Christian Karembeu

Lore & Background

Karembeu was born in Lifou, New Caledonia. He played youth football for Gaïtcha FCN and moved to metropolitan France at age 17. He signed a professional contract with FC Nantes in 1990. He represented Nantes, Sampdoria, Real Madrid, Middlesbrough, Olympiacos, Servette, and Bastia. He won the Champions League with Real Madrid in 1998 and 2000. He scored his only goal for France on 11 October 1995 in a 3–1 win against Romania during UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying. He was a member of the French team that won the 1998 World Cup, playing in 4 matches including starts in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final. He was also part of the victorious French team at Euro 2000. He was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1998.

Reader's Guide

Karembeu was a physically imposing, energetic, and technically gifted two-way midfielder, known for his range of passing, dribbling skills, stamina, and hard-tackling style. He usually played in a holding role but could also play as a box-to-box midfielder, right-sided midfielder, or right-back. He last played for Bastia in Ligue 1 and announced his retirement on 13 October 2006.

Did You Know?

• Karembeu's great-grandfather was one of a hundred Kanaks taken to Paris in 1931 for the Paris Colonial Exposition and exhibited as 'cannibals'.
• He refuses to sing France's national anthem due to the country's colonial past.
• He was married to Slovak model Adriana Sklenařiková and later to Lebanese skier Jackie Chamoun.
• He is a member of the 'Champions for Peace' club and visited Haiti in August 2010 with Peace and Sport.