Domi: Didier

2003-2004 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Left Back

Born: Sarcelles, France: 02-05-1978

Debut v Newcastle United (h) (Substitute): 17-08-2003

5’101/2” 10st 12lb (2003)

With Paris St Germain, he played in the European Super Cup Finals in 1996, played in the Cup Winners' Cup final against Barcelona in 1997, won the French Cup and League Cup in 1998 and played forty-eight games. Domi made his Premiership mark with Newcastle United. He cost them £4 million and left after a public falling-out with Sir Bobby Robson, moving back to Paris St. Germain for £3 million in January 2001, after playing forty-four League games Together with a further eleven substitute appearances and scoring three goals. He also scored once in five starts and three games from the bench in the F.A. Cup and made two starts and one substitute appearance in the League Cup, as well as four starts in the UEFA Cup. Domi was a classy defender, who played at both left-back and wing-back during his time with Newcastle. He was a former French Youth and Under-Twenty-one International, and was chased by many top European clubs before deciding to sign for Newcastle. He totally failed to settle in at Newcastle however. A mysterious broken rib, somehow incurred on an air flight, disrupted his pre-season training, and by December of 2000 he had fallen well out of favour and returned to Paris and went AWOL. He was not a regular on his return and only played twenty-seven times before he signed a one year loan deal with Leeds United in August 2003. Sadly for Leeds, after a battle to get match-fit, he wasn't featured under caretaker Manager Eddie Gray. In January 2004 he refused to sign a release form ending his loan period at Elland Road, although French side Bastia were rumoured to be interested in taking him. Gray played Domi in February against Wolves when Leeds won 4-1 at Elland Road after Leeds had had a demoralising run of defeats since December. He played against Manchester United at Old Trafford and made the lovely cross from the left into the box from which Alan Smith dispatched the majestic equaliser to make the final score 1-1. It was hoped that Domi would have a part to play in the survival of Leeds, as he provided an attacking option and did play a part in a mini-revival by Leeds. But an injury ended his run and the Leeds mini-revival petered out. It was just a shame he took so long to get his act together for Leeds otherwise it could have been very different season for both player and club. He left Leeds in May 2004 and joined Espanyol Barcelona in July 2004 but did not find regular football until late in the 2005-06 season, when he managed seventeen starts and three games from the bench in the League and four starts in the UEFA Cup. He also helped Espanyol to get to the final of the Copa del Rey but did not play in the 4-1 victory over Real Zaragoza in the final. At the end of that season he moved to Olympiacos Piraeus on a three year contract. He teamed up with another former Leeds loanee Raul Bravo, who joined the Greek club at the start of the 2007-08 season, but a thigh injury in October kept him from playing a full part in the club becoming Greek Champions. He scored three goals in eighteen starts and one game from the bench in the League in 2006-07, when he also started three games in the ECL. Due to injury he only took part in three starts in the League and two in the ECL in 2007-08. 2008-09 saw him make on appearance from the bench and sixteen starts in the League, together with one start in the Cup and seven in the UEFA Cup. In his final season of 2009-10 he made two starts in the ECL and nine starts and five substitute appearances in the League. He was by no means a regular but in his four seasons with Olympiacos, the club won the Greek Championship in three consecutive seasons of 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09. They did the double in two of them as they won the Cup in 2007–08 and 2008–09. On 11th January 2011. He joined New England Revolution on a one year contract and made eight starts and one substitute appearance before being released in July 2011.