Ex-Chelsea FC Star Nicolas Anelka To Manage Mumbai City
Nicolas Anelka. Remember him? The ex-Chelsea FC striker is set to take charge of Indian-based football club Mumbai City after being named player-manager.
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The Frenchman spent four and half seasons in West London, joining the Blues in January 2008. He contributed a decent amount to the club’s efforts, including a 2008/09 campaign in which he scored 25 goals in 54 competitive appearances. He would go on to score 59 times for the Blues and lift a Premier League trophy as well as two FA Cups.
Recently, he has spent his time globe-trotting. After leaving for Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, Anelka had spells with Juventus and West Bromwich Albion, all without much success. 2014 saw him play in the inaugural season of the Indian Super League (ISL) with the Mumbai City, appearing seven times and scoring two goals in the campaign.
Now, he will return to the club to takeover the managerial duties, in addition to making himself available for selection.
Mumbai were awful last season, finishing seventh in an eight-team league. They won just four of their 14 fixtures and lost six, leaving them just one point clear of last place. Similar to Major League Soccer (MLS), there is no pyramid system and no franchises face relegation.
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The ISL seeks to promote football in one of the largest untapped markets. Taking inspiration from the hugely successful Indian Premier League (IPL) for cricket, the league attempts to blend show-business, sport and money to try to engage a population of 1 billion in the world’s number 1 sport.
Atlético Madrid co-owned last year’s winner Atlético de Kolkata (I know, it’s much like Real Salt Lake…) and Anelka is just one of a host of washed-up stars earning money in India. The so-called ‘marquee’ players in the first instalment included the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Robert Pirès, Freddie Ljungberg and David Trezeguet.
Although the first season wasn’t a terrible success, the longevity of this tournament is yet to be seen. Perhaps Anelka can bring some cool-headed brilliance to the competition next time around.
Until then, I don’t really know what to say…good luck?
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