Always a player to have a smile on his face (even when tackling someone) he today admitted "I wanted this so much that Chelsea gave me the chance to finish my career in my own country". I am sure many rivals fans weren't avid fans of the 5ft 7in defensive midfielder, but he made thousands of fans during his time in the country.
Even though, he was at times a poor tackler, he never purposely went into a challenge trying to hurt anyone. Maybe he was just clumsy sometimes, but no one can say that Makelele wasn't a quality player. His distribution of the football was spectacular and I am sure Chelsea will miss the French midfielder next season.