Johan Djourou

Djourou was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast,[4] to Ivorian parents Joachim and Angeline, and was later adopted by his father's first wife, Danièle, a Swiss woman.[9] They moved to Geneva when he was 17 months old. He enrolled at the Payerne Training Center when he was 13 and then, in 2002, he joined local second division side Étoile Carouge as a midfielder at 15. He joined Arsenal on 1 August 2003. He was a member of the Swiss under-19 squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2004 European Championships.[10]

Djourou made his first senior start for Arsenal in a 3–1 victory against Everton in the League Cup, having made his first appearance after 89 minutes of the corresponding match in the previous round against Manchester City on 27 October 2004. He made his full Premiership debut for Arsenal in the 7–0 victory over Middlesbrough on 14 January 2006, playing at centre-back with Philippe Senderos. Djourou started Arsenal's FA Cup fourth round clash with Bolton Wanderers as part of a makeshift defence, a game in which Arsenal lost 1–0. He had also played in the third round clash with Cardiff City.

Djourou taking a throw in against Reading

In February 2006, Djourou played in the league games against West Ham United, Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers. In April 2006 he came on as a substitute against Aston Villa in Arsenal's 5–0 victory, replacing the injured Emmanuel Eboué. He started April's premiership game against Portsmouth, a game which also saw the comeback of Sol Campbell. During this season, several Italian clubs (including Juventus) scouted Djourou in Arsenal's reserve matches (his contract was to expire at the end of the 2006–07 season), but after the end of the World Cup, he signed a six-year contract extension with Arsenal.

He played in Arsenal's 2007 pre-season Emirates Cup win, against both Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

On 10 August 2007, he signed for Birmingham City on loan for five months.[11] He made his debut two days later against the previous season's FA Cup and League Cup winners Chelsea. This was a closely fought contest in which Chelsea ran out eventual 3–2 winners, in which Djourou cleared off the line from Frank Lampard to keep Birmingham City in the game.[12]

Djourou continued to play for Birmingham consistently through his loan period until 22 December 2007, when he gifted Bolton Wanderers' Nicolas Anelka a goal via an errant throw-in.[13] This marked his last appearance for the club. Although Birmingham manager Alex McLeish was keen to retain him, Djourou returned to Arsenal at the end of his loan spell, as cover for Kolo Touré and Alex Song who were playing in the 2008 African Cup of Nations.[14]

In May 2008, Djourou stated that he would be willing to partner Cesc Fàbregas in midfield after the departure of Mathieu Flamini to A.C. Milan. Instead, he played in the centre of defence as first choice backup following the departure of fellow Swiss defender Philippe Senderos to A.C. Milan on a season-long loan. In September, Djourou signed a new long-term contract.[15]

After Touré's departure to Manchester City, Djourou had a chance to break into the starting eleven. However, on 11 April 2009, in a league match against Wigan Athletic, Djourou suffered a knee injury which later required surgery. In September 2009, his club estimated a recovery period of six to eight months; Arsène Wenger stated: "He will have to be patient this season."[16]

Djourou at the 2010 Emirates Cup

In March 2010, Djourou appeared on Arsenal TV Online's 'Arsenal Live' programme. He announced that he was getting closer to a return: "I am nearly at the end. It has been a long road for me and I am really looking forward to being back on the field." He made his return from injury as a second-half substitute in the 4–0 win over Fulham in Arsenal's final game of the season. Djourou replaced the injured Mikaël Silvestre and this was his only appearance in the 2009–10 campaign.

Due to Thomas Vermaelen's injury at the beginning of the 2010–11 campaign, Djourou received more opportunities to play. Wenger admitted that he rotates the Swiss international because he missed an entire year and does not want to lose him.[17] Djourou became Arsenal's first-choice centre-back, playing in all eight games in January 2011, during which time Arsenal conceded no Premier League goals. He scored his first goal for Arsenal on 5 February, in the third minute of a 4–4 draw against Newcastle United at St. James' Park. On 27 February 2011, Djourou started and played the full 90 minutes alongside Laurent Koscielny against Birmingham City in the 2011 Football League Cup Final held at Wembley Stadium in a 2–1 defeat.

On 12 March, while playing in the quarter finals of the FA Cup away to Manchester United at Old Trafford, Djourou suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder in a collision with teammate Bacary Sagna. Djourou was carried from the field and Wenger later confirmed that he would be unavailable for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. This came as a major blow to Arsenal's title challenge, up until then having not lost a Premier League game with him on the field. As well as that Djourou had played a major part in defence in cover of the injured Vermaelen. Djourou recovered more quickly than expected, returning to play the whole of the 1–1 draw with Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on 17 April, playing alongside Koscielny, and the North London Derby three days later. On 24 April, against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium, he conceded a penalty (missed by Kevin Davies) in a 2–1 defeat which effectively ended Arsenal's title hopes. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he played in a total of 37 matches for the Gunners in all competitions. On 28 August 2011 Djourou played in the centre of a young Arsenal seriously weakened by injuries for a match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Arsenal lost 8–2, in what was their heaviest defeat since 1896, a 115-year record.[18] Three days later Arsenal announced the signing of experienced German defender Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen, and Djourou's first team opportunities became more limited. In February 2012, Djourou signed a three-year contract extension until summer 2015. During the 2011–12 season, he started 19 times for Arsenal and made 8 substitute appearances.

On 3 January 2013, Djourou confirmed that he was set to move to Bundesliga club Hannover on loan until the end of the season, with no option to buy included in the deal. He said, "I joined the club who wanted me the most. At my age, the priority is to play regularly. To do this, I did not hesitate to refuse offers with the most exclusive clubs who made important financial efforts."[19]

On 1 July 2013, Djourou undertook a medical before signing for Bundesliga side Hamburger SV on loan for a season. It was reported that this time, the deal did include an option to buy. He said: "I'm very happy now that everything is sorted. HSV are a big club, with a lot of quality and great fans. I am convinced that this is the right step for my career."[20]

In April 2014, Hamburg confirmed that they had activated the buying clause and signed Djourou on a permanent deal.[21]

On 7 August 2017, Djourou completed a free transfer to Antalyaspor after the expiry of his contract with Hamburg. He signed a two-year contract with an option to extend the deal by 12 months.[22]

On 21 July 2018, Djourou signed with Italian Serie A club S.P.A.L. on a one-year contract with an option for a second year.[23] He made just six appearances before leaving by mutual consent in January 2019.[24]

On 23 January 2020, Djourou completed a free transfer to Sion for the rest of the Swiss Super League season.[25] He was one of nine players dismissed on 20 March for refusing a pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic.[26]

As of 3 July 2018[37]

Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first.[38]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 September 2007	Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria	Japan	3–3	3–4	Friendly
2	9 October 2015	AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland	San Marino	4–0	7–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualification