Marcel Desailly

Nicknamed “The Rock” during his playing career, Marcel is considered one of the most accomplished footballers of his generation, and one of the finest French defenders. Marcel was noted for his leadership skills and in 2004, he was named by Pele in the FIFA 100 as one of the world’s greatest living players.

Marcel was born in Accra, Ghana on September 7th 1968 and moved to France when he was just 4 years old. Starting his football career in Nantes, where he now lives, he moved to Olympique de Marseille and then A.C. Milan where he won the UEFA Champions League with both. When Marcel moved to Chelsea in 1998, he went on to be their Captain and became an instant fan favourite. After leaving Chelsea, he moved to Qatar in 2004 where he represented Al-Gharafa and Qatar S.C. before retiring from professional football.

On the International stage he was a star of the French national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He also was made captain and led them to victory in the 2001 Confederations Cup. In April 2003, Marcel surpassed the record for the number of appearances for the French national team, a number which eventually reached 116 when he announced his retirement from international football following the Euro 2004.

Marcel travels worldwide to talk of his experiences, support brands and motivate, and although he prefers a moderator, he is becoming increasingly confident delivering keynote speeches in any of his four languages.

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