Claude Makelele (born February 18, 1973 in Kinshasa, Zaire) is a French international football (soccer) player, who currently plays defensive midfield for Chelsea in the English Premiership. February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... In football (soccer) a midfielder is a player whose position of play is midway between the attacking strikers and the defenders. ... Chelsea Football Club (also known as the Blues, previously known as the Pensioners), founded in 1905, is a Premier League football team that plays at Stamford Bridge football ground in South west London. ... FA Premier League logo The FA Premier League (which, for sponsorship reasons, is often referred to as the Barclays Premiership in the UK and the Barclays English Premier League internationally) is a league competiton for English football (soccer) clubs located at the top of the English football league system (above...

Prior to joining Chelsea, Makelele played for Nantes (1992-97), Olympique Marseille (1997-98), Celta Vigo (1998-2000), and Real Madrid (2000-03). Chelsea purchased him for £16.6M from the Spanish giants. FC Nantes Atlantique is a French football team, playing in the city of Nantes. ... Olympique de Marseille is a football team that plays in Ligue 1, the top level of the French Football League, based in Marseille. ... Real Club Celta de Vigo are a Spanish football team from Vigo in Galicia. ... Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club, ranked as the worlds most successful club of the 20th century by the governing body of international football (FIFA), just ahead of Manchester United. ...

Although born in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, Makelele has elected to represent France on the international level. As of the end of 2004, he has compiled 33 caps, and played for his adoptive country at the 1996 Olympic Games, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. Makelele has now decided to retire from international football, and to focus on achieving further club glory with Chelsea. The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ... The 2002 Football World Cup was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30. ... Euro 2004 Logo The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly called EURO 2004, was held in Portugal between 12 June and 4 July 2004. ...

Makelele's role for Chelsea is often overlooked, but being so disciplined he was the unsung hero in Chelsea FC's Double-winning season in the English Premiership in 2004/05, his defensive qualitites allow the likes of Frank Lampard and Joe Cole to parade their more attacking skills. However, Makelele's importance has been recognised by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who recently said he was Chelsea's player of the year. To cap off a brilliant 2004/05 for the Frenchman, he was allowed to take a penalty awarded to Chelsea in their Championship collecting game against Charlton Athletic, which he missed, but subsequently converted the rebound to score his first goal in 94 games for the Blues. The Double is a term in football, meaning to win a countrys top division and its cup competition in the same season. ... Frank James Lampard (born June 20, 1978 in Romford, London) is an English football player currently at Chelsea and previously with West Ham United. ... Joe Cole (born November 8, 1981) is an English international footballer who plays for Chelsea of the Premiership. ... José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix was born January 26, 1963 in Setúbal, Portugal and is a successful football manager. ... Founded in 1905, Charlton Athletic F.C. play at The Valley, in Charlton, southeast London. ...