James Debbah

James Debbah
Personal information
Full name James Salinsa Debbah
Date of birth (1969-12-14) 14 December 1969 (age 55)
Place of birth Monrovia, Liberia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1989 Mighty Barrolle ?? (??)
1989–1990 Union Douala ?? (??)
1990–1991 Olympique Alès 21 (6)
1991–1992 Monaco 12 (2)
1992–1995 Lyon 80 (18)
1995–1997 Nice 57 (22)
1997 Anderlecht 7 (2)
1998 Paris Saint-Germain 12 (0)
1998–1999 Ankaragücü 2 (0)
1999–2001 Iraklis 45 (17)
2001–2003 Al-Jazira 61 (34)
2003–2004 Al-Muharraq SC ?? (??)
2008–2009 PKT Bontang 32 (14)
2009–2011 Persiram Raja Ampat 16 (5)
International career
1988–2018 Liberia 73 (42)
Managerial career
2013–2017 Liberia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Salinsa Debbah (born 14 December 1969) is a Liberian professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. He was the manager of the Liberia national team from 2013 to 2017.[1]

Club career

Born in Monrovia, Debbah began his professional football career with the Liberian squad Mighty Barrolle in 1984. In 1989, he left Liberia for Union Douala off-season. In 1990, Debbah moved 1991, Debbah moved up to the Ligue 1 squad Monaco and played the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals, then the year later he moved to Olympique Lyonnais. In 1995, moved across Ligue 1 to OGC Nice, where he played until 1997, during which time he helped them win the 1996–97 Coupe de France. In that year, Debbah moved to Belgian League side Anderlecht. He moved back to Ligue 1 for one season with Paris Saint-Germain in 1998. After leaving Paris Saint-Germain, Debbah moved to Süper Lig side Ankaragücü for the 1998 and 1999 seasons then to Greek side Iraklis. Debbah moved to Al-Jazeera Club in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in 2001 and then to Muharraq Club in Muharraq, Bahrain, in 2003. In 2008, four years after leaving Muharraq Club, he moved to the Indonesia Super League with PKT Bontang for one season.

International career

Debbah was part of both the 1996 and 2002 Liberian national football squads in the African Cup of Nations. During a July 2004 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Togo in Monrovia, Debbah, as captain, refused to be substituted in the 53rd minute, instead waiting until the 68th minute to leave the pitch. The match resulted in a 0–0 draw, causing the team to leave the stadium under the protection of an armored personnel carrier.[2]

He made a final appearance for the national team in September 2018, at the age of 48, making him the third oldest international player on record.[3]

Personal life

Debbah is the cousin of Liberian footballer George Weah.[4]

Career Statistics

International

Scores and results list Liberia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Debbah goal.
List of international goals scored by James Debbah
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 11 July 1987 National Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria  Nigeria – 1–4 1988 Summer Olympics qualification [5]
2 21 August 1988 Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Paynesville, Liberia  Ghana 2–0 2–0 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification [6]
3 25 June 1989 Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Paynesville, Liberia  Egypt 1–0 1–0 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification [7]
4 22 October 1989 Monrovia, Liberia  Guinea – 2–0 Friendly [8]
5 4 June 1995 Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Paynesville, Liberia  Mauritania 1–0 2–0 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification [9]
6 2–0
7 1 June 1996 Independence Stadium, Bakau, The Gambia  Gambia 1–1 1–2 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification [10]
8 23 June 1996 Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana  Gambia 4–0 4–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification [11]
9 3 September 2000 Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Paynesville, Liberia  Mauritius 2–0 4–0 2002 African Cup of Nations qualification [12]
10 3–0
11 14 January 2001 Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Paynesville, Liberia  Congo 1–1 5–1 2002 African Cup of Nations qualification [13]
12 4–1
13 4 August 2001 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, USA  Colombia 1–2 1–2 Friendly [14]

Honors

Club

OGC Nice

References

  1. ^ "JAMES DEBBAH - Player Details TFF". www.tff.org. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  2. ^ Liberia stoned by fans BBC Sport, 5 July 2004
  3. ^ "Weah is 'oldest international' ever". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  4. ^ Debbah slams Weah's Liberia bid BBC Sport, 10 August 2005
  5. ^ "Nigeria vs. Liberia". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Liberia vs. Ghana". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Liberia vs. Egypt". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Liberia vs. Guinea". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Liberia vs. Mauritania". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Gambia vs. Liberia". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Liberia vs. Ghana". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Liberia vs. Mauritius". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Liberia vs. Congo". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Colombia vs. Liberia". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  15. ^ "COUPE DE FRANCE 1996-1997 Finale". deux-zero.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.