Antoine Sibierski

Football player infobox


playername = Antoine Sibierski
fullname = Antoine Sibierski
nickname = Le Sib, Superbierski
height = height|meters=1.88
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1974|8|5
cityofbirth = Lille
countryofbirth = France
currentclub = Norwich City
(on loan from Wigan Athletic)
clubnumber = 9
position = Midfielder/Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs = Lille
years = 1992–1996
1996–1998
1998–2000
2000–2003
2003–2006
2006–2007
2007–
2008
clubs = Lille
Auxerre
Nantes
Lens
Manchester City
Newcastle United
Wigan Athletic
→ Norwich City (loan)
caps(goals) = 97 (17)
42 0(8)
50 (17)
89 (23)
92 (11)
26 0(3)
31 0(4)
02 0(1)
nationalyears = 2000
nationalteam = France B
nationalcaps(goals) = 01 0(1)
pcupdate = 21:18, 17 September 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 00:41, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Antoine Sibierski (born August 5, 1974 in Lille) is a French football player who currently plays for Norwich City on loan from Wigan Athletic.

Club career

Sibierski began his career at hometown club Lille OSC, where he moved up the ranks and played for four complete seasons in the first team before playing for AJ Auxerre and FC Nantes, where he won the 2000 French Cup. He then joined RC Lens, and eventually became club captain during his three-year stay.

Manchester City

Sibierski moved to Manchester City for a fee of £700,000 in August 2003,cite news
title = Man City land Sibierski
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/3119867.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2003-08-02
accessdate = 2007-08-14] where he scored on his debut against Charlton Athletic.cite news
title = Man City brush Charlton aside
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/3140903.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2003-08-17
accessdate = 2007-08-14] However, the arrivals of Steve McManaman and Claudio Reyna put extra pressure on Sibierski to do well.

He was a regular substitute for the team, having started only eighteen of the thirty-three games he participated in, during an all important first season in which he scored seven goals.

The 2005-06 season saw him fighting for a new contract at the club. Early on in the season he won a place up front due to the injury of Andy Cole but was soon reverted back to the bench. Despite this Sibierski still signed a one-year extension to his contract at the club which was meant to last until the summer of 2007.

Newcastle United

Newcastle United signed Sibierski on August 31, 2006 on a one-year contract, just two hours and twenty minutes before the close of the transfer window. Some fans considered the Frenchman's signing as a joke, considering the fans high expectations of signings from the previous season, in which Newcastle signed the likes of Michael Owen, Scott Parker and Emre.

He scored on his Newcastle debut in the UEFA cup first round tie against Levadia. His league debut for the club came at West Ham on 17 September, and he scored his first domestic goal for Newcastle on 7 November against Watford in the Carling Cup. He scored his first league goal for the club in a 1-0 win over Portsmouth. Sibierski then went on to score his second league goal for the Magpies against Reading in a thrilling encounter in which the Magpies went on to win 3-2. His goal scoring form at the start of the season proved many Geordie doubters wrong, as Sibierski went on to be a key European figure. In Europe, Sibierski made 7 appearances and scored 4 essential goals against Levadia Tallinn, Fenerbahçe, Celta Vigo and Zulte-Waregem respectively.

He quickly became a Newcastle favourite and an important member of the first team loved by the Newcastle faithful. Due to injuries on Tyneside, including England Striker Michael Owen, Sibierski mainly played as a striker, where his partnership with Nigerian Obafemi Martins proved successful. He also played as an attacking midfielder in a 4-5-1 formation. He played a part in an exciting 2-2 draw with Manchester United, later saying he was disappointed not to get on the scoresheet against his former club's main rivals. He scored his first European goal of 2007 with a brilliant individual effort against Zulte-Waregem in the UEFA Cup on February 15. Sibierski nut-megged a defender, took it round another, took it round the keeper and tapped home the last goal in a 3-1 win.

However Newcastle were not willing to match Sibierski's wish of a new two-year contract at the club, instead offering just another one-year contract, which he rejected. Sibierski's agent Willie McKay stated that whilst negotiations were still ongoing, it looked increasingly likely that Sibierski would be leaving the club as his contract came to an end. Following his season with Newcastle, Sibierski now describes himself as a Newcastle fan.cite news|url=http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/sunderlandafc/news/tm_headline=sibs-happy-to-please-the-magpies&method=full&objectid=19660664&siteid=50081-name_page.html|first=Stuart|last=Rayner|date=2007-08-20 |accessdate=2007-08-23 |title=Sibierski happy to please the Magpies |publisher="icNewcastle"]

Wigan Athletic

Sibierski agreed a two-year deal with Wigan Athletic on a free transfer from Newcastle United on 4 June 2007.cite news
title = Wigan sign Bramble and Sibierski
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/6720701.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-06-04
accessdate = 2007-06-04] He scored on his debut in the 2-1 defeat at Everton on August 11 2007.cite news
title = Everton 2-1 Wigan
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6931062.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-08-11
accessdate = 2007-08-14] He followed this up with a second goal for the Latics on his home debut at the JJB Stadium on August 15 against Middlesbrough, and a third for Wigan's third game in a row, completing a 3-0 victory over Sunderland on August 18. Subsequently, Sibierski suffered several injuries and his form slumped, as Wigan slipped from the top 4 to the relegation zone.

However, on January 12, 2008, Sibierski scored a crucial winner within seconds of coming off the bench against Derby County with a low drive into the bottom left corner of the net from 25 yards out. He then followed this up with another spectacular goal against Chelsea, in the FA Cup.

On 1 September 2008, Sibierski joined Norwich City on loan.cite news
title = Sibierski joins on loan
url = http://www.canaries.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetails/0,,10355~1382093,00.html
publisher = Norwich City FC
date = 2008-09-01
accessdate = 2008-09-01] He scored what proved to be the winning goal on his debut against Plymouth Argyle on 13 September 2008 from a free-kick.

Honours

Team

*French Cup: 1998-99, 1999-2000
*French Supercup: 1999
*UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006

Individual

*Goal of the season for Wigan Athletic: vs. Chelsea F.C., January 26, 2007 [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI0p-PUZcSY Antoine Sibierski goal vs Chelsea, 26-01-08] ]

Personal life

Sibierski has a wife called Isabelle, two daughters - Axelle & Sibylle - and a baby boy, Alessandro.Fact|date=August 2007 He has been friends with fellow footballer and former Lille teammate Frédéric Dindeleux since the age of eight, who was best man at Sibierski's wedding.cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2007/0215/newcastle.html|date=2007-02-15 |accessdate=2007-08-23 |title=Sibierski rubs salt into friend's wounds |publisher=RTÉ Sport]

Notes

External links

*soccerbase|id=18731|name=Antoine Sibierski
* [http://www.sitercl.com/Fichejo/S/sibiersa.htm Profile, stats and pictures of Antoine Sibierski]