Emmanuel Eboué

Personal information
Full name	Emmanuel Eboué
Date of birth	(1983-06-04) 4 June 1983 (age 29)
Place of birth	Côte d'Ivoire
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Playing position	Right back
Club information
Current club	Galatasaray
Number	27
Youth career
2000–2001	ASEC Mimosas
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2002	ASEC Mimosas	25	(3)
2002–2004	Beveren	70	(4)
2005–2011	Arsenal	132	(5)
2011–	Galatasaray	31	(3)
National team‡
2004–	Côte d'Ivoire	69	(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:11, 12 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17:58, 22 May 2011 (UTC)

Emmanuel Eboué (born 4 June 1983) is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and Ivory Coast. His natural position is at right back, but he is also used in various other positions. Eboué also holds a Belgian passport.^[2]

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Eboué began his football career at the famous ASEC Mimosas youth academy, like former teammate Kolo Touré. In 2002, Eboué moved to ASEC's Belgian feeder club, KSK Beveren, and spent three seasons there. His impressive performances in Belgium caught the eye of Arsenal scouts.

Arsenal[link]

Eboué's debut came only days after signing from Beveren, in the FA Cup against Stoke City. Although he was not initially a first team regular, making just one FA Premier League appearance, as a substitute, in 2004–05, Eboué was regularly in Arsenal's just in reserve team in that season.

In 2005–06, Eboue made his break into the Arsenal side. He started the season mainly as a reserve player, though he scored his first goal for Arsenal in the club's 3–0 League Cup third round victory at Sunderland on 25 October 2005. Despite leaving for the African Cup of Nations in January 2006, he was immediately sent into action on his return; he made his first career Premiership start at right back against Liverpool at Anfield, replacing the injured Lauren. With Lauren injured for the rest of the season, Eboué held his place for the remainder of Arsenal's 2005–06 campaign.

Emmanuel playing for Arsenal in August 2007

Eboué's run in the Arsenal side included matches in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase against Real Madrid, Juventus, and Villarreal. Impressed with the way the Ivorian adapted to the increased pace of the Premiership and pressure of the Champions League, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger even compared Eboué to the legendary Brazilian winger Garrincha after an energetic performance in the 1 April 2006 game against Aston Villa.^[3] Eboué continued in the starting line-up for Arsenal in the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final at the Stade de France.

Eboué started the 2006–07, and was awarded the Arsenal Player of the Month award for September. However, he was injured in an international and spent the whole of the month of October out with injury. He made his first team return as a substitute in the 1–0 defeat by West Ham United on 5 November, and started the League Cup win over Everton later that same week. He scored his second Arsenal goal in their 3–1 Champions League victory over Hamburg on 21 November 2006. Persistent ankle problems have plagued him throughout December 2006 and January 2007. He attempted to make many comebacks, mostly against high profile teams such as Liverpool, in the FA 3rd Round and Manchester United, but he was unable to come through them unscathed. Wenger decided to wait until there was no chance that there would be a recurrence of the injury. He came off the bench for Armand Traoré in the League Cup final against Chelsea. He started the match against Blackburn Rovers in the FA cup 5th Round Replay, only for his ankle to get injured again from a studs-up challenge from Blackburn winger Morten Gamst Pedersen, which the referee also missed.

In May 2007, Eboué signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. From the start of the 2007–08 season, Arsène Wenger stated his intention to move Eboué into a role on the right wing, following the signing of Bacary Sagna. On 20 September 2008, Eboué scored his first Premier League goal against Bolton Wanderers in an away match, which Arsenal won 3–1.^[4] During the 2008–09 season, he was much maligned by certain fan sections after some less-than-satisfactory performances. This dip in form also mirrored poor form by the team as a whole and the absence of teammate Theo Walcott (who also has played regularly on the right wing) through injury. On 8 March 2009, he scored the third goal against Burnley in the FA Cup fifth round match. On 14 March, he scored two goals (one a penalty) in the Gunners' 4–0 hammering of Blackburn Rovers.^[5]

He scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season for Arsenal against Wigan Athletic at the Emirates Stadium, on 19 September 2009, the fixture he was booed by a small section of his own fans in the previous season. On 9 March 2010, in the second leg of Arsenal's Champions League tie at home to Porto, Eboué scored the fourth goal in a 5–0 win having come on as a substitute. In March 2010, Eboué dismissed speculation he would leave Arsenal and pledged to see out the remainder of his contract.^[6]

At the end of 2010, late October or November, Eboué signed another long-term contract with Arsenal.^[7] In April 2011, Eboué scored for Arsenal in their 3–1 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, with a powerful strike from his weaker left foot, which helped keep Arsenal's title hopes alive. In the following match against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium, however, he conceded a last-minute penalty by pushing Lucas Leiva in the back which denied the club victory and left them six points adrift of the leaders. On 8 May 2011, he was an unused substitute in the game against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium in a 3–1 defeat. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Eboué made 27 appearances in total and scored once in all competitions.

Galatasaray[link]

Emmanuel playing for Galatasaray in October 2011 against Bursaspor

At the start of the 2011–12 season Eboué lost his squad number to new signing Gervinho, who was given the number 27 shirt upon his arrival, which left Eboué's future at the club unclear. On 16 August 2011, Eboué completed a move to Turkish club Galatasaray^[8][9] for €3.5 million in 4-year contract (worth €2.35M a season plus bonus)^[10] after rejecting moves to Tottenham and Roma.^[11] Following his move to Galatasaray, Eboue revealed that manager Arsène Wenger told him he would have few first-team opportunities and to listen to interest to join the Turkish side.^[12] Eboue also revealed that Fatih Terim has made his life easier at Galatasaray and has been an inspirational figure for Eboue. On 11 September 2011, Eboue made his debut in the clubs shirt in a 2-0 loss against İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi. In match between Galatasaray and Beşiktaş which was 0-0, Eboue was pelted with missiles from the crowd and barely able to come within 10 feet of the touchline without an object being hurled at him from the crowd.^[13] On 3 December 2011, Eboue scored his first goal against Gençlerbirligi, which was only goal in the game in a 1-0. The next game on December 7 2011, he scored his second goal against Fenerbahçe S.K., which Galatasaray S.K. won the match 3–1. On April 28 2012, he scored his third goal against Trabzonspor, Galatasaray S.K. won the match 2–4. He played 31 matches in the league and he was among the champion squad.

International career[link]

Eboué debuted for Côte d'Ivoire in 2004 and has generally been a regular fixture in the defence operating at right-back for the Elephants, along with former teammate Kolo Touré. On the 18th November 2009, Eboué scored his first goal for Ivory Coast in a 2–2 draw against Germany. He was named in Sven Goran Eriksson's Ivory Coast squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.^[14]

Career statistics[link]

As of 6 April 2012‎^{[15][16][17][18]}

Club[link]

Eboué in action for the Gunners

• Allocation of appearances in the various seasons before his Arsenal career is uncertain, and therefore applied to the League section for each club, as per time he spent there.

International[link]

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	18 November 2009	Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Germany	1–1	2–2	Friendly
2.	4 September 2010	Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Rwanda	3–0	3–0	2012 African Cup of Nations qualification
3.	30 January 2012	Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea	Angola	1–0	2–0	2012 African Cup of Nations

Career highlights[link]

Arsenal

Runner-up:

• UEFA Champions League: 2005–06
• Football League Cup: 2006–07, 2010–11

Galatasaray

Winner:

• Süper Lig: 2011-12

Personal life[link]

Before joining Arsenal, Eboué married his Belgian girlfriend.^[19] He has three children, who joined him on a lap of honour at the end of the 2009–10 season.^[20]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Emmanuel Eboué

• Emmanuel Eboué on Twitter
• Emmanuel Eboué on Playerhistory.com
• Arsenal.com profile
• 4thegame.com profile
• footballdatabase.com profile
• Eboue youtube highlights video
• Emmanuel Eboué career stats at Soccerbase

Côte d'Ivoire Squads v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2006 Africa Cup of Nations Runners-up 1 Tizié 2 Akalé 3 Boka 4 Touré 5 Zokora 6 Kouassi 7 Faé 8 Kalou 9 Arouna Koné 10 Yapi 11 Drogba 12 Méïté 13 Zoro 14 Koné 15 Dindane 16 Gnanhouan 17 Domoraud 18 Keïta 19 Touré Yaya 20 Demel 21 Eboué 22 Romaric 23 Barry Coach: Michel v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Tizié 2 Akalé 3 Boka 4 Touré 5 Zokora 6 Kouassi 7 Faé 8 Kalou 9 Arouna Koné 10 Yapi 11 Drogba (c) 12 Méïté 13 Zoro 14 Koné 15 Dindane 16 Gnanhouan 17 Domoraud 18 Keïta 19 Touré Yaya 20 Demel 21 Eboué 22 Romaric 23 Barry Coach: Michel v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Fourth Place 1 Barry 2 Djakpa 3 Boka 4 Touré 5 Zokora 6 Gohouri 7 Faé 8 Kalou 9 Arouna Koné 10 Gervinho 11 Drogba 12 Méïté 13 Romaric 14 Koné 15 Dindane 16 Loboué 17 Tiéné 18 Keïta 19 Touré Yaya 20 Sanogo 21 Eboué 22 Zoro 23 Koné Coach: Gili v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2010 Africa Cup of Nations 1 Barry 2 Angoua 3 Boka 4 K. Touré 5 Zokora 6 Y. Touré 7 Faé 8 Kalou 9 Tioté 10 Gervinho 11 Drogba 12 Méïté 13 Gosso 14 B. Koné 15 Dindane 16 Zogbo 17 Yapi 18 Keïta 19 E. Koné 20 Demel 21 Eboué 22 Bamba 23 Angban Coach: Halilhodžić v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Barry 2 Angoua 3 Boka 4 Kolo Touré 5 Zokora 6 Gohouri 7 Doumbia 8 Kalou 9 Tioté 10 Gervinho 11 Drogba (c) 12 Gosso 13 Romaric 14 Koné 15 Dindane 16 Zogbo 17 Tiéné 18 Keïta 19 Touré Yaya 20 Demel 21 Eboué 22 Bamba 23 Yeboah Coach: Eriksson v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Runners-up 1 Barry 2 Angoua 3 Boka 4 K. Touré 5 Zokora 6 Gosso 7 Doumbia 8 Kalou 9 Tioté 10 Gervinho 11 Drogba 12 Bony 13 Ya Konan 14 Coulibaly 15 Gradel 16 Yeboah 17 Tiéné 18 Keïta 19 Y. Touré 20 Lolo 21 Eboué 22 Bamba 23 Gnanhouan Coach: Zahoui

Yekta Kurtuluş

Personal information
Full name	Yekta Kurtuluş
Date of birth	(1985-12-11) December 11, 1985 (age 26)
Place of birth	İzmir, Turkey
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position	Center Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Galatasaray
Number	35
Youth career
1999–2004	İzmirspor
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2007	İzmirspor	71	(6)
2007–2011	Kasımpaşa	81	(10)
2011–	Galatasaray	14	(0)
National team‡
2010–	Turkey	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 January 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 September 2011

Yekta Kurtuluş (born 11 December 1985) is a Turkish professional footballer who currently plays as a center midfielder for Galatasaray in the Süper Lig. He is a creative midfielder who likes to dribble with the ball and show his skills.^[1]

He signed for the club on 20 January 2011 for a fee of €3.75 million.^[2][3]

Career Statistics[link]

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Statistics[link]

Statistics accurate as of match played 5 July 2011

National Team Statistics[link]

No.	Date	National Team	Apps	Goals
1.	2010-	Turkey Turkey	00020	00000
TOTAL			00020	00000

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yekta Kurtuluş

• Yekta Kurtuluş on Twitter
• Yekta Kurtuluş on Playerhistory.com

This biographical article related to a Turkish association football midfielder is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Didier Drogba

Personal information
Full name	Didier Yves Drogba Tébily
Date of birth	(1978-03-11) 11 March 1978 (age 34)
Place of birth	Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in)[1][2]
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Free Agent
Number	11
Youth career
1996–1997	Levallois
1997–1998	Le Mans
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–2002	Le Mans	64	(12)
2002–2003	Guingamp	45	(20)
2003–2004	Marseille	35	(19)
2004–2012	Chelsea	226	(100)
National team‡
2002–	Côte d'Ivoire	84	(54)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 8 February 2012

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily^[3] (French pronunciation: [didje dʁɔɡba]; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a centre forward for Chelsea. He is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team (Ivory Coast). He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea's fourth highest goal scorer of all time. His key attributes include his physical strength, ability in the air, and his ability to retain possession of the ball.^[4]

After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut aged 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans. A late bloomer, he signed his first professional contract aged 21; it was not until the 2002–03 season that he realized his potential, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances in Ligue 1 for Guingamp. During the same season he made his first international appearance for Côte d'Ivoire, in September, and scored his first international goal the following February. He moved to Olympique de Marseille in 2003 for £3.3 million. His scoring success at Olympique de Marseille continued, finishing as the third highest scorer in Ligue 1 with 19 goals and helped the club to reach the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

In the summer of 2004 Drogba moved to Chelsea for a club record £24 million fee, making him the most expensive Ivorian player in history. In his debut season he helped the club win their first league title in 50 years, as well as the League Cup, and scored in the final. A year later he won another Premier League title. In 2006–07 Drogba scored 33 goals, won the Premier League Golden Boot and scored the winning goals in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals. He won the FA Cup for a second time in 2009, scoring the equalizer in the final, and in 2009–10 was instrumental in Chelsea clinching their first double, winning his second Golden Boot and scoring the only goal in the 2010 FA Cup Final. In March 2012, Drogba scored his 100th Premier League goal, the first African player to reach the milestone.^[5] He then became the only player in history to score in four separate FA Cup finals, when he scored in Chelsea's win over Liverpool in the 2012 final.^[6] Drogba made his last appearance for Chelsea in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, in which he scored an 88th minute equaliser and then the winning penalty in the deciding shoot-out.^[7]

A Cote D'Ivoire international since 2002, Drogba has captained the national team since 2006. He led the Côte d'Ivoire to the 2006 World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament, and also scored their first goal. He was named African Footballer of the Year for 2006. Drogba was a part of the Côte d'Ivoire sides which reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2012, but were beaten on penalties on both occasions. As of 2012, he is the Cote D'Ivoire's all-time top scorer.

Drogba is credited with playing a vital role in bringing peace to his country.^[8] After Côte d'Ivoire qualified for the 2006 World Cup, Drogba made a desperate plea to the combatants, asking them to lay down their arms, a plea which was answered with a cease fire after five years of civil war. Drogba later helped move an African Cup of Nations qualifier to the rebel stronghold of Bouake; a move that helped confirm the peace process.^[9] In September 2011, Drogba joined the Truth, Reconciliation and Dialogue Commission as a representative to help return peace to his home nation.^[10] His involvement in the peace process led to Drogba being named as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine for 2010.^[11]