You could argue that there is no possible way Djimi Traore could ever be forgotten, but at the very least, he is a footballer from yesteryear.
By Declan Whooley
One of the most ridiculed players of his generation, what is easy to forget is that Liverpool made nearly a 300 per cent profit on the defender. Quite remarkable given the mockery and abuse he was subjected to during his time at Anfield, but a Champions League winner’s medal clearly adds zeros to your valuation.
The French defender arrived on Merseyside in 1999 with Gerard Houllier in charge at Anfield, but found the going tough, and spent the 2001/02 season on loan at Lens.
Traore returned, but again struggled to break into the first team, and while his commitment was never in question, his technical ability certainly was. The Mali international was in fact very close to making a deadline day switch to Everton in 2004, but the deal fell through. From what we can remember, Toffees supporters weren’t overly upset by the failure to make him a Blue.
Commitment was never an issue
The defender had an ability to mix the bad with the utterly ridiculous. This own goal was the stuff of comedic genius, handing Burnley a famous FA Cup win at Turf Moor, somehow bumbling the ball into the net.
The arrival of Rafa Benitez seemed to revitalise his career at Anfield, and if ever there was proof of his coaching ability, it was the way in which he managed to transform Traore into a semblance of an accomplished defender from time to time that should be the stand-out achievement on his CV.
The Champions League victory was without doubt his career highlight and inspired a generation of average footballers to believe that anything is possible. That Traore gave away the free-kick that led to the opening goal and looked totally at sea in that first-half against AC Milan is easily forgotten given the dramatic turn of events after half-time on that fateful night in Istanbul.
And after that it went steadily downhill. The following season he saw his first-team opportunities limited with the presence of Stephen Warnock and John Arne Riise and when Charlton dangled £2 million in front of the Liverpool board in the summer of 2006, they didn’t need to be asked twice.
A calamity against his old team
While people generally associate Traore with being poor at Liverpool, spare a though for Charlton. Leaving aside the fact they paid way over the odds, he was sent off on his Addicks debut, conceded a penalty against Liverpool when he faced his former employers for the first time and by Christmas Alan Pardew deemed him surplus to requirements.
A loan spell with Birmingham followed before signing a deal with Monaco and later with Marseilles. In February the Mali international signed with the Seattle Sounders after impressing on trial, and did score this wonder goal last month as a gentle reminder that when it comes to the unexpected, Djimi Traore is your man.
