Abel Xavier - former Portuguese professional footballer
converted to Islam with his new name Faisal.
Faisal Xavier (born Abel Luís da Silva Costa Xavier (Portuguese
pronunciation: [ɐˈbɛɫ ʃɐviˈɛɾ]) on the 30 November
1972) is a former Portuguese professional footballer who last
played for Los Angeles Galaxy, and is also a former
international for the Portuguese national team.
Xavier is a central defender and was a part of the squad for
the Portugal national team that participated in U-17 World Cup
in Scotland.
Xavier debuted in the Portuguese top division with Estrela da
Amadora. His play there earned him a transfer to Lisbon giant
Sport Lisboa e Benfica. He helped Benfica win the Portuguese
League in 1994, and a season after, he moved to Serie A side
Bari. This stint with the Italian club started a series of transfers
across Europe: in 1996, Xavier was sent to Real Oviedo, then
after two seasons he moved to PSV, and then to Premier
League club Everton, where he stayed for three years. Xavier
was then sold to Merseyside rivals Liverpool where he scored
on his debut against Ipswich Town. He stayed at Liverpool for
two years, scoring once more against Bayer Leverkusen in the
Champions League, then started another set of one-year stints
with Galatasaray (2002–2003), Hannover 96 (2003–2004), and
finally Roma (2004–2005).
For the national team, Xavier missed UEFA Euro 1996, but came
back strong in UEFA Euro 2000, and became one of the key
figures in the competition, not only due to playing some of his
best football but also due to his eye-catching bleached hair
and beard. In the semi-final against France, he went from close
to hero, as Fabien Barthez blocked what looked a sure goal, to
a villain, when he deflected a shot by Sylvain Wiltord near the
post in the dying seconds of golden goal extra time with his
hand. Zinedine Zidane scored the penalty and put France in
the final. Xavier was initially slapped with a nine-month ban
from football for his vociferous protests against the referee's
decision to award the penalty, but it was eventually reduced to
a six-month one. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he was part of
the squad, but played only as a substitute in the final group
stage match against the Republic of Korea.
At the start of the 2005–06 season, Xavier was without a club
but at the end of August, he signed for Middlesbrough to
replace Michael Reiziger once the Dutchman was sold to PSV.
Following the UEFA Cup tie against Skoda Xanthi, Xavier was
administered a drugs test and failed. On 23 November 2005, he
was found guilty of using the anabolic steroid
methandrostenolone (also known as dianabol). Although he
has always denied any wrongdoing, the tribunal banned him
from professional football for a period of 18 months. Xavier
appealed the decision but on 21 December, UEFA turned down
the appeal. The ban got shortened to 12 months in June 2006,
making him eligible to play again from November 2006.
In the summer of 2006, Xavier began training with
Middlesbrough and on 8 November 2006, was offered a
contract with the club for the remainder of the 2006–07
season. He scored his first Boro goal in January 2007 against
Bolton Wanderers.
On 14 May 2007, it was announced that he was to join Los
Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS). He played in his
first game with the Galaxy on 17 June 2007 against Real Salt
Lake, registering an assist.
Xavier was waived by Los Angeles on 18 July 2008. Later, in an
interview to an online football site, Xavier criticized then-
Galaxy manager Ruud Gullit and MLS. In December 2009,
Xavier quit football, converted to Islam and changed his first
name to Faisal.
Winner
1993–94 Portuguese League Championship, with
Benfica
1998–99 Dutch Super Cup, with PSV
Runner Up
2001–02 FA Premier League, with Liverpool
2002–03 Charity Shield, with Liverpool
2002–03 Turkish First Football League, with
Galatasaray
2007 North American Superliga, with Los Angeles
Galaxy