 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles-Hubert Itandje | ||
| Date of birth | 2 November 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Bobigny, France | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Konyaspor (on loan from PAOK) | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2000 | Red Star | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2001 | Red Star | 9 | (0) |
| 2001–2007 | Lens | 171 | (0) |
| 2007–2010 | Liverpool | 7 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → Kavala (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Atromitos | 51 | (0) |
| 2013– | PAOK | 10 | (0) |
| 2013– | → Konyaspor (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002 | France U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2013– | Cameroon | 3 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 September (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 August 2013 | |||
Charles-Hubert Itandje (born 2 November 1982) is a Cameroon international footballer who plays forPAOK Salonika as a goalkeeper.
Club career
RC Lens[edit]
Born in Bobigny (a suburb of Paris) of Cameroonian descent,[1] Itandje began his professional career at French club RC Lens in 2001, for whom he made 170 league appearances and 21 appearances in European games.[2] Lens were prepared to allow Itandje to leave for Liverpool after they signed two goalkeepers in the summer of 2007,[3] saying: "The directors of Lens have concluded the definitive sale of Charles Itandje to Liverpool Football Club. The Lens goalkeeper leaves Lens after six years of good and loyal service. We wish him good luck and best wishes for his future career."[4]
Liverpool[edit]
Itandje signed for Liverpool in August 2007,[5] as cover for Pepe Reina thus allowing Scott Carson to join Aston Villa on a season-long loan to play regularly.[3] Itandje said of his move: "At Liverpool there is a very good keeper who has been there three years. I am clearly going to be number 2. But, there are 60 matches a season and it is planned that I will play the League Cup and FA Cup."[6] He made his first team debut forLiverpool in a League Cup match against Reading on 25 September, which Liverpool won 4–2,[7] and in total, made three League Cup appearances and four FA Cup appearances for Liverpool in the 2007–08 season.[8] He was made available for transfer in the summer of 2008 after Liverpool signed Diego Cavalieribut turned down a move to Galatasaray.[9] He made no further appearances for Liverpool and by January 2009 was seeking to leave the club.[10]
Hillsborough memorial incident
After the memorial service for the twentieth anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster in April 2009, complaints were made by members of the congregation that Itandje had been laughing and behaving inappropriately during the service.[11] His actions were condemned by the Liverpool hierarchy,[who?] who stated that they would be seeking to impose the maximum punishment possible.[11] Itandje apologised to the grieving families and to Liverpool fans for his behaviour and was suspended by the club for 14 days.[12]He did not play another game, at reserve or first team level, for the club. Following his move to Atromitos, Itandje apologised emphatically:
I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. A thousand times, I am sorry. To the club, to the fans and especially to the families, I am deeply sorry.[13]
Kavala
On 29 August 2009, Itandje moved on loan at Kavala for the whole of the season.[14] Itandje went on to make 19 appearance for Kavala and Itandje also made 9 clean sheets for the club.
Return to Liverpool (2010)
On 30 June 2010, Itandje returned to Liverpool. His contract with Liverpool was due to expire in January 2011 and he was at least fifth in the goalkeeping order, behind Pepe Reina, Brad Jones, Péter Gulácsi and Martin Hansen.
Atromitos
On 8 December 2010, it was announced that Itandje would be leaving Liverpool, being released from his contract. He joined Greek club Atromitos on a free transfer on 1 January 2011.[13] In total for Liverpool, Itandje played 7 times. He started the Greek Cup final for Atromitos who lost 3–0 to AEK at the OAKAstadium in Athens.
PAOK
On 29 January 2013 he signed a 2-year contract with PAOK.
International career
Itandje has represented France at under-21 level.[1] In 2006, he was called up for pre-selection for the French squad after a fine season at RC Lens.[15][16] He was selected for the équipe de France espoirs (the under-21 team), and became known for his dance to destabilize opponents during the penalty shootout.
In October 2010 he was cleared by FIFA to represent Cameroon after expressing his desire to play for the Cameroon national team
