Christian Karembeu (born 3 December 1970 in
Lifou,
New Caledonia) is a retired
French international footballer and current scout for
Arsenal Football Club. He is also part of a Paris-based consortium to expand the
A-League with a Pacific Island team.
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). 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 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.
Managing career
In May 2006 Karembeu became a scout for English
Premiership side
Portsmouth Football Club. However, in August 2009, Christian...
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