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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| May 14 2008, 1:52 PM EDT | auldbhoy | |
| Apr 30 2008, 3:55 PM EDT | auldbhoy |
Changes
Key: Additions Deletions
| Real name | Dianbobo Balde |
| Nickname | Bobo |
| Height | 6.03 |
| Weight | 13.06 |
| Date of birth | 13-10-1975 |
| Place of birth | France |
| Position | Defender |
| Nationality | Guinea |
| Signed on | 21-07-2001 |
| Fee | Free |
| Squad number | 6 |
Summary Born 13 October 1975 in France
Signed 21-07-2001 for a reported £900k from Toulouse [BBC]
The transfer fee was wiped however when Toulouse enter financial difficulties (?)
Nationality: Guinea
Captain
Article
Guinea crowd sporting Celtic tops in African nations (2003) (BBC)
6 July 2003, Guinea 3-0 Ethiopia
Dianbobo Balde arrived at Celtic from French side Tolouse when he was signed by then Hoops boss Martin O’Neill in July 2001 after a protracted transfer saga.
Celtic paid a reported fee of £900,000 for the Marseille-born Guinea international although it later emerged that financial troubles at the French club allowed the Bhoys to snatch Balde for free.
After taking a short while to settle into life in Scotland and the SPL the man simply known as ‘Bobo’ quickly established himself as a cult favourite with the Celtic support.
Immensly strong, brave, great in the air and a natural athlete with an intimidating physical presence, Bobo possesses all the necessities required to be a first rate defender.The Parkhead crowd love his whole-heartedly robust approach to defending. With an attitude to never accept coming out second best in any contest Bobo is never slow to make his presence felt on the pitch. Indeed Hoops fans enjoy regularly taunting opposition players with the tongue in cheek yet menacing cry of ‘Bobo’s gonna get ya!’
His power in the air makes him a real danger at set-pieces and he has chipped in with some vital goals during his Parkhead career.
But despite Bobo’s obvious attributes an apparent lack of concentration means that he can be prone to making silly and costly mistakes. His touch can be clumsy and he can at times dwell on the ball too long and over elaborate.
He is unquestionably a much superior player when he concentrates on the basics of defending and keeps things simple. On his game he is without doubt a top class centre-half.
He was an integral part of the Celtic team which made it to the UEFA Cup final in 2003. However during the final in Seville Bobo was sent off for two bookable offences – the second a needless lunge early into extra time. The sending off was justified but it was a cruel blow for Balde who had deservedly been crowned the Celtic supporters Player of the Year just weeks before.
Since then he has continued to be a rock at the back for Celtic and although he does have his moments of madness they should not disguise the many qualities the big man brings to the team. During his time at Parkhead he has been linked with a host of English clubs including Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Everton and most recently Aston Villa. Bayern Munich were also allegedly keen on taking Bobo to Germany while in January 2005 he appeared on the verge of a move to his hometown club Marseille.
A stomach operation kept Bobo out of the team for the opening months of the 2006-2007 season which allowed Stephen McManus and Gary Caldwell to establish themselves as Gordon Strachan's preferred first-team centre-back pairing. Subsequently first team appearances have been limited to a small handful much to the annoyance of a significant section of the support who believe the tough defender to be the club's best centre-half. .
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