. However, Tébily was determined to improve. He even asked the coaching staff to keep shouting at him during games to help him stay focused! He also had laser eye surgery to fix problems he had with wearing contact lenses while playing. He sometimes struggled against very quick players, but he always gave his best effort.
In September 2005, he signed a new three-year contract. This showed how valuable he was to the team, even though he hadn't been a regular starter since his injury in 2002. He returned to the starting lineup as a replacement for Mario Melchiot. His determination and energy, especially in a great performance against Chelsea, really helped lift the team and fans. They were fighting against relegation, but unfortunately, they were still relegated.
He started the 2006–07 season in the first team. However, other defenders were preferred, and Tébily made his last appearance for Birmingham in October 2006. His contract was set to end at the end of the season. It was paid up on January 14, 2008, and he became a free agent after almost six years at the club.
Short Spell at Toronto FC
After training with them, Tébily signed with Major League Soccer team Toronto FC on April 24, 2008. Head coach John Carver believed Tébily's ability to play both in central defense and on the right side would help the team. He played four matches for the club. However, an ankle injury affected his time there. He was released on July 31, 2008, because he wanted to be closer to his family in France.
International Football
Olivier Tébily played for the France national under-21 football team (known as "Les Espoirs"). He was part of the team at the 1997 Mediterranean Games. He was sent off in a 3–0 loss to Greece. However, one newspaper reported that Tébily was removed from the squad just before the tournament. He was replaced by another player.
Life After Football
After retiring from football, Olivier Tébily decided to follow a long-time dream. He wanted to become the first African wine grower. He also wanted to produce his own cognac. He named his cognac Source deux vie, which means "Source of Two Lives," as a tribute to his home country.
See also
In Spanish: Olivier Tébily para niños
