Habib Beye
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| Habib Beye | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Habib Beye | |
| Date of birth | October 19, 1977 | |
| Place of birth | Suresnes, France | |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 111⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Right back | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Newcastle United | |
| Number | 21 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1997–1998 1998–2003 2003–2007 2007– |
Paris Saint-Germain Strasbourg Marseille Newcastle United |
0 (0) 134 (8) 147 (4) 29 (1) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2001–2008 | Senegal | 35 (1) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Habib Beye (born October 19, 1977 in Suresnes), is a French-Senegalese footballer who currently plays for English Premiership club Newcastle United. He was a regular feature in the Senegalese starting line up before retiring from international football in 2008. His primary position is as a right back in defence, whilst he is also able to play in central defence.
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[edit] Club career
[edit] Paris Saint-Germain
He joined Paris Saint-Germain in 1997, though he progressed no further than the reserve side, playing in the national fifth division. He transfered at the end of the season to RC Strasbourg in 1998 for an undisclosed amount.
[edit] RC Strasbourg
Following his summer move to RC Strasbourg in 1998, Beye made his league debut on 8 August 1998 in a home 0-0 draw against Olympique Lyonnais, and played a total of 23 times in his first season at the club. He missed just five league matches in the following season, and netted for the first time on 2 October 1999 in a 2-2 home draw with FC Girondins de Bordeaux. He was a member of the RC Strasbourg side that won the 2001 French Cup, eventually defeating third division Amiens SC in a penalty shoot-out, whilch helped his team achieve UEFA Cup qualification in the following season. He appeared a total of 134 times in the league for Strasbourg, scoring 8 goals, before moving to Marseille in 2003, a move which surprised many as he was a firm favourite at RC Strasbourg and had established himself as a key player there.
[edit] Olympique Marseille
Beye signed for Marseille in the summer of 2003 for a reported €2.5million, by then manager Alain Perrin. In his opening season with the club, he took part in both UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup cup football. He was a key player for the Marseille side that reached the 2004 UEFA Cup Final, a run which involved him putting in a star performance as a central defender against his current team Newcastle United, where he was particularly effective against Newcastle’s talisman striker Alan Shearer. He ended up on the losing side as Marseille lost the Final to Valencia CF 3-0. He was also a beaten finalist in the 2006 French Cup against former club Paris Saint-Germain, a match which his team lost 2-1, and again in 2007 when his Marseille team lost on penalties to FC Sochaux. His time with Marseille was a successful one where established himself as one of the most accomplished defenders in France's top tier and was voted the fans’ Player of the Year in 2006. He was captain of Marseille for two years prior to his move to Newcastle United.
[edit] Newcastle United
Beye signed for Newcastle United for a fee of £2million (€3million) on 31 August 2007, during the closing minutes of the summer transfer window. He signed a 3 year contract, with then Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce declaring that he was very pleased with the transfer. Allardyce said in a later interview on the clubs website that he felt he acquired Beye for a "bargain" price and that him and his international colleague who also signed with him, Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye would be excellent signings for Newcastle. [1]
He made his debut on 17 September, as a substitute in Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat at Derby County. He then made his full debut at home to West Ham United, a display which impressed many Newcastle fans. He has since been a fixture in the first team, and scored his first goal for Newcastle in the 2-1 win against Birmingham City on December 9, with a near post header in second-half injury time.
His performance against Reading on April 5, 2008, was widely praised with one renowned football critic calling him the "most skillful right back in the premiership"[citation needed]
His ability to defend well and provide a good outlet going forward have enamored him to the Newcastle faithful and a number of terrace songs have been heard, starting with a chant of his name to the tune of Happy Days first heard at Fulham.
His status as a cult hero has been cemented by the creation of the tongue-in-cheek fan site Beyewatch
On May 22, Beye was named Newcastle player of the season based on fan votes to a poll organised by the Evening Chronicle[2], he was then named the official Newcastle player of the season on May 23.[3]
[edit] International career
Beye has been a regular in the Senegal national squad since 2001, and has 19 caps. He made substitute appearances in Senegal's matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, against Denmark, Uruguay and Sweden. He has retired from international football in an effort to concentrate on his club career following a shambolic African Cup of Nations by Senegal in 2008. [4]
[edit] Honours
- French Cup: 2001 (winner), 2006 (finalist), 2007 (finalist)
- UEFA Cup: 2004 (finalist)
[edit] References
- ^ Craig Hope. "Marseille Skipper Completes Move", Newcastle United, 2007-08-31. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- ^ Beye tops Toon fans' end of season poll www.chroniclelive.co.uk, 22 May 2008
- ^ Craig Hope. "NUFC Player Of The Season Result", Newcastle United, 2008-05-13. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ Eurosport. "Beye ends Senegal career", Yahoo Sports, 2008-02-06. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Nicky Butt |
Newcastle United F.C. Player of The Year 2008 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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