So good they named him twice. Djemba-Djemba's name is synonymous with failure at this stage. Alongside Kleberson, they are two of Sir Alex Ferguson's biggest gaffes in his long managerial stint at the helm of Old Trafford. However, while he obviously lacked the impetus and drive to take over from the influential Roy Keane, as was previously hoped when arrived in the summer of 2003, it was his off-field problems that dragged him into the gutter far quicker than his lack of footballing nous. Having arrived from modest French club Nantes, the Cameroonian midfielder must have felt that he hit the jackpot when he signed his lucrative contract at Old Trafford, lavishing out on lavish vehicles, and opening multiple bank accounts.
''When he arrived at Manchester United, I decided to take over the running of his accounts. It used to take me four hours a day! Every penny was going straight to loan repayments. He was living on bonuses and extras. He started to ask United for advances, and at a club like that, something that doesn't go well.'' - Football agent Christophe Mongay, March 2008.
Distracted by his own sudden wealth, his performances waned and he made absolute no impact on the team whatsoever, before being shipped out to Aston Villa after 18 miserable months. His woeful career and fiscal problems should serve as a warning to any young professional who assume they have made it when they sign their first lucrative contract.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
