Félix Dja Ettien

Félix Dja Ettien
Personal information
Full name Félix Dja Ettien Yohou[1]
Date of birth (1979-09-26) 26 September 1979 (age 45)[1]
Place of birth Abidjan, Ivory Coast[1]
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
USC Bassam
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2008 Levante 308 (21)
2011 Alzira 5 (0)
Total 313 (21)
International career
1997 Ivory Coast U20 2 (0)
2001–2008 Ivory Coast 6 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Félix Dja Ettien Yohou (born 26 September 1979) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer.

A right midfielder with great stamina and strength,[2] he also held a Spanish passport due to the years spent in the country,[3] all with Levante where he played 324 competitive matches – 81 of those in La Liga.[4]

Club career

Ettien was born in Abidjan. While representing Ivory Coast in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, he caught the eyes of Spanish club Levante UD, who purchased both him and his compatriot Idrissa Keita. While Keita flopped, Ettien became one of the team's most important players – despite suffering racist abuse early on in his career in the country;[5] in his first season, however, he only appeared in seven games (308 minutes) as they were relegated from the Segunda División.

As the Valencian Community side were twice promoted and relegated during his 11-year spell, Ettien was an everpresent fixture, appearing in all but four matches in the 2006–07 campaign and scoring two goals in a narrow escape from relegation in La Liga.[6][7] In July 2008, he left due to the club's serious economic problems.[8]

In September 2009, after more than one year out of football, the 30-year-old Ettien had an unsuccessful trial at Romania's FC Astra Ploieşti.[9] In January 2011, he signed with Spanish Segunda División B side UD Alzira.[10]

International career

After the under-20 exploits, Ettien won six caps (one goal) for the Ivorian national team, appearing against DR Congo and Madagascar in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.[11]

Personal life

On 19 October 2018, after several failed business enterprises, Ettien was employed as bus driver at the Royal Spanish Football Federation, presided by his former Levante teammate Luis Rubiales.[12][4]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League
Division Apps Goals
Levante 1997–98[1] Segunda División 7 0
1998–99[13] Segunda División B 31 3
1999–2000[1] Segunda División 38 2
2000–01[13] Segunda División 36 1
2001–02[1] Segunda División 34 3
2002–03[13] Segunda División 33 3
2003–04[1] Segunda División 17 1
2004–05[14] La Liga 34 2
2005–06[13] Segunda División 31 3
2006–07[14] La Liga 34 2
2007–08[14] La Liga 13 1
Total 308 21

Honours

Levante

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Félix Dja Ettien Yohou". BDFutbol. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  2. ^ Bort, J. M. (20 April 2016). "Félix Ettien: "Yo lo aprendía todo, hasta la 'cola de vaca' de Romario"" [Félix Ettien: "I learned everything, even Romario's 'cow tail' (rough translation of a football dribble)"]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Ettien denuncia una discriminación a los africanos para obtener la nacionalidad" [Ettien denounces discrimination of Africans in order to obtain nationality]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). 20 April 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  4. ^ a b Cavallero, Javier (20 November 2011). "'Perdí 200.000 euros en Moët Chandon'" ['I lost 200.000 euros in Moët Chandon']. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  5. ^ Minshull, Phil (17 November 2004). "Felix who?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  6. ^ "Van the hat-trick man". Eurosport. 11 September 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  7. ^ "El Levante roza la permanencia a costa de un desastroso Racing (2–3)" [Levante all but saved at the expense of disastrous Racing (2–3)]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 27 May 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Embargan la vivienda de Riga y Ettien ante los impagos causados por la crisis del Levante" [Riga and Ettien's home seized for failure to pay due to Levante's crisis]. El Economista (in Spanish). 14 May 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  9. ^ "OFICIAL** Miranda, un an la Astra" [OFFICIAL** Miranda, one year to Astra]. ProSport (in Romanian). 10 September 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  10. ^ Rodríguez, Pepe (28 January 2011). "Ettien reforzará a un Alzira que se hace grande" [Ettien will bolster an Alzira who become great]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  11. ^ Félix Ettien – FIFA competition record (archived)
  12. ^ "Rubiales coloca a Ettien como conductor en la Federación" [Rubiales places Ettien as driver in the Federation]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). 19 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d "Felix Dja Ettien, Ettien" (in Spanish). Levante UD. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
  14. ^ a b c Félix Ettien at Soccerway
  15. ^ "El histórico ascenso a Primera con Preciado cumple dieciséis años" [16th anniversary of historic promotion to Primera with Preciado] (in Spanish). EFE. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2022.