Nicolas Anelka: The Story of "Le Incredible Sulk"

In the late 90s, there wasn't a hotter young star in England than Arsenal's number 9. Pacy, skillful, powerful, and a gifted finisher, Anelka was a supreme talent whose future was bright. Off-pitch issues constantly drove "Le Sulk" away from the clearly laid-out path to greatness, but how GOOD could he have been?
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Growing up in France, and Joining PSG
0:35 - Arsenal
3:01 - Real Madrid, UCL, and EURO 2000
5:33 - PSG
6:42 - Return to the Premier League
8:38 - Fenerbahçe
10:08 - Bolton
12:00 - Chelsea
16:11 - 2010 World Cup
17:24 - Shanghai, and Celebration Controversies
19:41 - The Story of "Le Incredible Sulk"
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#anelka #soccer #football #theretroroute

[@jcdova29]

Anelka walked away with lots of money and lots of goals on some of the biggest clubs. He has a beautiful family and seems happy and that’s all that matters.

[@TizerisT.]

his attitude was good at chelsea. he was in a super-professional environment full of dominant characters, and he quietly got his head down and just worked hard. i never thought i would see anelka like this.

[@paulgibbons4223]

Anelka at Chelsea was deadly .. his game was completely refined

[@dondamon4669]

He was rubbish there ! Completely ruined the team his goal scoring record was one of the worst strikers ever!

[@patrickhenriques6505]

@@dondamon4669 he wasn’t the striker,he was a winger...DROGBA and Shevchenko were

[@patrickhenriques6505]

@@dondamon4669 and he won the golden boot at Chelsea

[@joelsiju2005]

@@patrickhenriques6505 Seasons increased became worse

[@EMMmaximino]

@@patrickhenriques6505 how could he forgot about drogba

[@arsk5127]

The trio Drogba, Anelka and Malouda were scoring goals for fun back in 2009-2010. More than 70 goals for the season between those three. Altogether he was a good signing for the Blues, worked hard, delivered and won stuff.

[@tontonmonkeyrilla.83]

8 years after the 2010 World Cup scandal in Knysna and the famous insult published in the newspaper "l'Équipe", former France coach Raymond Domenech said that Nicolas Anelka had never said these insults. 8 years later! Too late the damage was done.

[@herbert9241]

A diamond in the rough at Arsenal, Anelka never stopped learning and became a very accomplished forward - and, yes, I'm one of those who say he hit his peak at Bolton and Chelsea.

[@daquaviousbingleton9763]

How was he in the rough that arsenal team was one of the best premier league teams to ever exist

[@herbert9241]

@@daquaviousbingleton9763 - He had one major attribute: speed. Touch, awareness, control etc. were in the rough at that time.

[@herbert9241]

@@daquaviousbingleton9763 - It literally means an uncut diamond, you berk.

[@herbert9241]

@John Jordan - Read it again in a louder voice. Tsk!

[@johnarch6876]

Can you imagine what Wenger would have made out of him? The Boss even admitted himself that the prospect had the most potential.

[@creative_soul-recolo]

If there was a footballer that was as enigmatic as his reputation, it was Nicholas Anelka. For all his troubles, he was quite the footballer. Unfortunately, I only got to witness him at Chelsea and he was still lethal and his partnership with Drogba was intimidating especially in the 2009-10 when Chelsea were ruthless in the PL. People can talk smack about him all they like but he has had quite the career that many a footballer would ever dare to dream of having (in no way was he washed because he never got hooked onto drugs nor alcohol throughout his career). He played the game how he wanted to play it, PLAIN AND SIMPLE! In addition: I salute this mans efforts and resilience to overcome the nonsensical criticism from journalists who knew f**k all about football. HE WAS HIS OWN MAN! By the way, his Netflix documentary is AWESOME! I highly recommend

[@mthokongubane8123]

I will check it out, since I also saw him play for us at chelsea and was a dribbler who didn't lose the ball that much

[@creative_soul-recolo]

@@mthokongubane8123 him and Drogba were on smoke in 2010. Please do, it's a great watch

[@qonquererqanquerer1781]

I'll Definitely Say So

[@burlhorse61]

i saw him as a teenager at arsenal-never saw anyone that good as a forward.i know he came back to chelsea, but he'd lost the pace he had at arsenal

[@creative_soul-recolo]

@@burlhorse61 There are a lot of footballers who lose their pace but you can't replace football intelligence. That's why some of the best players are the ones who get better every year. Today's football is so one-track minded with pace to the point where 80% of these "top players" don't know spacial awareness and timing as they careers continue. Players like Anelka matured with their football abilities. I mean he even played on the wing at points in his career and for someone to do that whilst maintaining their ego takes character. I mean tell we a player who can go from Top-Side like Arsenal, Real Madrid in those days to play for an above average Liverpool of the early 2000s, mid-table sides like Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers then back to the top for Chelsea and win titles and become the fulcrum of the side.

[@gregoriuspascalis500]

English media has always been toxic. Balotelli is also a victim of their antics.

[@bp3366]

Balotelli was definitely a victim of their antics but he was also a victim of his own.

[@tjfootball1908]

Spanish media is far worse

[@thetwitterlectual9528]

No, Balotelli was just an idiot. “ Why always me? “ he asked. Because you do dangerous things like set fireworks off in buildings, which could actually kill people. That was why it was always you.

[@j.c.n9718]

Well said.

[@dandan3045]

All media is

[@Ali-zy2qj]

Nicolas Anelka had an extraordinary career even after all this "sulking".

[@creative_soul-recolo]

He was quite the professional which is something that isn't highlighted. I have rarely heard of him getting wasted or hooked on drugs. He wasn't a YES MAN, period.

[@evaristusasobara4348]

@@creative_soul-recolo he seemed to be antiauthoritarian. That's not professionalism.

[@creative_soul-recolo]

@@evaristusasobara4348 either way, he held his own. To be honest, he didn't want to be a pushover 😏😁

[@yhg7ygo7g7igoi]

@@creative_soul-recolo being coachable isn’t being a pushover that should be the minimum of a professional footballer being paid millions

[@creative_soul-recolo]

@@yhg7ygo7g7igoi Fair point however I don't think that he wanted to be run a muck. Many a coach easily take advantage of a footballer due to giving them too much instruction. Sure, it might have cost him in many a team and all but not footballers will be squeaky clean especially if they are talented.

[@dejanjovanovski1686]

if you think Drogba, Anelka and Lampard were dangerous together, just think how lethal Henry Anelka Bergkamp would've been. the invincible season would've been a treble!

[@flavaj12]

Also in their prime!

[@5thdawg917]

Lmao. Yet the invincibles team lost to Chelsea in the champions league.

[@dejanjovanovski1686]

@@5thdawg917 re-read my comment again and try to comprehend. Come back for a step by step explanation if youre still having trouble.

[@VaddyFC]

Lampard was better than Dennis Bergkamp though.... Drogba was on Henry's level..... So you could argue the trio of Drogba, Anelka and Lampard was better than the one Arsenal could have had if Anelka stayed there....

[@ahahahah9189]

@@VaddyFC Drogba was great but was definitely not as prolific as Henry - Henry has 5 consecutive seasons scoring 20+ in the league a season (24, 24, 30, 25, 27) and directly before this, had two seasons scoring 17 in each (his first 2 seasons) and he played for 8 seasons altogether. Drogba had 2 seasons with 20+ goals in the leagye (20 in 06/07 and 29 in 09/10) but other than this, did not have a 20+ goal season in 9 seasons.

[@Bayard2024]

I might add an important bit of context regarding the 2010 World Cup. We french people not only remember the very poor playing level we had under Raymond Domenech but also the fact that we qualified litterally robbed the Irish of their spot in the competition with Thierry Henry's infamous handball. Added to that the prostitution scandal that hit the team a few months before that... The French national team was at its lowest in decades back then, caught between bad atmosphere at the country's level and a national team that achieved nothing to bring us back some pride and honour. And Nicolas Anelka, due to his undaunted or indisciplined attitude was the perfect scapegoat. I never really was a fan of the man but to be fair he paid the penalty for many other guys. To sum up his carreer I would easily compare him to Hatem Ben Arfa ; a natural talent gone to waste.

[@DejiTalker]

Well explained, Anelka was easily the scape goat. The media really messed with him, but man had mental strength to return from all those bashing to become successful @ Chelsea

[@Midtable1881]

The City/Bolton/Chelsea period will be the NA39 I’ll always remember fondly.

[@anthonylong9067]

Anelka was an absolute baller

[@carlislepanting5219]

Belize central america I'm from and I'm a Real Madrid fan but i have huge respect for Nicholas Anelka!!✌🏽🙏🌎☮️💯🔝

[@dozz87]

6:50 - not quite true, he was great at Liverpool and the fans wanted him to stay. Anelka's brother (agent) had other plans and messed Gerard about during negotiations so Liverpool pulled the plug and signed....Diouf instead! Most of the staff/players/fans who remember that time have said they majorly regret not making Anelka a perm signing.

[@sametozkan9175]

Sadly Houllier terminated his contract.

[@WA4AndyShaw]

I'd like to see you do Esteban Cambiasso. Please? ☺

[@t.s5806]

Man I've been dying to see another video from this guy. I've watched ALL his videos

[@ismaelmoha786]

Anelka refused to have an agent until his Chelsea move. That's why the medias hated him and why he was blacklisted by clubs. At that time, all the Top players had agent but he choose his brothers. He even said in 2008 that he needed to compromise and fire his brothers and take an agent to sign for Chelsea otherwise he would have still played for a middle table team or in a lesser league like the greek or turkish. Gerrard Houiller choose Diouf instead of him because Anelka refused to be represented by the agent Houiller wanted for him.

[@shaquillebazzey8111]

If he didn't score a single goal in 5 months for Madrid, the media definitely wasn't his enemy

[@maxamedwali3484]

spot on 👍

[@lwandomadikizela2213]

Anelka had one helluva career. Was blasted and shunned by the English media only for him to flip the bird on them and won silverware and the golden boot for Chelsea. Say what you want to say about Anelka and his questionable antics, there's no doubt he became a Premier League legend at Chelsea.

[@abdiomar3204]

Antics he was still right about everything??

[@omegamudondo4748]

Beautiful words about another human being whom i also watched. Bless you in all your doings,only few people like you think positive comments.drogba,anelka,kaloue,lampard,the rest is history.....

[@lwandomadikizela2213]

@@omegamudondo4748 Thanks for the complement.

[@datpham1439]

I was hoping Retro would drop another banger.. my prayers were answered! I can't wait to watch this one 😁

[@theretroroute]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@archipiratta]

@@theretroroute I most certainly did. _L'Enfant Terrible_ joins a long list of maestros who but for their temperament could have gone on to have gone on to achieve way more than they did. Think: Balotelli, Ben Afra, Totti, Cassano to name a few

[@datpham1439]

​@@theretroroute Great stuff Retro, I came back to watch it again. I was surprised to hear that at the end FA concluded that Anelka wasn't anti-semitic and his gesture was misinterpreted. Yet he still paid a hefty price. Reminds me a little bit of the Suarez, Evra spat and allegations of racism over a term that was lost in translation.

[@datpham1439]

​@@archipiratta I bet a lot of Giallorossi ultras would argue with one of those names in your list!

[@liamh9814]

He was amazing. Watch a compilation of his goals, 99% on the deck, keepers could not get down to them. Incredible talent. This from a Man U fan.

[@berlinocelot]

Good point.

[@DavidGeePCDJ]

Cant wait for the next one 👌❤️

[@Jack-ni4ft]

These videos are so good! Really really good content!

[@jordan_roadhouse4798]

Criminally undersubbed channel! Nice documentary Retro ❤

[@jordan_roadhouse4798]

@@duvaughnkelly6947 Yeah i know what you mean. I'm a football fan, my main teams are Huddersfield town, Burnley and Arsenal, but i love to watch any game and the many interesting stories you find in the beautiful game!

[@5thdawg917]

I remember him from Liverpool days & onwards when I started watching football around then. This guy stop Chelsea from doing the invincibles season with his penalty for Man City back in 05 season. And as Chelsea fan, I never really liked him as a player for us. I was always 50/50 with him. Hated him when he missed that penalty for us in 08. But made up for it with the double season later on.

[@gstrdms]

I checked out of the game about 10yrs ago and now it's both amazing and sad to hear of what happened to some of the biggest talents of the time.

[@scotthiddleston8590]

Remember that pace at 17 ..electrifying..

[@alexblake1067]

This guy had an aura i loved one of my favs thanks for shining light on him

[@westham118]

Matee loved this! Always thought Anelka was something special and I loved how you knew most of the “bad press” was literally just the uk press vs anyone remotely inspiring. More no nonsense stuff like this! Thank you

[@pekokomnenic7053]

He is the reason I’ve started loving Arsenal, can’t imagine how good Arsenal would be if he stayed…

[@giggopfenniger8110]

Love your videos keep it up 💪 I would love a video about Ivan Zamorano (1+8) 🙌

[@TheGaymos]

Wonderful video, that 1999-2000 Real Madrid team always interested me.

[@theretroroute]

Thanks! Many forgotten greats in that team.

[@Vantastic4thewin]

Hey there Retro! Love your videos. Keep em coming. So a little suggestion. Since your content is heavily based on narration, I'd suggest that you try and upgrade your microphone. If feel that it could contribute a lot improving the quality of your overall videos. Cheers!

[@talleyran653]

Second this.

[@bobbyzamora2230]

Really well made video

[@beastTime999]

Am a chelsea fan glade to see this masterclass 💙

[@R9DL]

The streets will never forget! - Anelka was an absolute baller - misunderstood & needed that special touch man-management

[@Michaelkaydee]

That media driven "he doesn't smile" for foreign players, especially the French, with the English man Wright as the darling, is still alive and well... Re: Martial and Rashford

[@adebayoayodeji4139]

Wonder what they want with a player's smile.....players are not clowns....Rooney doesn't smile as well but never got criticized for it.

[@SheffKhalid]

Imagine him and Kanu as depth to Bergkamp and Henry 🫣

[@minatodroger7890]

Ahhh lord 😳

[@mouawyaa]

What a fantastic channel, it should be 10m subscribers minimum 🙏👍🎉

[@moncefecw3131]

Nice video

[@jksi7977]

In Chelsea he was a veteran of the game. Not pensioner yet . Still hungry for goals but cold-blooded ,experienced finisher.

[@steveirungu3132]

I remembered the dynamic trio of Didier Drogba Nicholas Anelka and lastly Frank Lampard by Steve Irungu Jermaine

[@ajb1991.1]

Loved him at Chelsea

[@adeolaallentaylor8920]

He will always be a Legend who had beautiful career.

[@sobrevalorado]

No, he Will not

[@steveirungu3132]

I remembered the dynamic duo of Didier Drogba and Nicholas Anelka by Steve Irungu Jermaine

[@zully8290]

Man of many clubs. Sort of Mourinho but as a player. Never stay too long at 1 club

[@adhammp6885]

A great one

[@calahoon22]

Damn, 500k even in 1997 was a steal!

[@paulleach3612]

His goals for Bolton earned him his legend status amongst the fans. Sure, he was lackadaisical in defence, but then again that's not what they were paying him for.

[@mansoormannix1753]

This guy was one of the best strikers the world have produced but he never established his signature as a legend of any club he played for because he never last long. He virtually played for all big teams.

[@lowkeybongo]

Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid , PSG. U can tell he was special

[@maxamedwali3484]

juve

[@Brascofarian]

It's a very weird take on his Anfield stint. The fans, at least those in the ground watching, were impressed with his contribution and did want him to sign a permanent deal. I think he would have taken it too.

[@rosemaryfarell5264]

Anelka may have only svored 5 goals for Liverpool but his performances were great for us. Biggrst mistake Houllier made was signing Diouf over Anelka.

[@doctorkhumalo7730]

This man was a baller 😎

[@neilreading3552]

My fave Anelka moment was Chelsea getting knocked out by Barca by Iniesta's late goal. Drogba had a meltdown, Anelka just walked off completely unconcerned.

[@lpika3149]

A legend still

[@shekermhadhbi988]

can someone please enlighten me about the name of the soundtrack at the end of the video?

[@jerry3100]

Wenger rated Anelka higher than Henry. But it was the right attitude & mentality that let the latter became one the deadliest striker in the football history.

[@fredysanmiguel4488]

will this be add to the list of eric cantona,,, frank ribery , benzema?

[@meatballsportstalk6297]

Very talented player glad he got to play for over a decade

[@akosasuke5128]

Thank you Anelka for your time in Chelsea

[@encorefootball]

An utterly brilliant player when he was happy, but he needed to be in the right environment to perform. Tbh he was a rather introverted character who was somewhat abrasive in his interviews and hated the media.

[@craig0weston20]

What a talent

[@elwansyahrisman5049]

As a Gunner, at first i Saw Anelka, i always thought he Will be a born and raised Gunner (kinda like spurs Kane)..then he had other plans..and his best version is not ours..and he won a lot of cups while not gunners..i kinda don't like him for it, but it is what it is.. Cant believe that Hes so phenomenal that his accumulate transfer fees is the record at one time..😁

[@marvinbrown2356]

I wish he could of been a great player at Liverpool when he joined us on loan but he would never be the same player he was when he first came to Arsenal under Wenger his pace & eye for goal was on a different level for such a young player that had never played in the Premiership before! (By the end of his career he just picked up a paycheque for just being there!)..........I don’t think we’ll see another player like him just like we’ll never see another Messi,Suarez,Torres,Bergkamp,Henry,C.Ronaldo,Gerrard,Drogba💯❤️⚽️

[@ziryabjamal]

No Anelka documentary is complete without some coverage on the infamous Quenelle

[@justtoxic3716]

Watched him in Fenerbahce. What a beast he was. Every team in the world needs an Anelka. Unfortunately there is only one.

[@yatesy117]

Loved Anelka at Man City he was one of few shining lights during that time great goalscorer

[@G-childInc]

He was awesome

[@NICKDEVILS420]

I was surprised when Anelka left Arsenal, seemed to be happy there despite his sulky reputation, was getting picked regular and scoring goals, thought he did play for top teams after he seemed more miserable and career also went sideways.

[@thetwitterlectual9528]

I’m not so sure Amelia would have hit the heights many thought. His game was all about his pace, and that takes a real toll on the body, particularly the knees. Two other players (Michael Owen and Brazilian Ronaldo) were lightning fast in their teens, and then suffered bad knee injuries by their mid twenties.

[@Lee_1985]

Anelka was still rapid way after he left Arsenal and was also very lucky with injuries.

[@martinkabinga4785]

Anelka and drogba combination was fire

[@1giane]

was there any reason why he was left out of the 1998 world cup squad?

[@deonhunte2282]

My first favourite player

[@Mikey13Morales]

Anelka was a boss man 🎉🎉🎉

[@vivekvilla]

👐🏻 Anelkaaaaaaaaaaa

[@chelseadiehard1]

As a Chelsea diehard,I respect anelka as our legend

[@raycorey]

I think he suffered from a lot of confidence issues. People see this as sulking etc but you can see it in his face.

[@ionnicoara6657]

I remember that season at Chelsea when Drogba got injured, he got the golden boot , he stepped up...

[@hazard1080]

love anelka. never gave a f about the media, did what he wanted, and still had a successful career. and he's muslim :)

[@ituaboyemma619]

Anelka the most decorated French footballer 🙌👍👍

[@kool2493]

Alneka looks like a top musician of the centuries

[@dariuspalmer2829]

The song choices are a bit odd

[@graemepyper9951]

It's hard to say if Anelka just had an attitude problem or if it was provoked by the British media poking at him... He was in every sense just as good as the likes of R9, Weah and Henry... Seems like that initial attack from the British media was the catalyst for his downward spiral... After that it was just a struggle to get up and running again without the media stirring it up... Perhaps if Anelka had a better mentality or perhaps if the outside influences had backed off maybe we could have seen something incredible... On paper coming in and being as much of a golden prospect at Arsenal moving to Madrid should have been beyond epic proportions but alas it wasn't meant to be... Shame really he's a real favourite choice of mine in football games.

[@yinionimmanuelbarjoseph9587]

To me when I analyse Anelka in chelsea he is a tactical player and a good finisher that score a lot of goal for chelsea when he was at his peak and don't let us forget he was under the shadow of didier drogba it is the MEDIA that destroy Anelka

[@Roscoe.P.Coldchain]

I remember meeting him I was working at the Man City ground at the time when Phillips was there haha, I thought he was of the players kids he was tiny 😂

[@Martinovic91]

He won more Trophies than Garrard and Garrhager

[@kolyxix]

He should never have left Arsenal. Pattneship with Henry could have been the best striker dou in the Epl. Loved him at Chelsea

[@archipiratta]

Imagine if him, Balotelli and Robinho were in a Citeh starting 11!! The drama!!

[@onurtasdemir6768]

You give me goosebumps with your documentaries your intro music is legendary hopefully u will make a video of me ..😂😂😂😂 Fyi im absloutley usless at football but if passion and desire and knowledge turned into talent i would of been the goat. And btw not euro 2002 -04

[@MrSkillz91]

His time at Bolton was special. Then under Ancelotti he became a below the radar weapon. He doesn’t get much credit for his contributions under Carlo.

[@ionnicoara6657]

Malouda Drogba Anelka , crazy trio, so ruthless

[@countyourmiracles.7734]

He literally played in every club.

[@mike04574]

do a video on guti

[@patrickstewart9937]

Anelka at Arsenal was a nightmare for any defender

[@MohammedAli-xe2iv]

WAT A PLAYER

[@David_Smith]

Lots of clubs keep going after him despite his struggles

[@ibexy]

Why did I keep thinking of Ballotelli? They surely belong to the same camp these 2?

[@TheKrazyk2010]

Anelka could have done something in 2002 for france