August 1, 1999: Arsenal Football Club sell Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid.
They had little choice but to sell him, in spite of all the promise he had. So they made the best deal they could. It turned out to be the best deal in team history.
Nicolas Sébastien Anelka was born on March 14, 1979, in the Paris suburb of Le Chesnay, France. A son of immigrants to France from their Caribbean island colony of Martinique, the forward played for 12 different soccer teams in 7 different countries, but always wore out his welcome, earning him the nickname "Le Sulk."
In 1997, Arsène Wenger, a native of Strasbourg, France, and manager of North London team Arsenal, purchased Anelka's contract from hometown team Paris Saint-German for £500,000. In 1998, not yet 19 years old, he helped Arsenal win the Premier League title, and scored in the FA Cup Final to complete "The Double."
In 1999, he looked like the next great soccer superstar, but he demanded a big contract, and said that if he didn't get it at Arsenal, he'd put in a transfer request. Arsenal called his bluff, selling him to Spanish giants Real Madrid for £22.3 million.
It was the greatest deal in Arsenal history: Not only did the Gunners get 44 times their money back, but that purchase price paid for their new training ground, London Colney, costing them £10 million; and for the man who actually became the next great Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry, from Turin, Italy giants Juventus, costing them £11 million. He became their all-time leading goalscorer, and helped them win 2 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, and reach the Final of both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup (now the UEFA Europa League).
Anelka helped Real Madrid win the UEFA Champions League in 2000, but, being the most imperious club in the sport, they refused to put up with him, either. He helped Istanbul team Fenerbahçe win the Turkish Süper Lig in 2005, then returned to London, helping Chelsea win the 2009 FA Cup, and the League and Cup Double in 2010. But they couldn't put up with him, and sold him to Juventus, whom he helped win Italy's Serie A in 2013. He was even a player-coach in China, with Shanghai Shenhua, and in India, with Mumbai City, his last team as a player.
He wasn't much better for his country. He was not called up for the 1998 World Cup, which France won. He did help them win the UEFA European Championship in 2000 and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001, and to reach the Final of the 2006 World Cup. But he was part of France's disastrous crashes out of the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, and was never selected again.
Thierry Henry, remembered as "The King," is honored with a statue outside Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal since 2006-07, his last season with the team. In a way, the stadium is also his monument, as much as it is that of Arsène Wenger, or Dennis Bergkamp, or Tony Adams, or any other Arsenal legend.
Nicolas Anelka, remembered as "Le Sulk," has no statue. His monument is the Arsenal Training Centre at London Colney, where young players at the club are taught to be as talented as Anelka, and more mature.
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August 1, 1999 was a Sunday. These baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox, 5-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. Bret Saberhagen outpitched Orlando "El Duque" Hernández. Bernie Williams went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, and Paul O'Neill went 3-for-4 with an RBI. But Derek Jeter went 0-for-5.
* The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. In the top of the 13th inning, with the Mets out of pinch-hitters, pitcher Pat Mahomes had to bat for himself, and singled home the winning run. His son, Patrick Mahomes, became a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
For the Mets, Rickey Henderson went 0-for-3 with 2 walks and a stolen base. For the Cubs, Sammy Sosa went 0-for-6. I guess the steroids weren't working that day.
* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 12-4 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta.
* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers, 8-5 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Florida Marlins, 2-1 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-3 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Francisco Giants, 9-1 at Riverfront Stadium (then named Cinergy Field) in Cincinnati. Barry Bonds went 1-for-4.
* The Montreal Expos beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 10-4 at Milwaukee County Stadium.
* The Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Mark McGwire hit his 597th career home run. I guess his steroids were working that day.
* The Anaheim Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 2-1 at Edison International Field of Anaheim (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).
* The Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals, 12-5 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.
* The San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros, 10-3 at Qualcomm Stadium (formerly San Diego Stadium and Jack Murphy Stadium). Tony Gwynn went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBI. He never needed steroids.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
* The Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 10-6 at the Oakland Coliseum (then named the Network Associates Coliseum).
* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1 at the new Safeco Field in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-2 with a walk. His streak over, Cal Ripken Jr. did not play.
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