Nicolas Anelka has left the 12th club of his career after announcing that he has terminated his contract with West Bromwich Albion.
The nomadic French striker only scored twice during his time with the Baggies, in one of his less successful spells as a Premier League player, but the 34-year-old has a long and memorable career to look back on, particularly in English football. < >Anelka’s time in England goes all the way back to 1997, when he signed for Arsenal as a promising youngster from Paris Saint-Germain. It was with the Gunners that he first made a name for himself, earing a big-money move to Real Madrid in 1999, though his career took a down-turn for some years after that point. After spells at Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, and back at PSG, Anelka finally found some of the best form of his career after a move to Chelsea in 2008. He won his second Premier League title and two FA Cups during his time at Stamford Bridge, scoring 59 goals in all competitions for the Blues. Anelka then went on to have spells in China with Shanghai Shenhua, and then Italy with a loan spell at Juventus, before returning to England this summer with West Brom. Nicknamed ‘Le Sulk’ by Arsenal fans after being perceived as forcing his exit from Highbury, Anelka’s reputation has been tarnished further now after his ‘quenelle’ gesture in celebrating a goal this season, which may ultimately have ended his career in this country.
Click here for a full profile of Nicolas Anelka’s career.
