Madar, Mickael

Madar, a big and powerful striker, who was a member of the French squad during the 1996 European Championship, played in the top league in both France and England during his career. In 15 professional seasons, Madar scored 89 career goals; he also appeared in three international games for the French National squad.

After retiring, Madar opened a soccer school in Antibes on the Cote d�Azur designed to bring more Jewish players into the game. He told the Scotsman, "I reckon there are too few Jews playing football, and yet we are just as good as anyone else. That�s why I set up my soccer school -- with kosher food available. But the school is open to everyone, by the way."

Birth and Death Dates:
b. May 8, 1968

Career Highlights:
After beginning his professional career with Sochaux (France), Madar moved to bigger teams, Cannes and Monaco. While playing for Monaco in 1995, Mickael made his first international appearance for France. In the French league, Madar became a prolific scorer; he had 26 in 54 games for Cannes and 14 in 52 games for Monaco. He then moved to Deportivo de la Coruna in Spain and scored three goals in 17 appearances.

In December 1997, Madar made a move to Everton of the English Premier League on a free transfer. Although the 1997-98 season was a disaster for Everton, Mickael seemed a bright spot. The team just missed relegation (thanks to goal differential). Despite scoring 6 goals in 17 appearances (15 starts), Mickael admitted having difficulties adjusting to the English game. He said after a game against Leicester City, where he scored an early goal, "I told Mr. (Howard) Kendall (Everton manager) I can't play all the game because it is a fast pace in the Premiership and I get tired because I'm not 20 anymore, I'm almost 30. It is better that I give a good 70 minutes than an average 90. I know the fans wanted me to stay on, but I am tired."

The following season, Mickael fell out of favor with Walter Smith, the new manager. After a game against Blackburn where Everton had six defenders in the game (a 0-0 draw), Madar was asked why he was not playing, and responded: "I've no idea. The manager just doesn't like me. He's only seen me play twice. The first time I got a hat-trick and the second time, I was sent off too quick for him to make any judgements...I think they just want to get rid of me and get me off the wage bill. Anyway, my wife is very unhappy here and is desperate to leave. Living in Liverpool isn't the same as living in France or Spain. So it looks like I'll be going fairly soon."

Mickael was gone shortly after that, and returned to France to play for the powerhouse Paris St. Germain. He joined PSG in December 1998, on a free transfer, but was released in May 2000, by the club. He said following the move: "It's a huge disappointment and I'm especially surprised because recently we were closer to a new signing...I don't know what the future holds. I've learned this three days before the end of the season when my plans were to end my career in Paris."

In October 2000, Madar rejected a contract from Crystal Palace, an English club. He returned to Paris-St. Germain for the 2000-01 season, and then signed a one-year contract with Creteil for 2001-02. In November 2001, however, the fiery Frenchman announced he was going to retire. Instead, he finished out the season (and scored two goals in 11 games).

Origin:
Paris, France

Career Dates:
Madar played for Sochaux (France), 1987-1989, 1990-1992, Laval (France), 1989-1990, Cannes (France), 1992-1994, Monaco (France), 1994-1996, Deportivo (Spain), 1996-1997, Everton (England) 1997-1998, and Paris St. Germain (1998-2001), Cretiel (2001-02).

Physical description:
6'3"

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