Asteras Tripolis flirted with Robbie Keane, who was a more guaranteed solution for their bench, but handed the reins to Claude Makélélé.
The 51-year-old coach, with a lengthy tenure as one of the top central midfielders of his time at Nantes, Marseille, Celta, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain, moved to Tripoli and finalized his agreement with the Greek team.
The Arcadians had parted ways with Milan Rastavac and were seeking a renowned name that would elevate their level. They did not align with Keane on all points, unlike the Franco-Congolese, who after Bastia (2014) and Eupen (2017-19) takes on the “cyan-yellow” project. Leaving Belgium, he worked in the youth divisions of Chelsea, simultaneously assuming a mentoring role. He has also been a member of staff at various clubs and a technical consultant at Monaco.
Let’s not kid ourselves, Makélélé does not possess a coaching pedigree. Nevertheless, his stature combined with his desire to build his career in the field allows the Arcadians to remain optimistic that the experiment is likely to succeed in Greek football.
As a player, he has won one Champions League and a double-digit number of domestic titles. He has also competed in a World Cup final (2006).
Details of the statement from Asteras Tripolis:
A iconic global football personality is coming to ASTERAS AKTOR. The great Frenchman Claude Makélélé is our new coach.
Mr. Claude Makélélé Sinda, as is his full name, was born on February 18, 1973, in the city of Kinshasa, Zaire.
We welcome Mr. Claude Makélélé and his collaborators to the ASTERAS AKTOR family and wish them good luck.
THE BIOGRAPHY
Mr. Claude Makélélé is a prominent football personality, with experiences and titles at the highest level of world football.
As a coach, he has worked at the French Bastia and the Belgian Eupen, where he was in charge for two years with 70 matches on the bench. He has also gained significant coaching experience, having served as an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti and Laurent Blanc at the French Paris Saint-Germain and later to Paul Clement at Swansea in Wales. In recent years, he was part of the staff at English Chelsea, with a role in the Academies and as a technical consultant.
As a player in the defensive midfield position, he had a great career both with the French National Team and with the top-level clubs he played for. He was a key member of the French National Team for over ten years, participating in two Euros, in 2004 and 2008, as well as in two World Cups, in 2002 and 2006, even reaching the final in the latter! Additionally, in 1996, he participated in the Olympic Games.
He played for the following clubs: Nantes, Marseille, Celta Vigo, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain. He won the Champions League in the 2001-2002 season with Real Madrid, the UEFA Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup, as well as two Spanish championships with them (2001-2003), along with the Copa del Rey. He also won the Premier League twice with Chelsea (2005-2006), as well as the English League Cup, while he was crowned champion in the early years of his football career, in 1995, with French Nantes.
THE COLLEAGUES
Mr. Claude Makélélé will have two other very significant football personalities as his direct collaborators at ASTERAS AKTOR.
His immediate assistant in the technical staff of our team will be Mr. Raphaël Fèvre, born on August 22, 1974, in France. He has worked in the youth divisions of Bordeaux and has been a member of the technical staff in Eupen, Chicago Fire, Paris FC, SC Bastia, Valenciennes FC, and Stade Brestois.