PATRICE EVRA- BIOGRAFIA

Patrice Latyr Evra (born 15 May 1981 in Dakar, Senegal) is a French international footballer, who plays for English Premiership side Manchester United.

The son of a diplomat, Evra arrived in Europe through Brussels from Senegal when he was 6 years old. He was raised in Les Ulis, Essonne, France where he lived with his family from 1984 to 1998 before seizing his first footballing opportunity leading him to Marsala, Sicily, Italy. Evra has a total of 25 siblings, although two are now dead.

Club career

Early career

During his teenage years, Evra began his career as a striker for Paris Saint-Germain's youth system. Though he never received a professional contract, he was spotted by a scout for small Italian-side Marsala, eventually receiving a contract with the club. In 27 total appearances with the side while playing as a striker, Evra scored 6 goals. Many locals would begin calling him "Black Gazelle".[2] The next season, he would find himself with Monza in Serie B, but only made 3 appearances.

Nice

Evra returned to France for Nice in Ligue 2. In his first several matches, he played as a centre forward. Due to injuries within the club, he was made to play as a left back during a game versus Stade Lavallois. In several matches after, manager Sandro Salvioni utilized Evra in defence. During the remainder of the season, Salvioni continued to alternate him between the two positions. Evra would shine in defence after being named Ligue 2's best left back.

Monaco

AS Monaco, impressed by Evra's defensive efforts, signed him from Nice for an undisclosed fee by manager Didier Deschamps. He would quickly become part of the regular defence with Lucas Bernardi, Gaël Givet, and Julien Rodriguez. In his first season with the club, Monaco reached the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final but was defeated 3–0 by F.C. Porto. His performances would lead to his call-up for international duty for the French national team.

In 2005, Evra would be named captain on several occasions. Monaco would struggle through the season, being knocked out of the qualifying rounds of the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League and lying in the bottom half of Ligue 1 table for most of the season.

Manchester United
Evra comes off the pitch after a match versus Arsenal
Evra comes off the pitch after a match versus Arsenal

Evra signed for Manchester United on 10 January 2006, joining for a transfer fee of around £5.5 million from AS Monaco, putting pen to paper on a three-and-a-half year contract.[3] Evra's arrival signalled Sir Alex Ferguson's intention to shore up a United defence that had suffered since the sidelining of Gabriel Heinze. During his first meeting with the club after signing, he asked captain Gary Neville where the nearest church was.[1]

He made his debut for Manchester United on 14 January 2006 in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League. He did not have the best of debuts as he was substituted at half time. He played his home debut against Liverpool on 22 January 2006 in a 1-0 win. Evra initially had some problems adapting to the English game, but by midway through the 2006-07 season his form had greatly improved and he established himself as a regular first-teamer. On 29 November 2006, he scored his first goal for the club in a Premiership match against Everton at Old Trafford. After a spell out of the squad, Evra made his comeback on 10 April 2007 in the Champions League match against Roma at Old Trafford, contributing to the Red Devils' 7-1 thrashing of the visitors with the final goal. Due to his efforts, Evra earned a place in the PFA Team of the Year.

During United's 07-08 season, Evra became a key member of United's defence. Though making 47 appearances in all competitions, the highest in his career, he did not manage to score a goal. United clinched their second consecutive Premier League title on the final day, edging Chelsea by two points. He made 10 appearances in United's run in the UEFA Champions League, including an appearance in the Final as United defeated Chelsea 6-5 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw after extra time. On 12 June 2008, Evra signed a four-year extension with United, a deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2012.[4]

International career

At Euro 2008, Evra was left out of the starting line up in the first fixture against Romania to accommodate for FC Barcelona left back Eric Abidal. He was then called in for the next game against the Netherlands after a poor 0-0 draw with Romania. France lost the Netherlands match 4-1 in a thrilling encounter. The final group game was a must win against Italy. France lost 2-0 and were eliminated in the group stage. After the game, cameras caught Evra and team mate Patrick Vieira in an altercation in the tunnel.

Honours

Club

AS Monaco

* Coupe de la Ligue
o Winner (1): 2003
* Ligue 1
o Runner-up (1): 2002–03
* UEFA Champions League
o Runner-up (1): 2004

Manchester United

* Premier League
o Winner (2): 2006–07, 2007–08
* Football League Cup
o Winner (1): 2006
* FA Community Shield
o Winner (2): 2007, 2008
* FA Cup
o Runner-up (1): 2007
* UEFA Champions League
o Winner (1): 2008
* UEFA Super Cup
o Runner-up (1): 2008

Individual

* PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2006–2007
[i]

Patrice Evra (Dakar, Senegal, el 15 de mayo de 1981) es un futbolista internacional francés-senegalés, que juega para el Manchester United en la FA Premier League de Inglaterra. Juega de lateral o volante izquierdo.

Hijo de un diplomático, llegó pronto a Europa por Bruselas donde su padre fue enviado cuando el era muy joven. Fue criado en Les Ulis, de la provincia de Essonne, en Francia donde el vivió desde 1984 hasta 1998 antes de aprovechar su primera oportunidad llevandolo a Marsala, Italia. En estos años se envolvió notablemente con Thierry Henry. Ellos se consideran como amigos de infancia.

Trayectoria

Comienzos

Evra empezó su carrera en el equipo juvenil del Paris Saint Germain antes de moverse al equipo de Serie C SC Marsala 1912 donde comenzó a hacerse nombre y fue apodado La Gacela Negra. Pasó al Monza de la Serie B para la próxima temporada. Fue transferido al OGC Nice y luego al AS Monaco en 2002. Evra ha aparecido cinco veces con la camiseta de la Selección francesa

En el AS Monaco, Evra fue parte del equipo que se coronó campeón de la Copa de la Liga Francesa y que llegó a la final de la UEFA Champions League en el 2004

Manchester United

Evra firmó un contrato para el Manchester United el 10 de enero de 2006 por cerca de 5.5 millones de libras y por 3 años y medio, proveniente del AS Monaco; justo después de la adquisición de Nemanja Vidić.

Hizo su debut el 14 de Enero con una derrota por 3-1 contra el Manchester City en la Premier League Inglesa. Hizo su primera actuación en el Old Trafford ante el Liverpool con una victoria 1 por 0. Evra tuvo dificultades en adaptarse al estilo inglés, pero demostró su gran rendimiento en la temporada 2006-07. El 29 de noviembre del 2006, marcó su primer gol en el equipo ante el Everton. Recuperado de una lesión, volvió al campo de juego el 10 de abril del 2007, en el famoso partido por la Champions League ante el AS Roma, donde colaboró en el 7-1 final. Se dice que Evra fue esencial en la obtención del título de esa temporada.

Por eso, Patrice Evra se ganó un puesto en el Equipo PFA del Año.

En la temporada 07-08 Gabriel Heinze es transferido al Real Madrid y Patrice Evra desde entonces no ha tenido rival en el lateral izquierdo. Sus actuaciones hasta el momento han sido mucho más espectaculares que en la anterior campaña.