“Allez Les Bleus” - Neal Maupay has become the latest Frenchman to join Everton but going back almost 25 years ago, there was still a great deal of intrigue over a Gallic recruit at Goodison Park when Howard Kendall snapped up Mickael Madar. Known for his fiery temper and nicknamed “Mad Mick”, the Parisian striker was labelled “The new Cantona” when he signed for Everton in December 1997 but unfortunately he was unable to replicate his compatriot’s successes at Manchester United for the Blues.
Everton’s interest in Madar was reported in the ECHO as early as August 9, 1997 when it became known that the Deportivo La Coruna player would be available on a free transfer. However, he didn’t actually sign for the Blues until midway through what proved to be a fraught campaign on December 30.
Writing in his ECHO column, David Prentice warned that Kendall’s famous team-building method could be put to the test with the headline: “Howard’s Chinese ways must change!” Prentice remarked how the Blues boss’ fondness for treating his squad to Chinese meals was well known but Madar probably wouldn’t appreciate an invite to the team spirit building get-togethers.
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He wrote: “Madar enjoyed a well-publicised bust-up with his former coach at Deportivo La Coruna in Spain. The argument brewed because Madar was fed up… of eating rice!
“Born in Paris, Madar’s gastronomic tastes are clearly more complex than a quick egg fried rice. He stormed away from the table while the team were eating a pre-match meal – and simmered overnight.
“The simmering reached boiling point the next day in training. Madar put in a challenge on Brazilian midfielder Mauro Silva which could most kindly be described as a ‘forward’s’ tackle. Coach Carlo Alberto Silva, also Brazilian, stuck up fiercely for his compatriot.
‘“Madar is a stirrer. I don’t want any more of him’, he raged, before banning the Frenchman from training for 10 days.
“Madar refused to take the punishment lying down. He has a letter of support printed in the local newspaper from his team-mates – including the recipient of the offending tackle, Mauro Silva – then visited club president Cesar Augusto Lendoiro to complain.
“The top man decided that the expulsion from training was overly harsh, and asked Silva the coach to reconsider his punishment. He refused.
‘“Madar lacks respect. There’s no way I’ll go back on my decision,’ he declared, before telling the Frenchman he could leave, despite having two years left on his contract.”
As it turned out, coach Carlos Alberto Silva ended up leaving the San Sebastian-based outfit first and Madar regained his place in the side but remaining unsettled, he sealed his switch to Merseyside just before the end of the calendar year. After signing for Everton, Madar said: “The standard of play here is very high and some of the best foreign players are here.”
On the prospect of playing up front with Duncan Ferguson, he added: “I saw the three goals Duncan scored against Bolton (two days earlier on December 28) and was impressed. I’ve heard of him by name and reputation and I hope we can play well together in partnership for Everton.”
Meanwhile, Kendall insisted he had no doubts over his new recruit’s supposed hot head, adding: “There was another Frenchman by the name of Eric Cantona who came to England with people saying he had a fiery temperament. If Mickael does as well as him we will have no problem.”
Despite scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Madar’s Everton career consisted of just 17 starts and 20 games in total with six goals before falling out of favour under Kendall’s successor Walter Smith who came in as manager the following summer.
However, he became a trailblazer for his fellow countrymen to follow with the likes of Olivier Dacourt; David Ginola; Louis Saha; Sylvain Distin; Eliaquim Mangala; Lucas Digne; Djibril Sidibe and Niels Nkounkou all following him plus French-born internationals for other countries: Tobias Linderoth of Sweden (born in Marseille when his father Anders was playing his club football there); Yannick Bolasie of DR Congo plus Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Abdoulaye Doucoure who both represented France at youth levels before switching their allegiances to Ivory Coast and Mali respectively and indeed, Everton have now had more French players than any other nationality beyond the British Isles.
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