Geremi Njitap

Geremi

Geremi playing for Newcastle United
Personal information
Full name	Geremi Sorele Njitap Fotso
Date of birth	20 December 1978 (1978-12-20) (age 32)
Place of birth	Bafoussam, Cameroon
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Right back, Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1995–1996	Racing Bafoussam	28	(5)
1997	Cerro Porteño	6	(0)
1997–1999	Gençlerbirliği	57	(9)
1999–2003	Real Madrid	45	(1)
2002–2003	→ Middlesbrough (loan)	33	(7)
2003–2007	Chelsea	72	(4)
2007–2010	Newcastle United	49	(3)
2010	Ankaragücü	12	(2)
2010–2011	Larissa	10	(0)
National team‡
1996–	Cameroon	112	(12)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:43, 16 July 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:43, 16 July 2011 (UTC)

Geremi Sorele Njitap Fotso (born 20 December 1978), known simply as Geremi, is a Cameroonian footballer who is currently a free agent.^[1]

Club career

Early career

Geremi was born in Bafoussam, Cameroon. Raised into a footballing family, Geremi was encouraged to remain focused on school by his father, a former player. But as duties for his club and national teams pulled him away from his studies, he eventually decided to pursue his playing career. Geremi gave up on studying for his university entrance exams and began playing professionally.

Geremi began his career with a local side in Bafoussam, Racing FC, in 1995. A first-division club in the Cameroon's MTN Elite One, Racing had won the league championship the year before 16-year-old Geremi arrived and won the league cup, the Cameroonian Cup, in his only season as a professional at the club.

In 1996, Geremi was offered a contract with a Paraguayan first division club, Cerro Porteño. Spotted playing for the Cameroon national team in Brazil. He played only a few months in Paraguay, before moving to European club football in 1997 at the age of 18.

Turkey and Spain

He spent two seasons in Turkey with Gençlerbirliği, racking up 57 appearances, before a move to Real Madrid materialised for him. In his three years at the Bernabeu, Geremi won two Champions League winners medals with the Spanish giants. At Real Madrid, Geremi was nominated for the Ballon d'Or of 2000. In a tribute to Geremi, four years after he left the club, ex-coach Del Bosque told Spanish newspaper AS Marca, that Njitap and Steve McManaman were the two most important players in his squad, because "together they kept the whole team united."^[2]

Seeking more regular football, he moved to Middlesbrough for the 2002–03 season on a year's loan from Real Madrid where he enjoyed a successful season.

Chelsea

After an impressive FIFA Confederations Cup campaign with Cameroon, Chelsea paid Real Madrid £6.9m for him in July 2003^[3] and he went on to have an excellent first season at Stamford Bridge. Although towards the end of his career at Chelsea, under Jose Mourinho, he was played less regularly and when he was played he was put in his unpreferred position of right-back.

Newcastle United

2007/08

Geremi signed for Newcastle on July 6, 2007 on a three year deal, making him the fourth signing of the summer by Sam Allardyce.^[4] He was appointed club captain for the 2007–08 season by then manager Allardyce, but lost the armband after new manager Kevin Keegan awarded the captaincy to Michael Owen on 20 January 2008.^[5]

Geremi made his Newcastle debut on the opening day of the 2007/08 season in a 3–1 away win over Bolton Wanderers, he then went on to start the next six games for Newcastle before being an unused substitute in the League Cup 3rd round defeat at Arsenal.

In January 2008 Geremi departure for the African Cup of Nations with Cameroon. He returned to Newcastle in February after Cameroon finished as runner-ups. His first game since returning was on the 23 February in a 5–1 away defat to Manchester United. His first start since returning came on the 17 March 2008 in a 1–1 draw away at Birmingham City.

Geremi scored his first goal for Newcastle in a 4–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on 30 March with a well-taken free-kick^[6] and the second a header in the 2–2 draw at Upton Park on 26 April against West Ham United.^[7] Geremi made 27 league appearances for Newcastle United during his first season at the club, starting 24 of the 27 league games scoring on 2 occasions with five assists.

2008/09

Geremi pictured in 2009

Geremi made his first appearances of the 2008/09 season coming on as a half time substitute in a 1–0 home win over Bolton Wanderers on the 23rd August 2008. In September 2008 Newcastle found themelves under yet another new manager,

As a result Geremi's minutes dropped over the course of the season, with the midfielder earning 11 league starts and without a goal and only three assists. With the manager choseing to field over players instead of Geremi. Newcastle was relegated at the end of the season, finishing one point off safety after losing their final game.

In the 2009–10 season, Geremi's minutes dropped even more dramatically, with only three league starts in the first five months of the season.

He scored his third Newcastle goal and first of the 2009/10 season in a Carling Cup tie against Huddersfield Town on 26 August 2009.^[8] Geremi left Newcastle in the 2009/10 January transfer window to join Turkish club Ankaragucu. Shortly after, though, Newcastle said the deal had not been finalized and the player remained at Newcastle. On transfer deadline day, Feb. 1, Newcastle finally agreed to terms and Geremi went to Turkey on a new 18-month deal.

Ankaragücü

On 31 January 2010, Geremi's transfer to Ankaragücü of the Süper Lig was announced; he signed a one-and-a-half year contract with the Turkish club.^[9][10]

Larissa

On 25 August 2010, he moved to Greek club Larissa F.C. on a two-year contract.^[11] On 11 January 2011, it was announced on the official site of Larissa FC that the contract with the player had been terminated.^[1]

International career

Geremi began his Cameroonian international career with the youth teams, most notably in the 1995 U-20 Youth World Cup finals. Geremi started all four games for the national team before they lost to Argentina in the quarterfinals.

Geremi's senior debut came not much later, appearing in a match against Gabon in October 1996. From there, the midfielder went on to feature in four of Cameroon's six qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup finals, though he was left out of the finals squad after the nation qualified.

Geremi won Olympic Gold with Cameroon in Sydney in 2000 when he captained his country. He has also won two Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2000 and 2002 as they demonstrated their superiority not only in Africa but at world level too.

Geremi was part of the Cameroon side that qualified for the 2002 World Cup in Japan he also played in all three of Cameroon's World Cup Final games in 2002 and scored a free-kick in a 2–2 friendly draw with England shortly before the tournament. He then won a runners-up medal in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana and was named in the team of the tournament.

The squad failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup finals, finishing one point behind qualifiers Ivory Coast in their table. Geremi started nine of the squad's 10 games at holding midfielder, though, and scored twice during the campaign.

The 2008 Cup of Nations brought Cameroon's best finish since 2002, managing to reach the finals before losing 1–0 to Egypt. Geremi again played every one of Cameroon's games and was named to the Team of the Tournament for his performances.

Geremi earned his 100th cap for Cameroon on 11 February 2009, scoring a goal as part of a 3–1 friendly win against Guinea in Paris, a game in which he scored from a free kick.

Geremi played in 11 2010 World Cup qualifiers as Cameroon finished top of Group A in the Third Round of Qualification, scoring one goal along the way.

In January 2010, Geremi and his teammates traveled to Angola for the Cup of Nations, falling to eventual champions Egypt in a 3–1 extra time loss.

Geremi was part of the Cameroon squad that took part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Playing in all 3 of Cameron's matches as they finished bottom of Group E.

Honours

Club

Real Madrid

• UEFA Champions League: 2000
• La Liga: 2000–01
• Supercopa de España: 2001

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06
• FA Community Shield: 2005

International

Cameroon

• Olympic Gold Medal: 2000
• Africa Cup of Nations: 2000, 2002

Career statistics

Club

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Cameroon			League		Cameroon Cup		League Cup		Africa		Total
1995	Racing FC Bafoussam	MTN Elite one
1996
Paraguay			League		Cup		League Cup		South America		Total
1997	Cerro Porteño	Primera División	6	0
Turkey			League		Türkiye Kupası		League Cup		Europe		Total
1997–98	Gençlerbirliği	Super League	28	4
1998–99			29	5
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Copa de la Liga		Europe		Total
1999–00	Real Madrid	Primera División	20	0	2	0	0	0	3	0	25	0
2000–01			16	0	0	0	0	0	8	0	24	0
2001–02			9	0	0	0	0	0	5	1	14	1
England			League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2002–03	Middlesbrough	Premier League	33	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	34	7
2003–04	Chelsea		25	1	1	0	3	0	10	0	39	1
2004–05			13	0	2	0	1	0	3	0	19	0
2005–06			15	2	3	0	1	0	2	0	21	2
2006–07			19	1	3	0	3	0	2	0	27	1
2007–08	Newcastle United		27	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	28	2
2008–09			15	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	17	0
2009–10		Championship	7	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	9	1
Turkey			League		Türkiye Kupası		League Cup		Europe		Total
2009–10	Ankaragücü	Süper Lig	12	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	2
Total	Cameroon		28	5							28	5
Total	Paraguay		6	0							6	0
Total	Turkey		57	9							57	9
Total	Spain		45	0	2	0	0	0	16	1	63	1
Total	England		154	13	10	0	13	1	17	0	194	14
Career total			290	27	12	0	13	1	33	1	348	29

Stats accurate as of 00:44, 4 January 2010.^[12][13]

Personal life

Geremi's father, Samuel, is a former footballer and Cameroon international in the 1970s. Samuel, a striker, was nicknamed "Poison Arrow" for his powerful shot and free kicks. Geremi's father was allowed five wives due to his status as a footballer, and Geremi has 17 siblings in Cameroon.

Geremi's brother,Webo, is also a professional player currently representing RCD Mallorca in Spain and is a teammate on the Cameroonian national team.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Geremi leaves A.E.L.
2. ^ "Del Bosque: "Geremi y McManaman hacían equipo"". AS.com. 2007-03-28. http://www.as.com/futbol/articulo/bosque-geremi-mcmanaman-hacian-equipo/20070328dasdaiftb_54/Tes. Retrieved 2011-07-06. 
3. ^ "Geremi completes Blues move". Sky Sports. 16 July 2003. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11668_2271039,00.html. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
4. ^ "Geremi completes Newcastle move". BBC Sport. 6 July 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/6244976.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-11. 
5. ^ "Big Sam Names Toon Captain". Newcastle United F.C.. http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10278~1089473,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-11. 
6. ^ "Tottenham 1–4 Newcastle". BBC Sport. 30 March 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7309369.stm. Retrieved 8 September 2009. 
7. ^ "West Ham 2–2 Newcastle". BBC Sport. 26 April 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7356064.stm. Retrieved 8 September 2009. 
8. ^ "Newcastle 4 – 3 Huddersfield". BBC Sport. 26 August 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/8214969.stm. Retrieved 8 September 2009. 
9. ^ "Newcastle ace joins Ankaragucu". Ontheminute.com. 2010-01-31. http://www.ontheminute.com/news/news.php?news=20695. Retrieved 2010-01-31. 
10. ^ "Geremi resmen Ankaragücü'nde" (in Turkish). NTVSpor. 2010-01-31. http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/id/25050853. Retrieved 2010-01-31. 
11. ^ "Cameroon’s Geremi Njitap Signs For Greek Club Larissa". Goal.com. 25 August 2010. http://www.goal.com/en/news/89/africa/2010/08/25/2086884/cameroons-geremi-njitap-signs-for-greek-club-larissa. Retrieved 15 September 2010. 
12. ^ "Geremi Career Stats". Soccerbase. 29 December 2009. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=19039. Retrieved 29 December 2009. 
13. ^ "Geremi Career Stats (2)". National Football Teams. 29 December 2009. http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/player.php?id=1280. Retrieved 29 December 2009. 

External links

• Geremi career stats at Soccerbase
• Geremi at National-Football-Teams.com
• BBC profile

Sporting positions
Preceded by Scott Parker	Newcastle United Captain 2007–2008	Succeeded by Michael Owen

Persondata
Name	Fotso, Geremi Sorele Njitap
Alternative names	Njitap, Geremi
Short description	Association footballer
Date of birth	1978-12-20
Place of birth	Bafoussam, Cameroon
Date of death
Place of death