Antoine Sibierski
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| Antoine Sibierski | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antoine Sibierski | |
| Date of birth | August 5, 1974 | |
| Place of birth | Lille, France | |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |
| Playing position | Forward | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Wigan Athletic | |
| Number | 6 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| Lille | ||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1992–1996 1996–1998 1998–2000 2000–2003 2003–2006 2006–2007 2007– |
Lille Auxerre Nantes Lens Manchester City Newcastle United Wigan Athletic |
97 (17) 42 (8) 50 (17) 89 (23) 92 (11) 26 (3) 30 (4) |
| National team2 | ||
| France B | 1 (1) | |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Antoine Sibierski (born August 5, 1974 in Lille) is a French football player who currently plays for Wigan Athletic.
He began his career at hometown club Lille, where he moved up the ranks and played for four complete seasons in the first team before playing for Auxerre and Nantes, where he won the French Cup in 2000. He then joined Lens, and he became club captain within his three years in the side.
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[edit] Manchester City
Sibierski moved to Manchester City for a fee of £700,000 in August 2003,[1] where he scored on his debut against Charlton Athletic.[2] However, the arrivals of Steve McManaman and Claudio Reyna put extra pressure on Sibierski to do well.
He was a regular substitute for the team, having started only eighteen of the thirty-three games he participated in, during an all important first season in which he scored seven goals.
The 2005-06 season saw him fighting for a new contract at the club. Early on in the season he won a place up front due to the injury of Andy Cole but was soon reverted back to the bench. Despite this Sibierski still signed a one-year extension to his contract at the club which was meant to last until the summer of 2007.
[edit] Newcastle United
Newcastle United signed Sibierski on August 31, 2006 on a one-year contract, just two hours and twenty minutes before the close of the transfer window. Some fans considered the Frenchman's signing as a joke, considering the fans high expectations of signings from the previous season, in which Newcastle signed the likes of Michael Owen, Scott Parker and Emre.
He scored on his Newcastle debut in the UEFA cup first round tie against Levadia. His league debut for the club came at West Ham on 17 September, and he scored his first domestic goal for Newcastle on 7 November against Watford in the Carling Cup. He scored his first league goal for the club in a 1-0 win over Portsmouth. Sibierski then went on to score his second league goal for the Magpies against Reading in a thrilling encounter in which the Magpies went on to win 3-2. His goal scoring form at the start of the season proved many Geordie doubters wrong, as Sibierski went on to be a key European figure. In Europe, Sibierski made 7 appearances and scored 4 essential goals against Levadia Tallinn, Fenerbahçe, Celta Vigo and Zulte-Waregem respectively.
He quickly became a Newcastle favourite and an important member of the first team loved by the Newcastle faithful. Due to injuries on Tyneside, including England Striker Michael Owen, Sibierski mainly played as a striker, where his partnership with Nigerian Obafemi Martins proved successful. He also played as an attacking midfielder in a 4-5-1 formation. He played a part in an exciting 2-2 draw with Manchester United, later saying he was disappointed not to get on the scoresheet against his former club's main rivals. He scored his first European goal of 2007 with a brilliant individual effort against Zulte-Waregem in the UEFA Cup on February 15. Sibierski nut-megged a defender, took it round another, took it round the keeper and tapped home the last goal in a 3-1 win.
However Newcastle were not willing to match Sibierski's wish of a new two-year contract at the club, instead offering just another one-year contract, which he rejected. Sibierski's agent Willie McKay stated that whilst negotiations were still ongoing, it looked increasingly likely that Sibierski would be leaving the club as his contract came to an end. Following his season with Newcastle, Sibierski now describes himself as a Newcastle fan.[3] during the close season he has been linked to a move to norwich city to team up with his old boss glen roeder
[edit] Wigan Athletic
Sibierski agreed a two-year deal with Wigan Athletic on a free transfer from Newcastle United on 4 June 2007.[4] He scored on his debut in the 2-1 defeat at Everton on August 11, 2007.[5] He followed this up with a second goal for the Latics on his home debut at the JJB Stadium on August 15 against Middlesbrough, and a third for Wigan's third game in a row, completing a 3-0 victory over Sunderland on August 18. Subsequently, Sibierski suffered several injuries and his form slumped, as Wigan slipped from the top 4 to the relegation zone.
However on January 12, 2008, Sibierski scored a crucial winner within seconds of coming off the bench against Derby with a low drive into the bottom left corner of the net from 25 yards out. He then followed this up with another spectacular goal against Chelsea in the FA Cup.
[edit] Honours
- Coupe de France: 1999, 2000
- Trophée des Champions: 1999
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006
[edit] Personal life
Sibierski has a wife called Isabelle, two daughters - Axelle & Sibylle - and a baby boy - Alessandro.[citation needed]
Sibierski has been friends with fellow footballer and former Lille teammate Frédéric Dindeleux since the age of eight, and he was best man at Sibierski's wedding.[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Man City land Sibierski", BBC Sport (2003-08-02). Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ "Man City brush Charlton aside", BBC Sport (2003-08-17). Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ Rayner, Stuart (2007-08-20). "Sibierski happy to please the Magpies", icNewcastle. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ "Wigan sign Bramble and Sibierski", BBC Sport (2007-06-04). Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
- ^ "Everton 2-1 Wigan", BBC Sport (2007-08-11). Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ "Sibierski rubs salt into friend's wounds", RTÉ Sport (2007-02-15). Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
[edit] External links
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