Nicolas Anelka coming to Pakistan

KARACHI: Former PSG, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and French International talisman Nicolas Anelka is the latest player to sign a deal to join Ronaldinho & Friends for a match in Pakistan this summer.

Anelka will join Brazilian star Ronaldinho, Netherlands’ Goerge Boateng and England’s David James for an exhibition seven-a-side match in July between Pakistan Stars vs Rest of World stars in Karachi.

38-year-old Anelka has represented France national football team in 69 international games between 1998 and 2010.

Anelka, in a statement released by the organisers of Leisure Leagues, said he is looking forward to visiting Pakistan and has a special connection with the country.

“The aim of my participation is to help boost football in Pakistan and having embraced Islam as my religion I have a special connection with Pakistan,” Anelka said in a statement released to the media by the organisers.

Nicolas Anelka has also played at some of the world’s most renowned clubs. During his football career of Anelka travelled with various football clubs in Europe and beyond.

Anelka began his career at Paris St-Germain but soon moved to Arsenal. He became a first team regular and won the PFA Young Footballer of the Year Award. The following season, Real Madrid signed him for £22.3 million in 1999, and after a short spell returned to Paris Saint-Germain in a £20 million deal where he teamed up with Ronaldinho Gaucho. Despite regular first team football in Paris, Anelka set his eyes upon the Premier League and he went on loan to Liverpool in January 2002 but joined Manchester City for £13 million at the start of the 2002–03 season.

After three seasons in Manchester, he moved to Fenerbahce in Turkey for two seasons before returning to England to join Bolton Wanderers in deals worth £7 million and £8 million, respectively. He transferred to Chelsea from Bolton for a reported £15 million in January 2008. During his transfers over the years, he has built an aggregate transfer cost of just under £90 million.

In 2011, Shanghai Shenhua announced that they had reached an agreement with Anelka to join the team in the winter transfer window. After one season there, Anelka joined Italian side Juventus on a six-month loan deal in 2013, after which he was released from Shanghai and headed back to the illustrious Premier League in England to West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer.

In 2014, Anelka signed for Mumbai City FC as a Marquee Player and was named player-manager in 2015.

Anelka became one of the most expensive footballers of his generation. He became a Muslim and is known as Abdul Salam Bilal. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team.