Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Grégory Dufrennes | ||
Date of birth | March 15, 1983 | ||
Place of birth | Les Ulis, Paris | ||
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
Playing position | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Al-Ittihad Kalba | ||
Number | 10 | ||
Youth career | |||
1991-1997 | US Palaiseau | ||
1997-1999 | AS Cannes | ||
1999-2000 | US Palaiseau | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
2000-2003 | Amiens SC | 16 | (0) |
2003-2004 | Valenciennes FC | 12 | (1) |
2004-2006 | FC Sète | 82 | (21) |
2006-2007 | Dubai | 0 | (17) |
2007-2008 | Al-Ahli Dubai | (1) | |
2008-2009 | FC Sète | 25 | (9) |
2009-2011 | Al-Ittihad Kalba | (19) | |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 December 2009. † Appearances (Goals). |
Grégory Dufrennes (Arabic: غريغوري دوفرينيس, born March 15, 1983) is a French football midfielder who currently plays for Al-Ittihad Kalba in the UAE League.[1]
His father, Jean-Luc Dufrennes, who worked for the French Football Federation training coaches had been a great influence on his playing career in his youth.
Dufrennes senior was Gregory's guide and inspiration as he took his first steps in football, growing up in Les Ulis, a suburb 20km outside the French capital of Paris, where Thierry Henry was born and Patrice Evra went to school.
Growing up under the tutelage of his father, Dufrennes moved to Cannes when he was 14 to sharpen his skills at a training school. A couple of years later, he was representing the France Under-17, U18 and U19 teams. A few of his teammates from those junior teams, included Jeremy Toulalan and Jérémie Aliadière
He played professionally with Amiens, Sete, and Valenciennes but failed to make it into Ligue 1 and at 22 years of age decided to move abroad.
Dufrennes was in his second season with Sete when he first received an offer to play in the UAE and he landed in Dubai in January 2006.
After moving to Dubai against his father's wishes, he played for Dubai SC and then made a move to Dubai based Al-Ahli, where he was shunned by some of their local stars namely Faisal Khalil after an altercation between the pair in training.
He scored 41 goals in 43 matches with Dubai and his performances earned him a deal with Al Ahli in 2008. It was the season Ahli went on to win the Pro League title, but Dufrennes played no part in the glory.
The club failed to find a place for the striker and gave him the option of playing for their second team, or leaving. An altercation with teammate Faisal Khalil in training further strained his relationship with the club and moved to find success with Al-Ittihad Kalba.
Dufrennes lives in Dubai with his wife, Emilie, and son, Enzo, who has just started going to school