The French striker played for a total of 12 clubs, including Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid and Liverpool, but was happiest with the Trotters
Nicolas Anelka insists that his time at Bolton Wanderers was the best of his career.
The nomadic French striker played for the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea, PSG and Liverpool throughout his career, and won numerous trophies, including two Premier League titles, the Champions League and the European Championship with France.
Nevertheless, Anelka says that his favourite time came in with Bolton, where he spent two years between 2006 and 2008.
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Anelka was the club’s top scorer in the 2006-07 season as they finished seventh in the Premier League, qualifying for the UEFA Cup.
The Trotters struggled the following year, ending the season 16th, though the striker finished as their top marksman once again.
“It was the best moment of my career,” he told RMC Sport.
“I was happy to play with El-Hadji Diouf and other French players. I liked the way we played football back then. Simple : kick-and-rush!
“You didn’t have to dribble, you just had to fight. You knew the ball was going to come into the box sooner or later and you’ll have your chance.”
Anelka’s goalscoring exploits convinced Chelsea to spend £15m on him – Bolton made a £7m profit, having acquired him for a club-record £8m – and he would win the league and two FA Cups at Stamford Bridge.
Following that, the controversial striker played for Shanghai Shenhua, Juventus, West Brom and Mumbai City before retiring in 2015.
In total, Anelka played for 12 clubs in his career. He also earned 69 caps for France, scoring 14 goals.