Anelka Misunderstood: Ex-Chelsea striker's Netflix documentary invites mixed fan reaction

Nicolas Anelka's Netflix documentary, Anelka: Misunderstood, aired on August 5 and drew some mixed reactions from viewers. Anelka was expelled from the France national team in 2010 following an outburst with then-manager Raymond Domenech and sacked by West Bromwich Albion following a controversial goal celebration in 2013. The 41-year-old has now revealed his side of the story leaving a number of fans in awe.

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Nicolas Anelka Netflix documentary: Anelka: Misunderstood

The Nicolas Anelka documentary features a list of football icons including Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba and Arsene Wenger, who spoke about their time with one of France's most enigmatic strikers. The documentary begins with a young Anelka tearing it up in a local park before joining the elite Clairefontaine national youth academy. It was here that he linked up with Thierry Henry. The documentary moves on to show Anelka's transfer to Arsenal in 1997 as he helped the Gunners to the Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season. 

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Anelka then revealed that his move to Real Madrid was a torrid one as he didn't know how to be a star. "I hated it," Anelka says while describing the hostile atmosphere and changing room when he first joined the Spanish club. At one point, Anelka admitted that he was "treated like a dog" and was unwilling to train.

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The French star then joined Liverpool in 2002 on a loan deal and described the Merseyside outfit as the 'perfect club' for him. However, then Reds manager Gerard Houllier opted not to keep hold of Anelka. Anelka revealed that he wanted to stay at Anfield as it was a place where he could have achieved great things.

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On the 2010 World Cup incident with Raymond Domenech, Anelka denied using the expletive-laden quotes that were published by L'Equipe. The Frace star was sent home from South Africa and never played for his country again. "If I had said that, I would have owned up to it," he claimed. 

Just three years later, Anelka was involved in another major scandal while playing for West Bromwich Albion when he celebrated a goal with a "quenelle" gesture. Anelka came under severe criticism from the press as it was an action invented by the French comedian Dieudonné M'Bala as a provocative downward version of the Nazi salute. Anelka was axed by West Brom, who lost their sponsorship agreement with Zoopla due to his controversial gesture. In his documentary, Anelka revealed that his gesture was never meant to be anti-Semitic and it was simply a dedication to Dieudonné M'Bala. 

Image Credits - AP