Danon Issouf Johannes Djourou Gbadjere (; born 18 January 1987), known as Johan Djourou, is a Swiss former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
centre back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
. According to his profile on the website of his former club
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, Djourou possesses "pace, power and whole-hearted commitment" in addition to his versatility.
He played as a
defensive midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
in his youth for former club
Ătoile Carouge, but when he arrived at Arsenal, he was converted to a
central defender
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
. He occasionally filled in at full back for Arsenal and played several games in
central midfield
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
while on loan to
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. He spent time on loan at
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...
in 2013 before joining fellow
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the FuĂball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
team
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
, initially on loan, later that year. After three years with Hamburg he went on to play for Turkish
Super Lig
Super may refer to:
Computing
* SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player
* Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages
* Super key (keyboard butt ...
club
Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor KulĂŒbĂŒ is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Antalya. The club's colours are red and white. They play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the club won the First League twice in 1982 and 1 ...
,
SPAL
SocietĂ Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly known as S.P.A.L. (), is a professional football club based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The team plays in Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football league system.
Founded in 1907, since ...
of
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
, the
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League (known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a Swiss professional league in the top tier of the Swiss football league system and has been played in its current format since the 2003–04 season ...
's
Sion
Sion may refer to
* an alternative transliteration of Zion
People
* Sion (name) or SiĂŽn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name
Plac ...
and
NeuchĂątel Xamax
, neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier
, twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (France ...
, and finally
NordsjĂŠlland
North Zealand, also North Sealand ( da, NordsjĂŠlland), refers to the northern part of the Danish island of Zealand which is not clearly defined but generally covers the area north of Copenhagen. The Danish tourist authorities have recently in ...
in the
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...
.
Djourou represented
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, NeuchĂątel ...
from 2006 to 2018, earning 76
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
. He was called up by the nation at three
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
s and two
UEFA European Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...
s.
Club career
Early career
Djourou was born in
Abidjan
Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, Nâko: ßßßßßßČߏ) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...
, Ivory Coast,
to Ivorian parents Joachim and Angeline, and was later adopted by his father's first wife, DaniĂšle, a Swiss woman. Djourou later acknowledged that he has two mothers in his life.
They moved to Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: GenĂšve ) frp, GenĂšva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after ZĂŒrich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
when he was 17 months old. According to his father, Djourou began playing football when he was baby, saying: "I would grab balls in stores and play football in the store." Djourou enrolled at the Payerne Training Center when he was 13 and then, in 2002, Djourou joined local second division side Ătoile Carouge as a midfielder at 15. He joined Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
on 1 August 2003.
Arsenal
Djourou made his first senior start for Arsenal in a 3â1 victory against Everton in the League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
, having made his first appearance after 89 minutes of the corresponding match in the previous round against Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
on 27 October 2004. He later made three appearances at the end of the 2004â05 season. On 21 January 2005, Djourou signed a two-year contract extension with the club.
His first appearance of the 2005â06 season came on 29 November 2005 against Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
in the Round of 16 of the League Cup, starting the whole game, in a 3â0 win. He then played in the third round clash with Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb PĂȘl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
. Djourou made his full Premiership debut for Arsenal in the 7â0 victory over Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
on 14 January 2006, playing at centre-back with Philippe Senderos
Philippe Sylvain Senderos (born 14 February 1985) is a Swiss retired professional footballer who played as a defender.
Senderos began his career at Servette, before moving to England as a teenager with Arsenal. He made 116 appearances over se ...
. He started Arsenal's FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871â72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
fourth round clash with Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
as part of a makeshift defence, a game in which Arsenal lost 1â0. In February 2006, Djourou played in the league games against West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
, Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
and Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
. After a five match absent, he returned to the first team, coming on as a substitute against Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
in Arsenal's 5â0 victory, replacing the injured Emmanuel EbouĂ©
Emmanuel Eboué (born 4 June 1983) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a right back.
Formed at ASEC Mimosas, he moved to Europe to play for Belgium's Beveren in 2002. He spent most of his career, from 2005 to 2011, with Ar ...
. Djourou then started in a league match against Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
on 12 April 2006, a game which also saw the comeback of Sol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club Southend United. He previously managed Macclesfield Town from November 2018 to August 20 ...
, in a 1â1 draw. At the end of the 2005â06 season, he went on to make twelve appearances in all competitions.
Following the conclusion of the World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities â usually international teams or individuals representing their countries â compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, Manager ArsĂšne Wenger
ArsĂšne Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...
said that he would be planning on using Djourou in the first team ahead of the new season. He started the whole game in the opening game of the season in Arsenal's first ever match at Emirates Stadium
The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...
in a 1â1 draw with Aston Villa. Djourou then played in both legs against Dinamo Zagreb
GraÄanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...
in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, as Arsenal won 5â1 on aggregate. He then helped Arsenal keep two separate clean sheets; which the first one occurred between 17 September 2006 and 23 September 2006 and the second one occurred between 14 October 2006 and 22 October 2006. On 1 November 2006, it was announced that Djourou signed a six-year contract extension with the club. Shortly after, however, he missed four matches, due to international commitment and competitions, he returned to the first team against Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
on 29 November 2006, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute, in a 2â1 loss. This was followed by keeping two consecutive clean sheets against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
and FC Porto
Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...
. The next two months saw Djourou make only two appearances due to being sidelined with injuries. It wasn't until on 11 February 2007 when he returned to the first team against Wigan Athletic, starting a match and played 51 minutes before being substituted, in a 2â1 win. However, his return was short-lived when Djourou suffered a knee injury that kept him out throughout February. It wasn't until on 3 March 2007 when he returned to the starting line-up, in a 2â1 win against Reading. After not playing for two months, Djourou returned to the starting line-up in the last game of the season against Portsmouth, playing in the defensive midfield position, as Arsenal drew 0â0. At the end of the 2006â07 season, he went on to make thirty appearances in all competitions.
Loan to Birmingham City
On 10 August 2007, Djourou signed for Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
on loan for five months.
He made his debut two days later against the previous season's FA Cup and League Cup winners Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. This was a closely fought contest in which Chelsea ran out eventual 3â2 winners, in which Djourou cleared off the line from Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelseaâs greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielder ...
to keep Birmingham City in the game. He then helped the club keep two consecutive clean sheets between 15 September 2007 and 22 September 2007 against gifted Bolton Wanderers and Liverpool. Djourou continued to play for Birmingham consistently through his loan period until 22 December 2007, when he gifted Bolton Wanderers' Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas SĂ©bastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and retired Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly fe ...
a goal via an errant throw-in
A throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball has exited the side of the field of play. It is governed by Law 15 of The Laws of the Game.
Award
When the ball goes out of play past the touch-line ...
.This marked his last appearance for the club. Although Birmingham manager Alex McLeish
Alexander McLeish (born 21 January 1959) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps for ...
was keen to retain him, Djourou returned to Arsenal at the end of his loan spell, as cover for Kolo Touré
Kolo Abib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who is the manager of Championship side Wigan Athletic. He played as a defender for Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Celtic and the Ivory Coas ...
and Alex Song
Alexandre Dimitri Song Billong (born 9 September 1987), better known as Alex Song, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Djiboutian side Arta/Solar7 as a central or defensive midfielder. He can also play as a central defender.
...
who were playing in the 2008 African Cup of Nations
The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated to the Confede ...
. By the time he returned to his parent club, Djourou made 13 appearances in all competitions.
Return to Arsenal
Shortly after returning from a loan spell at Birmingham City, Djourou made his first Arsenal's appearance of the 2007â08 season, coming against Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals of the League Cup, and played 45 minutes before being substituted at half time, as they drew 1â1. However, he suffered a groin injury that saw him sidelined for three months. Although Djourou returned to the substitute bench in midâApril, it wasn't until on 28 April 2008 when he returned to the first team, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute, in a 6â2 win against Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
. At the end of the 2007â08 season, Djourou made three appearances in all competitions for Arsenal.
In May 2008, Djourou stated that he would be willing to partner Cesc FĂ bregas
Francesc "Cesc" FĂ bregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como.
FĂ bregas came through ''La Masia'', Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when h ...
in midfield after the departure of Mathieu Flamini
Mathieu Pierre Flamini (born 7 March 1984) is a French former professional footballer and environmental entrepreneur. A midfielder, he has played for French side Marseille, English sides Arsenal and Crystal Palace, Italian side Milan and Spanish ...
to A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980â81 ...
. Instead, he played in the centre of defence as first choice backup following the departure of fellow Swiss defender Philippe Senderos
Philippe Sylvain Senderos (born 14 February 1985) is a Swiss retired professional footballer who played as a defender.
Senderos began his career at Servette, before moving to England as a teenager with Arsenal. He made 116 appearances over se ...
to A.C. Milan on a season-long loan. Djourou made his first appearance of the 2008â09 season, starting the whole game, and kept a clean sheet, in a 1â0 win against West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
in the opening game of the season. He played in both legs against FC Twente
Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedese Bo ...
in UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, as Arsenal won 6â0 on aggregate. On 22 September 2008, Djourou signed a new long-term contract. Following the absent of William Gallas
William Eric Gallas (born 17 August 1977) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played most of his footballing career in France and England before finishing his career in Australia with A-League club Perth Glo ...
, he started in the next seven matches for the club. During his first team run ins, Djourou scored an own goal against Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
on 30 November 2008, but Arsenal managed to catch up and went on to win 2â1. This lasted until he tweaked his calf in the warm-up and dropped out at the last minute prior to a 2â2 draw against Aston Villa on 22 December 2008. After missing two matches as a result, Djourou returned to the starting line-up against Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021â22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
in the third round of the FA Cup and helped Arsenal win 3â1. Since returning from injury, he found himself in and out of the first team for the club. However, on 11 April 2009, in a league match against Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
, Djourou suffered a knee injury which later required surgery. But he made a recovery from a knee injury and returned to the first team, and came on as a second-half substitute, in a 2â0 win against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
on 26 April 2009. Djourou later made two more appearances later in the 2008â09 season. He went on to make 29 appearances in all competitions.
After Touré's departure to Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
, Djourou had a chance to break into the starting eleven. However, he suffered a knee injury while on international duty. It was announced on 6 September 2009 that Djourou's recovery period would take an estimated of six to eight months; ArsÚne Wenger stated: "He will have to be patient this season." After returning to training in April, Djourou made his return from injury, coming on as a second-half substitute the injured Mikaël Silvestre
Mikaël Samy Silvestre (born 9 August 1977) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Silvestre began his career at Rennes in 1996, before moving to Italian club Inter Milan in 1998. He joined Manchester United in 19 ...
, in the 4â0 win over Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
in Arsenal's final game of the season, in what turned out to be his only appearance in the 2009â10 campaign.
Ahead of the 2010â11 season, Djourou said he's expecting competitions following the new signing of Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny (born 10 September 1985) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre back.
Born in Tulle, Koscielny began his football career playing for a host of youth clubs before moving to Guingamp in 2003, where he q ...
. Djourou appeared two times in the first two months of the season, and was placed on the substitute bench as a result. Due to Thomas Vermaelen
Thomas Vermaelen (born 14 November 1985) is a retired Belgian professional footballer who is currently an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Being left-footed, he usually played as a left-sided centre-back and could play at left-bac ...
's injury at the beginning of the 2010â11 campaign, Djourou received more opportunities to play. Djourou then played a role when he set up two goals, in a 5â1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk
Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Đ€ŃŃĐ±ĐŸĐ»ŃĐœĐžĐč ĐșĐ»Ńб «КаŃ
ŃĐ°Ń» ĐĐŸĐœĐ”ŃŃĐș , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...
on 19 October 2010. Wenger admitted that he rotated the Swiss international because he missed an entire year and did not want to lose him. Djourou became Arsenal's first-choice centre-back, playing in all eight games in January 2011, during which time Arsenal conceded no Premier League goals. His performance was praised by the club's captain Cesc FĂ bregas
Francesc "Cesc" FĂ bregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como.
FĂ bregas came through ''La Masia'', Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when h ...
. He played in both legs of the semi-finals against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
to help Arsenal win 3â1 on aggregate to reach the Football League Cup Final. Djourou scored his first goal for Arsenal on 5 February, in the third minute of a 4â4 draw against Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League â the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
at St. James' Park
St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England.
St James' Park ...
. He, once again, helped the club's defence keep three consecutive clean sheets between 12 February 2011 and 5 March 2011 against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
, Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
and Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
. On 27 February 2011, he started and played the full 90 minutes alongside Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny (born 10 September 1985) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre back.
Born in Tulle, Koscielny began his football career playing for a host of youth clubs before moving to Guingamp in 2003, where he q ...
against Birmingham City in the 2011 Football League Cup Final
The 2011 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2010â11 Football League Cup, the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and the Football League. The match was conteste ...
held at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
in a 2â1 defeat. On 12 March 2011, while playing in the quarter finals of the FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871â72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
away to Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
at Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
, Djourou suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder in a collision with teammate Bacary Sagna
Bacary Sagna (born 14 February 1983) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right back and is mostly known for his time at Arsenal. He also played for the France national football team.
Sagna's former manager at Arsenal, ...
. Djourou was carried from the field and Wenger later confirmed that he would be unavailable for the remainder of the 2010â11 season. This came as a major blow to Arsenal's title challenge, up until then having not lost a Premier League game with him on the field. As well as that Djourou had played a major part in defence in cover of the injured Vermaelen. Djourou recovered more quickly than expected, returning to play the whole of the 1â1 draw with Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
at the Emirates Stadium
The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...
on 17 April 2011, playing alongside Koscielny, and the North London Derby
The North London derby is the meeting of the association football clubs Arsenal F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C., both of which are based in North London, England. Fans of both clubs consider the other to be their main rivals, and the derby is c ...
three days later. On 24 April 2011, against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium
The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England.
Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming righ ...
, he conceded a penalty (missed by Kevin Davies
Kevin Cyril Davies (born 26 March 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. He managed Southport in the 2017â ...
) in a 2â1 defeat which effectively ended Arsenal's title hopes. At the end of the 2010â11 season, he played in a total of 37 matches for the Gunners in all competitions. Local newspaper Islington Gazette
The ''Islington Gazette'' is a weekly paid-for newspaper covering the borough of Islington in north London, England. It was established in 1856 and was owned by Independent News & Media until the early 21st century when it was bought by Archant.
...
gave Djourou's performance 8/10, saying: "Having missed over a year with a serious knee injury, his return coincided with a defensive shortage and he stepped into the breach admirably, not being on the losing side in the league until late April, when his form did start to fade. Has done enough to be first choice."
Ahead of the 2011â12 season, Djourou said he would fight for his place in the first team, having recovered from a shoulder injury. Having described Arsenal's failure to not reach the UEFA Champions League group stage as 'unthinkable', Djourou played in both legs against Udinese
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a fo ...
and helped the club win 3â1 on aggregate to reach further in the Group Stage. However, on 28 August 2011, he played in the centre of a young Arsenal seriously weakened by injuries for a match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Arsenal lost 8â2, in what was their heaviest defeat since 1896, a 115-year record. Three days later Arsenal announced the signing of experienced German defender Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker (; born 29 September 1984) is a German football coach and former professional player who played as a centre back. He is the current manager of the Arsenal Academy.
Mertesacker began his senior career after being promoted from the ...
from Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...
, and Djourou's first team opportunities became more limited in the centre-back position. As a result, he began to receive first team football by playing in the right-back position for the club. Despite being involved in the first team, Djourou, at times, found himself out of the starting eleven, due to competitions that saw him placed on the substitute bench and his own injury concern. In a 2â1 loss against Fulham on 2 January 2012, he was sent off for a second bookable offence. After serving a one match suspension, Djourou returned to the starting line-up against Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb PĂȘl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
on 15 January 2012, and set up Arsenal's second goal of the game, in a 3â2 loss. The following month saw him signed a three-year contract extension until summer 2015. The second half of the season continued to see his first team opportunities limited. During the 2011â12 season, he started 19 times for Arsenal and made 8 substitute appearances.
Ahead of the 2012â13 season, Djourou was told by Manager Ottmar Hitzfeld
Ottmar Hitzfeld (; born 12 January 1949) is a German former professional football player ( striker) and manager. He accumulated a total of 18 major titles, mostly in his tenures with Grasshopper Club ZĂŒrich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich ...
that he must leave Arsenal in hopes of getting a call up from Switzerland. This led Djourou to comment over his future at the club. However, he announced his intention to stay at Arsenal. Unfortunately, Djourou's first team opportunities at the club continued to be limited and only appeared two times in the first half of the season. As a result, Djourou was told by Wenger that he can leave Arsenal. Despite leaving the club, Djourou reflected on his time at Arsenal, saying: "I loved him, first of all to have the chance to spend that time with him, for him to build me. He built many players but first of all he gave me the chance to express myself. I think what I liked about the boss was the way he handled every case, you would say it was similar but also so different."
Loan to Hannover
On 3 January 2013, Djourou confirmed that he was set to move to Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the FuĂball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
club Hannover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
on loan until the end of the season, with no option to buy included in the deal. He said, "I joined the club who wanted me the most. At my age, the priority is to play regularly. To do this, I did not hesitate to refuse offers with the most exclusive clubs who made important financial efforts."
Djourou made his Hannover 96 debut, starting the whole game, in a 5â4 loss against Schalke 04
FuĂballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
on 18 January 2013. Since joining the club, he quickly became a first team regular for the side, playing in the centre-back position. Djourou then helped Hannover 96 keep two consecutive clean sheets between 30 March 2013 and 7 April 2013 against FC Augsburg
FuĂball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as ...
and VfB Stuttgart
Verein fĂŒr Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-WĂŒrttemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...
. This lasted until he tore his hamstring that saw him miss three matches. It wasn't until the last game of the season against Fortuna DĂŒsseldorf
DĂŒsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna DĂŒsseldorf (), is a German football club in DĂŒsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga.
Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...
when Djourou returned to the starting line-up and kept a clean sheet, in a 3â0 win. At the end of the 2012â13 season, he went on to make sixteen appearances in all competitions. Following this, his time at Hannover 96 came to an end and he returned to his parent club.
Hamburger SV
On 1 July 2013, Djourou undertook a medical before signing for Bundesliga side Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
on loan for a season. It was reported that this time, the deal did include an option to buy. He said: "I'm very happy now that everything is sorted. HSV are a big club, with a lot of quality and great fans. I am convinced that this is the right step for my career."
However, his start to his Hamburger SV's career suffered a setback when Djourou suffered a groin injury that saw him miss the first three league matches of the season. It wasn't until on 31 August 2013 when he made his debut for the club, starting the match and played 72 minutes before being substituted, in a 4â0 win against Eintracht Braunschweig
Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German association football, football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding ...
. Since making his debut for Hamburger SV, Djourou started in the next six matches for the club. In a match against Stuttgart on 20 October 2013, he scored an own goal, as Hamburger SV drew 3â3. However, in a follow-up match against SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-WĂŒrttemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bund ...
, Djourou suffered a groin injury once again and was substituted in the 22nd minute, resulting a 3â0 win for the club. It was announced that he would be out for several weeks. It wasn't until on 24 November 2013 when he returned to the starting line-up against Hannover 96, and helped Hamburger SV win 3â1. Having started in the next five matches, Djourou tore his muscle fibre that kept him out for a month. It wasn't until on 8 February 2014 when he returned to the starting line-up, in a 3â0 win against Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...
. Since returning from injury, Djourou regained his first team place for the next two months. This lasted until he, once again, injured his adductors while warming up prior to a 3â1 loss against Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin.
Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's hea ...
on 19 April 2014. Despite this, Djourou returned to the first team and played in both legs of the relegation play-off matches against Greuther FĂŒrth, where a 1â1 draw kept Hamburg retaining their Bundesliga status via an away goal. At the end of the 2013â14 season, he went on to make 26 appearances in all competitions.
As the 2013â14 season was coming to an end, Hamburg confirmed on 2 April 2014 that they had activated the buying clause and signed Djourou on a permanent deal. His first game after signing for the club on a permanent basis came in the first round of the DFBâPokal against Energie Cottbus
FC Energie Cottbus ( Lower Sorbian: ''Energija ChĂłĆebuz'') is a German football club based in Cottbus, Brandenburg. It was founded in 1963 as SC Cottbus in what was East Germany. After the reunification of Germany, Energie played six seasons i ...
and played 120 minutes with a 2â2 draw as a final score, resulting in a penalty shootout; and successfully converted the penalty in the shootout to help Hamburg win 4â2 to progress to the next round. Since the start of the 2014â15 season, he continued to establish himself in the starting eleven, playing in the centre-back position. Following the absent of captain Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and is currently the assistant manager of Danish 2nd Division club Esbjerg fB.
Van der Vaart began his c ...
, Djourou captained the club for the first time against Hannover 96 on 14 September 2014, as Hamburger SV lost 2â0. He then captained Hamburger SV in the next four matches for the side. At times, Djourou did captained the side as the 2014â15 season progressed. However, in a match against Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
on 7 March 2015, Djourou suffered an injury in the 18th minute against and was substituted, as the club drew 0â0. Up until now, he started in every match despite facing injury threat along the way. It wasn't until on 20 March 2015 when Djourou returned to the starting line-up against Hertha BSC, as Hamburger SV lost 1â0. However, his return was short-lived when he was sent off for a second bookable offence, in a 2â0 against Wolfsburg on 11 April 2015. After serving a one match suspension, Djourou returned to the starting line-up against FC Augsburg on 25 April 2015 and helped the club win 3â2. He then played in both legs of the relegation play-off matches against Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-WĂŒrttemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the D ...
, as Hamburg won 3â2 on aggregate to retain their Bundesliga status. Reflecting on the 2014â15 season, Djourou said: "It must never be like this again. You can't do that again. This pressure is too much. And by that I mean everyone. The whole city, HSV and all of our fans." He went on to make 36 appearances in all competitions.
At the start of the 2015â16 season, Djourou was appointed a new captain of Hamburger SV following the departure of Van der Vaart. He then scored his first goal for the club, in his 70th appearance, as well as, setting up one of the goals, in a 3â2 win against Stuttgart on 22 August 2015. Shortly after, however, Djourou tore his muscle fibre that kept him out for weeks. It wasn't until on 11 September 2015 when he returned to the starting line-up against Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein fĂŒr LeibesĂŒbungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
and kept a clean sheet, as the club won 3â0. Djourou helped Hamburger SV keep two more clean sheets in the next two matches against Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
and FC Ingolstadt 04
FuĂball-Club Ingolstadt 2004 e.V., commonly known as FC Ingolstadt 04 or FC Ingolstadt, is a German football club based in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. The club was founded in 2004 out of the merger of the football sides of two other clubs: ESV Ingolst ...
. Since returning from injury, he regained his first team place, as well as, captaincy for the club. Djourou then scored his second goal for Hamburger SV, in a 3â1 loss against 1. FSV Mainz 05 on 5 December 2015. After missing one match due to influenza, he returned to the starting line-up on 19 December 2015 against FC Augsburg, as the club lost 1â0. In the second half of the season, Djourou appeared eleven times for the club as captain. This was due to his injury concerns, suspension and competitions that saw him placed on the substitute bench. In a 3â2 loss against Schalke 04 on 2 March 2016, he was sent off for a second bookable offence. After the match, Djourou's sending off was criticised by Manager Bruno Labbadia
Bruno Labbadia (; born 8 February 1966) is a German football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.
Personal life
Labbadia is of Italian ancestry. His family roots go bac ...
, saying he let the team down. Despite this, Djourou returned to the starting line-up and helped the club finish tenth place in the league. At the end of the 2015â16 season, he went on to make 26 appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2016â17 season, Djourou continued to regain his captaincy for Hamburger SV. However, he continued to plagued by injuries in the first four months to the season. As a result of his injuries, Djourou was replaced as captain by GĆtoku Sakai
is a professional footballer who plays as a full back for Vissel Kobe. Born in the United States but raised in Japan, where he represented internationally.
Club career Early career
Sakai was born in New York to a German mother and a Japanese ...
. He then helped the club keep two consecutive clean sheets between 4 December 2016 and 10 December 2016 against Darmstadt 98
Sportverein Darmstadt 1898 e.V., commonly known as Darmstadt 98 (), is a German football club based in Darmstadt, Hesse. The club was founded on 22 May 1898 as FC Olympia Darmstadt. Early in 1919, the association was briefly known as ''Rasen-Sp ...
and FC Augsburg. By the second half of the season, Djourou's first team opportunities soon became limited, due to his own injury concerns and competitions that saw him placed on the substitute bench. In late March, he was criticised for conducting an interview after criticising Manager Markus Gisdol
Markus Gisdol (born 17 August 1969) is a German football manager and former player.
Managerial career
Gisdol had coaching stints at Sonnenhof GroĂaspach, Ulm 1846, and 1899 Hoffenheim II. He was the assistant manager at Schalke 04.
On 2 Apr ...
and had to make an apology. Despite the apology, Djourou continued to remain on the sidelines for the rest of the 2016â17 season. At the end of the 2016â17 season, Djourou made sixteen appearances in all competitions.
Following this, he was among several players to be released by Hamburger SV after being told that their contract would not be renewed. Upon learning about this, Djourou made a statement on his social media account, thanking the club, players and teammates for making him a better player throughout his time at Hamburger SV.
Antalyaspor
On 7 August 2017, Djourou completed a free transfer to Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor KulĂŒbĂŒ is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Antalya. The club's colours are red and white. They play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the club won the First League twice in 1982 and 1 ...
after the expiry of his contract with Hamburg, signing a two-year contract with an option to extend the deal by 12 months.
After not appearing in the first two league matches of the season, he made his Antalyaspor debut, starting the whole game, in a 1â1 draw against Yeni Malatyaspor
Yeni Malatyaspor KulĂŒbĂŒ is a Turkish professional football club based in Malatya, Turkey. The club plays in the TFF First League, which is the second tier of football in the country.
History
Founded in 1986 as Malatya Belediyespor. Its prima ...
on 26 August 2017. Djourou then scored his first goal for the club, in a 3â1 loss against Sivasspor
Sivasspor KulĂŒbĂŒ, known as Demir Grup Sivasspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas. The primary department of the club is men's football. Formed in 1967, its football department competes in SĂŒper Lig, as of 201 ...
on 30 September 2017. Since making his debut for Antalyaspor, he started in the next six matches before suffering an injury that kept him out for three months. While on the sidelines, Djourou was linked with a move to Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, ZĂȘna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
but the club refused to let him go. It wasn't until on 12 February 2018 when he returned to the first team, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute, in a 3â0 loss against Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor KulĂŒbĂŒ (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
. Despite suffering from an illness, Djourou continued to regain his first team place for the rest of the 2017â18 season. At the end of the 2017â18 season, he went on to make eighteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
Following this, Djourou was among several players to their future at Antalyaspor by the club's management despite having a year left to his contract.
Later career
On 21 July 2018, Djourou signed with Italian Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
club S.P.A.L.
SocietĂ Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly known as S.P.A.L. (), is a professional football club based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The team plays in Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football league system.
Founded in 1907, since ...
on a one-year contract with an option for a second year. He made his debut for the club, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 1â0 loss against Torino
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
on 2 September 2018. However, Djourou found his first team opportunities limited at S.P.A.L., due to competitions and his own injury concern. He made just six appearances before leaving by mutual consent in January 2019.
On 23 January 2020, Djourou completed a free transfer to Sion
Sion may refer to
* an alternative transliteration of Zion
People
* Sion (name) or SiĂŽn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name
Plac ...
for the rest of the Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League (known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a Swiss professional league in the top tier of the Swiss football league system and has been played in its current format since the 2003–04 season ...
season. He made his debut for the club, coming on as a 39th-minute substitute for the injured Jean Ruiz
Jean Ruiz (born 6 April 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Pau.
Ruiz clinched victory in the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship as a part of the France national under-17 football team.
Career ...
, in a 1â1 draw against FC ZĂŒrich
Fussballclub ZĂŒrich, commonly abbreviated to FC ZĂŒrich or simply FCZ, is a Swiss football club based in ZĂŒrich. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League 13 times and the Swiss Cup 10 times. The most recent titles a ...
on 2 February 2020. In a follow-up match against BSC Young Boys
BSC Young Boys (YB by short abbreviation ) are a Swiss sports club based in Bern, Switzerland. Its first team has won 15 Swiss league championships and six Swiss Cups. YB is one of the most successful Swiss football clubs internationally, reac ...
, however, Djourou suffered a muscle injury and was substituted in the 14th minute, as Sion lost 1â0. This turns out to be his last appearance for the club and made two appearances. He was one of nine players dismissed on 20 March for refusing a pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. The dispute was eventually resolved in August after Djourou took the case to court.
Djourou then moved to NeuchĂątel Xamax
, neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier
, twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (France ...
on 29 May 2020, together with fellow Sion dismissee Xavier Kouassi. He made his debut for the club, playing in the sweeper position, in a 2â1 win against FC Thun
Fussballclub Thun 1898 is a Swiss football team from the Bernese Oberland town of Thun. The club plays in the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of the Swiss football league system, following relegation from the Swiss Super League in the ...
in the league's first match in three months. However, Djourou was plagued by injuries that affected most his time at NeuchĂątel Xamax. Despite this, he went on to make seven appearances for the club.
On transfer deadline day, 5 October 2020, Djourou joined Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...
club FC NordsjĂŠlland
Football Club NordsjĂŠlland, commonly known as FC NordsjĂŠlland, NordsjĂŠlland () or FCN, is a professional Danish football team from the North Zealand town of Farum. Founded as ''Farum Boldklub'' from the merger of the town's two football club ...
on a two-year deal. He made his debut for the club in a Danish Cup
The Danish Cup ( da, Landspokalturneringen; often referred to as Pokalen) is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955.
The winner will quali ...
match against FC GrĂŠsrĂždderne.
On 4 June 2021, Djourou announced his retirement at the age of 34. He cited physical pain from playing, as well as business interests in a football academy and a podcast.
International career
Youth career
Djourou represented Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, NeuchĂątel ...
up to the U21 levels.
He was a member of the Swiss under-19 squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2004 European Championships. Following the end of the tournament, UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations europĂ©ennes de football; german: Union der europĂ€ischen FuĂballverbĂ€nde) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
said about Djourou's performance, saying: " A substitute in Switzerland's first three matches, he produced a fine display after coming on against Ukraine and was his country's best player in the semi-final defeat by Turkey." He went on to make eight appearances and scoring once for the U19 side.
The following year, Djourou was called up to the Switzerland U20 for the FIFA World Youth Championship
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA membersâ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when ...
in Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. He went on to play three times in the tournament, as the U20 side were eliminated in the Group Stage.
In September 2006, Djourou made two appearances during Swiss U21's qualification campaign for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations europĂ©ennes de football; german: Union der europĂ€ischen FuĂballverbĂ€nde) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...
.
Senior career
Having been eligible to play for Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, NeuchĂątel ...
and Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as CĂŽte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of CĂŽte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, Djourou opted to play for Switzerland. He made his senior Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, NeuchĂątel ...
international debut in a friendly away to Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
on 1 March 2006, coming on as a half-time substitute for Valon Behrami
Valon Behrami (born 19 April 1985) is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Behrami was capped 83 times at international level by the Switzerland national team, playing at four FIFA World Cups, UEFA Euro 2008 and UE ...
in the 3â1 win.
Djourou was called up to the Switzerland 2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
squad, despite not playing in the qualifiers. Upon being called up, he said: "It's going to be amazing because I was born in Ivory Coast and still feel there is an African part of me. My biological mother still lives there and I have a lot of contact by telephone with my family there, so if I am picked to play for Switzerland against my 'other country' it is sure to be a special moment. It's always something special to be the youngest in the team but I'm not taking that aspect too seriously as we're here to play football and for that age doesn't really matter," Djourou said. "My own goal for the World Cup is just to play and now I have to prepare myself to show the coach that I'm ready." His father successfully predicted that Djourou would play in the World Cup when he was ten. Djourou made his World Cup debut, coming on as 75th-minute substitute, in a 0â0 draw against France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He started Switzerland's round of 16 game against Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, ĐŁĐșŃĐ°ŃĐœĐ°, UkraĂŻna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, and was substituted injured in the first half.
The next two years saw Djourou continuing to feature in friendly matches for Switzerland. On 11 September 2007, he scored his first international goal to equalise near the end of a 4â3 loss to Japan
Japan ( ja, æ„æŹ, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in a tournament in Austria. Djourou was named in the Swiss squad for their co-hosting of UEFA Euro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
. However, he was placed on the substitute bench throughout the tournament, as Switzerland were eliminated in the Group Stage.
Following the conclusion of UEFA Euro 2008, Djourou appeared five times for Switzerland for the rest of the year. After missing nearly the entire season for Arsenal in 2009â10, he was left out of the Swiss squad for the 2010 World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
held in South Africa.
It wasn't until on 11 November 2010 when Djourou was called up to the Switzerland squad for the first time in over a year. He made his return to the national side, starting the whole game, in a 2â2 draw against Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, ĐŁĐșŃĐ°ŃĐœĐ°, UkraĂŻna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
on 17 November 2010. Djourou's next appearance for Switzerland came on 4 June 2011, in a 2â2 draw against England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. He then helped Switzerland keep two consecutive clean sheets between 11 October 2011 and 11 November 2011 against Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
and Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
At the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
, Djourou helped Switzerland go on a four match unbeaten by the end of the 2012. He then helped the national side keep three consecutive clean sheets between 6 February 2013 and 8 June 2013 against Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
. Djourou then helped Switzerland qualify for the World Cup after winning 2â1 against Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
on 11 October 2013. Manager Vladimir PetkoviÄ
Vladimir PetkoviÄ (; born 15 August 1963) is a Bosnian-born Swiss professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of French side Bordeaux, having previously managed the Switzerland national team, a string o ...
named him in the 23-man squad for the finals in Brazil, having made it on two occasions. For the 2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
in Brazil, he played all four games as the Swiss reached the last 16. Following the end of the tournament, Aargauer Zeitung made an evaluation of his performance.
Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Djourou kept four clean sheets for the national side between 14 October 2014 and 10 June 2015 during his playing time in Switzerland's four of the six matches. On 9 October 2015, Djourou scored his only other international goal in a 7â0 win over San Marino
San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
in St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website ...
for UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
qualifying, netting a penalty kick after Fabian SchÀr
Fabian Lukas SchÀr (; born 20 December 1991) is a Swiss professional footballer who currently plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Switzerland national team.
Beginning his career at his hometown club of ...
was fouled. The result took the Swiss to the finals in France. Once again, Manager PetkoviÄ chose him in the 23-man squad for the finals in France. In the summer's tournament, he played all four games of a run to the last 16, where Switzerland were eliminated in a 1â1 draw and penalty shootout
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
against Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
.
Following the conclusion of the UEFA Euro 2016, Djourou, once again, kept four clean sheets for the national side between 6 September 2016 and 3 September 2017 during his playing time in Switzerland's six of the nine matches. Despite missing out in play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
, Switzerland went on to qualify for the World Cup after beating Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Ăireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
1â0 on aggragate. He was part of Vladimir PetkoviÄ
Vladimir PetkoviÄ (; born 15 August 1963) is a Bosnian-born Swiss professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of French side Bordeaux, having previously managed the Switzerland national team, a string o ...
's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
in Russia. Djourou played only the 1â0 loss to Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
in the last 16 at the Saint Petersburg Stadium, where he filled in for the suspended Fabian SchÀr
Fabian Lukas SchÀr (; born 20 December 1991) is a Swiss professional footballer who currently plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Switzerland national team.
Beginning his career at his hometown club of ...
. He made one more appearance by the end of the year, starting the whole game, in a 1â0 loss against England on 11 September 2018.
Personal life
Djourou's younger brother, Olivier, was playing football for Urania GenĂšve Sport
Urania GenĂšve Sport is a Swiss omnisport club based in Geneva. Its football section was founded in 1896.
The current club was born in 1922 through a merger between FC Urania and FC GenĂšve.
Its main title is the Swiss cup, won in 1929 agains ...
in 2008. He also has two sisters. Djourou married his long-term girlfriend, Emile, and together, they have three daughters.
In addition to speaking German and French, Djourou speaks English, having learnt from his time in England. He is good friends with Fabrice Muamba
Fabrice Ndala Muamba (born 6 April 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played for Arsenal, Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers as a central midfielder. Born in Zaire, Muamba moved to England at the age of 11 and subsequently ...
, having been teammates at Arsenal and Birmingham City. In February 2014, Djourou, along with teammate Jacques Zoua
Jacques Zoua Daogari (born 6 September 1991) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Club career
Cotonsport Garoua
On 22 September 2008, he signed a two-year contract with Cotonsport Garoua.
Basel
After a successful ...
, had their watch stolen during HSV's training camp in Austria.
Djourou said in an interview that he would like to become an actor once his playing career is over. Regarding his nationality, Djourou said: "I am so happy and grateful that I have both of them and that I can combine the best of both cultures. I am 100 percent African. That includes eating, dancing, music. And I'm also 100 percent Swiss, very punctual and disciplined when it matters."
Career statistics
Club
''Source:''
International
''Source:''
:''Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Djourou goal''.
Honours
Arsenal
*Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
runner-up: 2006â07, 2010â11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
Individual
*Swiss Sports Awards: Best Newcomer 2006
References
External links
*
*
U21U20U19U17U16
profiles at Swiss FA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Djourou, Johan
1987 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Abidjan
Swiss men's footballers
Switzerland youth international footballers
Switzerland under-21 international footballers
Switzerland international footballers
Ivorian footballers
Swiss people of Ivorian descent
Swiss expatriate footballers
Association football defenders
Association football utility players
Ătoile Carouge FC players
Arsenal F.C. players
Birmingham City F.C. players
Hannover 96 players
Hamburger SV players
Antalyaspor footballers
S.P.A.L. players
FC Sion players
NeuchĂątel Xamax FCS players
FC NordsjĂŠlland players
Premier League players
Bundesliga players
SĂŒper Lig players
Serie A players
Swiss Super League players
Danish Superliga players
2006 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2008 players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2016 players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
Ivorian emigrants to Switzerland
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in England
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Denmark
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in Germany
Expatriate footballers in Turkey
Expatriate footballers in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark