Patrice Evra
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left back, Left wingback | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester United | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 October 2007 | |||
Patrice Evra (born 15 May 1981 in Dakar, Senegal) is a French-Senegalese international footballer, who plays for English Premiership side Manchester United. He plays in the left back position although he can also play on the left wing.
The son of a diplomat, he arrived in Europe through Brussels where his father was sent when he was very young. He was raised in Les Ulis[1], Essonne, France where he lived with his family from 1984 to 1998 before seizing his first opportunity leading him to Marsala, Sicily, Italy. He evolved notably with Thierry Henry in those early years. They consider themselves as childhood friends. Evra had a total of 25 siblings, although 2 have since died.[2]
Career
Early years
Quite normally for a teenager of Les Ulis, he started his career with the Paris St-Germain youth team, before moving in 1998 to Italian Serie C1 team Marsala, where he quickly became a fan favourite despite his young age and was nicknamed The Black Gazelle[1]. He then moved to Monza of Serie B for the following season. in 2000, Evra transferred to OGC Nice and then to AS Monaco in 2002. Evra has represented France at international level on five occasions.
At AS Monaco, Evra was also part of the team that won the French League Cup and reached the UEFA Champions League Final in 2004.
Manchester United
Evra signed a 3½ year contract for United on 10 January 2006, having joined for a transfer fee of around £5.5 million from AS Monaco. Signing at Manchester just days after the capture of Nemanja Vidić, Evra's arrival signalled Sir Alex Ferguson's intention to shore up a United defence that had suffered since the sidelining of Gabriel Heinze. Upon signing for United, Evra revealed that he had snubbed both Arsenal and Liverpool for the chance to walk out at the Theatre of Dreams.
"Liverpool and Arsenal are great clubs but United is a completely different story. Inter were also trying to get me in the transfer window but there was only one club for me".
He made his debut for Manchester United on 14 January 2006 in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League. He played his home debut against Liverpool on 22 January 2006 in a 1-0 win. Evra initially had some problems adapting to the English game, but by midway through the 2006-07 season his form had greatly improved and he established himself as a regular first-teamer. On 29 November 2006, he scored his first goal for the club in a Premiership match against Everton at Old Trafford. After a spell out of the squad with injury, Evra made his comeback on 10 April 2007 in the Champions League match against Roma at Old Trafford, contributing to the Red Devils' 7-1 thrashing of the visitors. Thus, because of his solid performances in the 2006-07 season, he earned a place in the PFA Team of the Year. Patrice Evra is the only recognized left back in Manchester United after the departure of Gabriel Heinze to Real Madrid. In 2007/08 season he has started all matches and has had a prolific crossing form.
Honours
- 2003 - Coupe de la Ligue with Monaco
- 2003 - Ligue 1 with Monaco - Runner Up
- 2004 - UEFA Champions League with Monaco - Runner Up
- 2006 - Carling Cup with Manchester United
- 2007 - FA Premier League with Manchester United
- 2007 - FA Community Shield with Manchester United
References
- ^ a b "From Dakar to Old Trafford, via Paris, Milan (just), Sicily and Stamford Bridge". The Guardian. 2006-01-22. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- ^ "Evra: Thank God I'm at United". The Times. 2007-07-22. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
External links
- Patrice Evra at Soccerbase
- Official profile at manutd.com