23. Habib Beye

Position: Right Back Date of Birth: 19th October 1979 Place of Birth: Suresnes, France Caps: 35* Height: 182cm

Habib Beye began his career at French giants Paris Saint-Germain in 1997, however he never played for the first team. Instead he played 17 times for the reserve side in the national fifth division. In 1998 he joined RC Strasbourg for an undisclosed fee.

Beye made his debut on 8th August 1998 in a goalless home draw against Olympique Lyonnais and went on to play 23 games that season. He only missed five games the following season and also managed to score his first goal for the club on 2 October in a 2-2 draw with Bordeaux. He was a member of the 2001 French Cup winning side.

Despite being a big favourite at Strasbourg, Habib Beye signed for Olympique Marseille for a fee of £2,000,000 in the 2001 summer. In his first season he played in both the Champions League and Uefa Cup and went on to help Marseille to get to the Uefa Cup Final, only for them to lose 2-0 to Spanish giants Valencia. He was also beaten finalist in the 2006 and 2007 French Cup which they lost to Paris SG and FC Sochaux respectively. He had a hugely successful spell at the club making 147 appearances in four seasons.

On 31st August 2007, during the closing moments of the transfer window Newcastle United confirmed the signing of Habib Beye for £2,000,000. The Sengal international signed a three year deal, and the manager stated how happy he was a getting his man labelling the deal a ‘bargain’.

He made his debut on 17th September in a 1-0 defeat to Derby County when he came of the bench. The defender became a bit of a cult hero at St James Park, with some fans going on to create a fan site called ‘Beyewatch’. At the end of the 2008 season he was named Player of the Year.

With new owners coming into Newcastle, and ongoing problems inside the club Habib Beye announced that he would have to leave the club and the end of the 2008-09 season following the clubs relegation.

On August 6th Hull chairman Paul Duffen announced that he had agreed terms to sign Habib Beye, however it was announced a day later that he had signed for Aston Villa. Since joining the club Beye has found it hard to break into the first team with his team mates Luke Young and Carlos Cuéllar both preferred.

Honours:
French Cup Winner 00/01 (Strasbourg)
Uefa Cup Runner Up 03/04 (Marseille)
French Cup Runner Up 05/06 (Marseille)
French Cup Runner Up 06/07 (Marseille)
League Cup Runner Up 09/10 (Aston Villa)

(*-as of 1st May 2011)