UK-based firm to unveil statue in honour of Marcel Desailly

Retired Ghanaian footballer Marcel Desailly will be honoured with a sculptured image of himself by UK-based company Image and Likeness on Friday.

The former France international is being honoured for the exemplary life he led throughout and after his professional career.

The 46-year-old after 20 years of active football and several years of ambassadorial roles has used his time and image to promote the power of football to change the lives of especially children.

The decision to honour the Ghanaian born French star is to reflect on the personality and uniqueness, celebrate the difference in him and what he has achieved, his contribution to community and country.

A giant statue will therefore be unveiled of the former AC Milan defender at Lizzy Sports Complex situated in East Legon, Accra.

“The commission to sculpt Marcel Desailly has been a pleasure and a great honour even for an Arsenal supporter,” Sculpture Dr Gerry P. Waldron said.

Marcel Desailly was a member of the charismatic French football team which won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2000 European Championship.

Following those triumphs, he led France to victory in the Confederations Cup held in Japan and South Korea in 2001.

He played in total 116 times for France, then a record, before retiring following the 2004 European Championship.

He was awarded the Légion d’Honneur for his part in the 1998 World Cup victory, and in 2001, on behalf of the French team, he received the Laureus World Team of the Year Award in Monaco in recognition of the nation’s European Championship victory.

Desailly aka Odenke Addy, widely acknowledged as one of the most accomplished defenders football has ever seen, has lived and invested in Ghana since retiring from football.

An enthusiastic supporter of the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, Marcel Desailly was elected a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy in January 2007.