Youri Djorkaeff facts for kids

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Youri Djorkaeff

Djorkaeff in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Youri Raffi Djorkaeff
Date of birth	(1968-03-09) 9 March 1968 (age 57)
Place of birth	Lyon, France
Height	1.77 m
Playing position	Attacking midfielder Forward
Youth career
	UGA Décines
	Saint-Priest
	US Meyzieu
	AS Villeurbanne
0000–1985	Grenoble
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1984–1989	Grenoble	82	(23)
1989–1990	Strasbourg	35	(25)
1990–1995	Monaco	155	(59)
1995–1996	Paris Saint-Germain	35	(13)
1996–1999	Inter Milan	87	(30)
1999–2002	Kaiserslautern	55	(14)
2002–2004	Bolton Wanderers	75	(20)
2004	Blackburn Rovers	3	(0)
2005–2006	New York Red Bulls	45	(12)
Total		584	(196)
National team
1993	France B	2	(3)
1993–2002	France	82	(28)
Honours Men's football Representing  France FIFA World Cup Winner 1998 France UEFA European Championship Winner 2000 Belgium–Netherlands FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2001 Korea/Japan
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Youri Raffi Djorkaeff (born March 9, 1968) is a famous French former football player. He played as an attacking midfielder or forward. Throughout his career, he played for many teams in France, Italy, Germany, England, and the United States.

Youri Djorkaeff played 82 games for the French national team between 1993 and 2002. He scored 28 goals for his country. He helped France win the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the Euro 2000, and the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. He also played in Euro 1996 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Youri is the son of another famous football player, Jean Djorkaeff. After he stopped playing in 2006, Youri started working on social projects. In 2014, he created the Youri Djorkaeff Foundation. Since September 2019, he has been the CEO of the FIFA Foundation.

Early Life and Family Background

Youri Djorkaeff was born in Lyon, France. His father, Jean Djorkaeff, was French with Polish and Kalmyk roots. His mother, Mary Ohanian, was Armenian.

Youri Djorkaeff's Club Career Highlights

Youri Djorkaeff began his football journey in 1984 with the French club Grenoble. He then moved to RC Strasbourg in 1989. In 1990, he joined AS Monaco. Later, in 1995, he played for Paris Saint-Germain.

In 1994, Djorkaeff was the top scorer in France's top league, Division 1, with 20 goals. He also won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with PSG in 1996. In total, he scored 73 goals in 190 matches in the French top league.

In 1996, he moved to Italy to play for Inter Milan. In his first season, he scored 17 goals in all competitions. He scored 14 goals in 33 league games. His great playing helped Inter finish third in the league. They also reached the UEFA Cup Final, but lost to Schalke on penalties. Djorkaeff scored his penalty kick in that final.

During that season, he scored a very famous goal against Roma on January 5, 1997. It was a spectacular bicycle kick goal, which many people remember as one of the best goals in Inter's history. His next season was also good, as Inter finished second in the league. They won the UEFA Cup by beating Lazio 3-0 in the final.

In 1999, Djorkaeff moved to Germany to play for 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He helped them reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2001.

Many people were surprised when he signed with the English club Bolton Wanderers in 2002. He brought a lot of skill to the team during his three seasons there. He played alongside other great players like Jay-Jay Okocha and Iván Campo. He was part of the team that reached the final of the League Cup in 2004. After Bolton, he briefly played for Blackburn Rovers.

Djorkaeff playing for New York Red Bulls in 2006

In February 2005, Djorkaeff joined the MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) in the Major League Soccer in the United States. He was the first French player to play in MLS. He was named the team's best player (MVP) that season, scoring ten goals and making seven assists.

Youri Djorkaeff had announced that he would stop playing football at the end of the 2006 season. He retired from professional football on October 29, 2006.

Youri Djorkaeff's International Career

Youri Djorkaeff played 82 games for the French national team and scored 28 goals. He played for France from 1993 to 2002. He won two major tournaments with his country: the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. He also played in UEFA Euro 1996 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

In the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final in Paris, he helped set up Zinedine Zidane's second goal from a corner kick. France won that game 3-0 against Brazil.

How Youri Djorkaeff Played Football

Youri Djorkaeff was known as The Snake. This nickname came from his amazing ability to get past defenders and make the ball curve when he kicked it. He was a very talented playmaker, which means he helped create scoring chances for his team.

He usually played as an attacking midfielder, but he could also play closer to the goal as a second striker or even a main striker. Sometimes, he played on the left side of the field.

Djorkaeff was known for his elegant style and great skills with the ball. He was excellent at dribbling and had a fantastic touch. He also had great vision, which helped him see passes others might miss. He was calm on the field and had a powerful shot. This allowed him to score goals and help his teammates score.

He was good at finding open spaces on the field and making smart runs. He was also very accurate when taking free kicks and penalties with his right foot. Youri Djorkaeff was a hard-working player who also helped defend when needed. He could connect the defense to the attack and move freely in the midfield.

Youri Djorkaeff's Personal Life

Youri Djorkaeff is married to Sophie, and they have three children: Sacha, Oan, and Angelica. Youri also released a song called "Vivre dans Ta Lumière" (which means "Living in Your Light"). His father, Jean, and his younger brother, Micha Djorkaeff, were also professional football players.

In 2012, Djorkaeff helped with a charity event in Europe to raise money for Armenian communities. This money helped build community centers and support farming in Armenia. It also helped Syrian-Armenian communities.

After he stopped playing, Djorkaeff opened a football school in Armenia. In 2007, he became the president of his childhood club in Lyon, Union Generale Armenienne de Decines. Today, he also runs the Youri Djorkaeff Foundation. This group helps provide football programs for kids in New York City.

Some other football players have been named after him, like Ecuadorian forward Djorkaeff Reasco and Dutch player Tahith Chong.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Djorkaeff goal.

List of international goals scored by Youri Djorkaeff

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 February 1994	San Paolo Stadium, Naples, Italy	Italy	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2	22 March 1994	Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France	Chile	2–1	3–1	Friendly
3	29 May 1994	National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	Japan	1–0	4–1	1994 Kirin Cup
4	16 August 1995	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Poland	1–1	1–1	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
5	6 September 1995	Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, Auxerre, France	Azerbaijan	2–0	10–0	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
6				9–0
7	11 October 1995	Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania	Romania	2–0	3–1	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
8	15 November 1995	Stade Michel d'Ornano, Caen, France	Israel	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
9	24 January 1996	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Portugal	1–1	3–2	Friendly
10				2–2
11	15 June 1996	Elland Road, Leeds, England	Spain	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 1996
12	31 August 1996	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Mexico	2–0	2–0	Friendly
13	9 October 1996	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Turkey	3–0	4–0	Friendly
14	2 April 1997	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Sweden	1–0	1–0	Friendly
15	11 June 1997	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Italy	2–1	2–2	1997 Tournoi de France
16	12 November 1997	Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, France	Scotland	2–1	2–1	Friendly
17	29 May 1998	Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco	Morocco	2–2	2–2	1998 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament
18	24 June 1998	Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France	Denmark	1–0	2–1	1998 FIFA World Cup
19	14 November 1998	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Andorra	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
20	20 January 1999	Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France	Morocco	1–0	1–0	Friendly
21	8 September 1999	Hrazdan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia	Armenia	1–1	3–2	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
22	9 October 1999	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Iceland	2–1	3–2	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
23	4 June 2000	Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco	Japan	2–2	2–2	2000 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament
24	6 June 2000	Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco	Morocco	2–0	5–1	2000 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament
25	16 June 2000	Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, Belgium	Czech Republic	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2000
26	25 June 2000	Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, Belgium	Spain	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2000
27	25 April 2001	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Portugal	4–0	4–0	Friendly
28	30 May 2001	Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu, South Korea	South Korea	4–0	5–0	2001 FIFA Confederations Cup

Honours and Awards

Monaco

• Coupe de France: 1990–91

Paris Saint-Germain

• Trophée des Champions: 1995
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1995–96

Inter Milan

• UEFA Cup: 1997–98

Bolton Wanderers

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2003–04

France

• FIFA World Cup: 1998
• UEFA European Championship: 2000
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001
• Kirin Cup: 1994

Individual Awards

• Division 1 top scorer: 1993–94
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1996
• UEFA European Championship top assist provider: 1996
• Pirata d'Oro (Inter Milan Player of the Year): 1997
• FIFA XI: 1997

Orders

• Knight of the Legion of Honour: 1998

See also

In Spanish: Youri Djorkaeff para niños

• List of leading goalscorers for the France national football team