Christian Karembeu

This article is about the footballer. For his former wife, see Adriana Karembeu.
Christian Karembeu

Karembeu in 2014.
Personal information
Full nameChristian Lali Karembeu
Date of birth3 December 1970
Place of birthLifou, New Caledonia
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing positionMidfielder / Sweeper
Club information
Current team
Olympiacos (Strategic Advisor)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1990–1995Nantes130(5)
1995–1997Sampdoria62(6)
1997–2000Real Madrid51(1)
2000–2001Middlesbrough33(4)
2001–2004Olympiacos88(5)
2004–2005Servette23(2)
2005–2006Bastia7(0)
Total414(23)
National team
1992–2002France53(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Christian Karembeu (French pronunciation: ​[kʁistjɑ̃ karɑ̃ˈbø]; born 3 December 1970 in Lifou, New Caledonia) is a retired French international footballer and the current Strategic Advisor of Olympiacos F.C.. He is also part of a Paris-based consortium to expand the A-League with a Pacific Island team.[1]

Early life

Christian Karembeu was born on 3 December 1970 in Lifou New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the Pacific Islands. At the age of 17, he moved to France on a scholarship to study and play football.[2]

Club career

During his career Karembeu played for Nantes (1990–95), Sampdoria (1995–97), Real Madrid (1997–2000), Middlesbrough (2000–01), Olympiakos (2001–04), Servette Genève (2004–05), Bastia (2005–06). With Real Madrid, he won the Champions League in 1998 and 2000, starting in the former but remaining on the bench for the latter. He also played for the Real Madrid Veterans against Barcelona in Qatar, on 13 November 2012. He last played midfield for Bastia in the French Ligue 1. He announced his retirement on 13 October 2006, although he added that he would "be having a kickabout from time to time". The France legend also took part in a friendly competition for Kettering Town FC with Gianfranco Zola, Les Ferdinand and Gus Poyet.

International career

Born in the French territory of New Caledonia, he was a vital player in the French team that won the 1998 World Cup. In Euro 2000, he was on the squad as well but played only one game. He compiled 53 caps in his career, earning his first one on 14 November 1992 against Finland in a 2–1 victory.

Post-retirement career

On 9 December 2005, Karembeu represented the Oceania Football Confederation at the draw for the 2006 World Cup which took place in Leipzig, Germany.

In May 2006 Karembeu became a scout for English Premiership side Portsmouth Football Club. In 2007, he was appointed as non-executive director of Birmingham International Holdings.[3] He left after 2010 annual general meeting.[4] However, in August 2009, Christian decided to join Arsenal's ever expanding scouting network.[5]

In June 2013, Karembeu was handed an administrative role at Greek club Olympiacos along with former South African footballer Pierre Issa.[6]

Commitment

Christian Karembeu is a member of the ‘Champions for Peace’ club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.[7]

Deeply involved in Peace and Sport’s activities, Christian Karembeu visited Haiti in August 2010 with Founder and President of Peace and Sport, Joel Bouzou, to strengthen the role of sport in the country's reconstruction efforts and attract the attention of the international community to urgent needs that prevail there. He went to meet sports instructors and young beneficiaries of the emergency program that the Haitian Olympic Committee has set up in survivor camps.[8]

Personal life

The great-grandfather of Christian Karembeu, who came from New Caledonia, was one of the hundred islanders taken to Paris and exhibited there as "cannibals" by the French people. Later the "cannibals" were swapped with Germany for some crocodiles.[9]

Karembeu was married to Slovak model Adriana Sklenaříková, whom he met on an aeroplane.[10] The couple split in March 2011 and divorced in December 2012.[11]

Television

Christian Karembeu is the host of French TV series "Des Iles et des Hommes" (Of Islands and Men), aired on Planete in 2010 and 2011, a travel programme visiting among 6 of the most beautiful islands of the world.

Statistics

[12]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
France League Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue Europe Total
1990/91NantesDivision 140
1991/92280
1992/93Nantes AtlantiqueDivision 1352
1993/94290
1994/95343
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
1995/96SampdoriaSerie A325
1996/97301
Spain League Copa del Rey Copa de la Liga Europe Total
1997/98Real MadridLa Liga16020--53333
1998/9920040--60300
1999/0015050--51251
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2000/01MiddlesbroughPremier League334
Greece League Greek Cup League Cup Europe Total
2001/02OlympiacosAlpha Ethniki241
2002/03222
2003/04220
Switzerland League Schweizer Cup League Cup Europe Total
2004/05Servette120
France League Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue Europe Total
2005/06BastiaLigue 170
Country France 1695
Italy 626
Spain 510
England 334
Greece 683
Switzerland 120
Total 39518
France national team
YearAppsGoals
199210
199300
199460
199541
1996130
199740
1998100
199940
200040
200160
200210
Total531

Honours

Nantes
Real Madrid
Olympiacos
France
Individual
As Strategic Advisor
Olympiacos

Titles

Following the 1998 World Cup, he was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 1998[13][14]

References