Ousmane Dabo

Ousmane Dabo

Dabo with Lazio in 2008
Personal information
Full name	El Hadji Ousmane Dabo [1]
Date of birth	(1977-02-08) 8 February 1977 (age 46) [2]
Place of birth	Laval, France
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) [3]
Position(s)	Midfielder [4]
Youth career
1982–1985	Forcé
1985–1990	Laval
1990–1995	Rennes
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1998	Rennes	41	(2)
1998–1999	Inter Milan	13	(0)
1999	→ Vicenza (loan)	13	(0)
1999–2000	Parma	17	(0)
2000–2001	AS Monaco	16	(0)
2001	→ Vicenza (loan)	17	(1)
2001–2003	Atalanta	52	(4)
2003–2006	Lazio	79	(3)
2006–2008	Manchester City	13	(0)
2008–2010	Lazio	46	(1)
2011	New England Revolution	3	(0)
Total		310	(11)
International career
2003	France	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

El Hadji Ousmane Dabo (born 8 February 1977) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Dabo played for Rennes, Inter Milan, Vicenza, Parma, Monaco, Atalanta, Lazio, Manchester City and New England Revolution. He represented France three times at full international level.

Early life

Dabo was born in Laval, Mayenne. ^[5] His father Moussa Dabo was a player for the Senegalese national team and Stade Lavallois. ^[6]

Club career

Early career

Dabo started his career at Rennes, before he and team-mate Mikaël Silvestre were signed by Inter Milan in 1998. ^[7] Dabo was not a regular first team player for Inter, and a few months later he was loaned out to Vicenza, where he made 13 Serie A appearances. Dabo spent the following season at Parma under Arrigo Sacchi, making sixteen appearances. In June 2000, Inter stated Silvestre and Dabo were bought for only ₤3 million and sold for ₤30 million. ^[8] In June 2000 he changed clubs again, returning to the French league with Monaco in an exchange deal involving Sabri Lamouchi. ^[9] Six months later he returned to Vicenza on loan, ^[10] and in the close season made a permanent move to Atalanta. ^[11] At the Bergamo club he secured regular first team football, and in 2003 he gained a call-up to the France national team for the FIFA Confederations Cup, which Dabo described as "a surprise". ^[12]

Lazio

In summer of 2003 Dabo joined Lazio, along with team-mate Luciano Zauri, ^[13] at first a co-ownership deal but raised to a total of €3.225 million and €5.65 million transfer fees after Lazio bought duo remain rights in June 2004. ^[14] Dabo became an important and popular part of the Lazio midfield due to his organised style of play, making 79 appearances for the club.^{[ citation needed ]}

Manchester City

After interest from a variety of Premier League clubs in 2006, Dabo joined Manchester City on a Bosman transfer, signing a three-year contract. ^[15] Dabo cited a positive impression of the club arising from a friendly between Manchester City and Lazio at the City of Manchester Stadium as one of his main reasons for joining Manchester City. ^[16] His debut for the club came in the opening match of the season, a 3–0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea. ^[17] On his third City appearance he received a red card for an aerial challenge with Reading's Steve Sidwell, and was suspended for three matches. ^[18] However, a knee ligament injury sustained in training resulted in a much longer absence, ^[19] and he did not make another appearance until mid-December. He then had a run of thirteen consecutive appearances, but was sidelined by injury. Upon his return to fitness he struggled to regain his place in the team, making only one further appearance in the 2006–07 season.^{[ citation needed ]}

Confrontation with Joey Barton

On 1 May 2007, Dabo was assaulted by his team mate Joey Barton at City's training ground. Dabo stated that he had been hit several times, and had to go to hospital after suffering injuries to his head during the incident, including a suspected detached retina. ^[20] Dabo requested that the police press charges against Barton, ^[21] and as a result, on 16 May 2007, Barton was arrested and questioned by Greater Manchester Police. Barton pleaded guilty to the assault. ^[22] Barton later claimed on 8 April 2011 that, in fact it was Dabo who started the fight, and he was merely defending himself. ^[23] After Barton signed for Marseille on 1 September 2012 on a season-long loan, Dabo questioned the arrival of the Englishman at the Rhone club and called his former teammate a coward for constantly hitting him when he was face down on the floor. ^[24]

Return to Lazio

He was put on the transfer list by Sven-Göran Eriksson along with team mates Danny Mills and Paul Dickov. Mills and Dickov both ended up going out on loans, but Dabo remained at the club. After just playing the League Cup game on 29 August 2007, he finally re-signed for Lazio on 30 January 2008, cost only €263,000. He signed a contract until 30 June 2010. On 13 May 2009, he scored the winning penalty in a penalty shoot-out to give Lazio a 6–5 win after a 1–1 draw, over Sampdoria in the 2009 Coppa Italia Final. ^[25]

New England Revolution

After seven months without a club, Dabo signed with Major League Soccer club New England Revolution on 8 February 2011. ^[26] He made his MLS debut on 7 May 2011 in a game against the Colorado Rapids. ^[27]

Dabo retired from football on 18 July 2011 after struggling with injuries throughout the 2011 MLS season. ^[28]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ^[29]

Club	Season	League			Cup [lower-alpha 1]		Continental [lower-alpha 2]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rennes	1995–96	Division 1	5	0	2	0	–		7	0
	1996–97		24	1	–		2	0	26	1
	1997–98		12	1	1	0	–		13	1
	Total		41	2	3	0	2	0	46	2
Inter Milan	1998–99	Serie A	5	0	3	0	–		8	0
	1999–00		8	0	2	0	–		10	0
	Total		13	0	5	0	0	0	18	0
Vicenza (loan)	1998–99	Serie A	13	0	–		–		13	0
Parma	1999–00	Serie A	17	0	–		1	0	18	0
Monaco	2000–01	Division 1	16	0	2	1	4	0	22	1
Vicenza (loan)	2000–01	Serie A	17	1	–		–		17	1
Atalanta	2001–02	Serie A	21	0	3	0	–		24	0
	2002–03		31	4	1	0	–		32	4
	Total		52	4	4	0	0	0	56	4
Lazio	2003–04	Serie A	19	0	3	0	1	0	23	0
	2004–05		29	1	2	0	6	0	37	1
	2005–06		31	2	4	0	–		35	2
	Total		79	3	11	0	7	0	97	3
Manchester City	2006–07	Premier League	13	0	5	0	–		18	0
Lazio	2007–08	Serie A	13	0	2	0	–		15	0
	2008–09		21	1	5	0	–		26	1
	2009–10		12	0	2	0	4	0	18	0
	Total		46	1	9	0	4	0	59	1
New England	2011	MLS	3	0	–		–		3	0
Career total			310	11	39	1	18	0	367	12

1. Includes Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Coppa Italia, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Supercoppa Italiana.
2. Includes UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and UEFA Intertoto-Cup.

Honours

Lazio

• Coppa Italia: 2003–04, 2008–09 ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2009 ^{[ citation needed ]}

France

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2003 ^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. "OUS Consulting". BFM Verif (in French). NextInteractive. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
   "Ousmane Dabo". BFM Business (in French). NextInteractive. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
2. "Ousmane Dabo: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
3. "Ousmane Dabo: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
4. "Ousmane Dabo". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
5. "Ousmane Dabo". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
6. "TangoFoot - Moussa DABO - Laval".
7. "Fulham eye Dabo". BBC. 13 June 2002. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
8. "CAMARA AL MARSIGLIA, ARRIVANO DUE GIOVANI". inter.it (in Italian). 1 June 2000. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
9. "One in one out for Monaco and Parma". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 June 2007.^{[ permanent dead link ][ citation needed ]}
10. "Dabo seals Vicenza switch". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 June 2007.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
11. Pietro Serina (30 June 2001). "Comandini, Sala, Dabo: l' Atalanta si fa grande". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2010.
12. "Football. Ousmane Dabo ; " J'aurais pu couler "". L'Humanitie (in French). Archived from the original on 4 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
13. "Lazio pounce for Atalanta pair". UEFA.com. 18 July 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
14. "bilancio al 30.06.2006". SS Lazio (in Italian). 16 October 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2010.^{[ dead link ]}
15. "Dabo quits Lazio to join Man City". BBC Sport. 21 June 2006. Retrieved 1 April 2007.
16. "Dabo swayed by City fans". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
17. "Chelsea 3 : 0 Manchester City". Manchester City official website. Archived from the original on 24 August 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
18. "Man City fail in Dabo card appeal". BBC. 14 September 2006. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
19. "Dabo faces lengthy break". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
20. Barton branded a 'coward' by Dabo, The Telegraph. Retrieved on 3 May 2007.
21. Police get Barton 'attack' report, BBC News. Retrieved on 5 May 2007.
22. Barton arrested over assault, BBC News. Retrieved on 2 July 2007.
23. , Yahoo News. Retrieved on 8 April 2011.
24. "OM : Ousmane Dabo charge Joey Barton !". 3 September 2012.
25. "Lazio Edge Sampdoria On Penalties To Claim Fifth Coppa Italia". goal.com. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
26. Dell'Apa, Frank (8 February 2011). "Dabo set to join Revolution". The Boston Globe.
27. "2011-05-07: New England Revolution vs. Colorado Rapids | MLSsoccer.com". Archived from the original on 13 May 2011.
28. "Ousmane Dabo retires | New England Revolution". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
29. Ousmane Dabo at WorldFootball.net

External links

• Ousmane Dabo at Soccerbase
• archivio.inter.it
• sslazio.it (in Italian)
• Ousmane Dabo at the French Football Federation (in French)
• Ousmane Dabo at the French Football Federation (archived) (in French)
• Ousmane Dabo – French league stats at Ligue 1 – also available in French