Emmanuel Eboue joined Arsenal in 2004. That was also the time he married a Belgian woman named Aurelie Bertrand and welcomed three children, Clara (born 2003), Maeva (born 2005), and son Mathis (born 2008).
Unfortunately, their marriage ended in divorce in 2017. The divorce was expensive to Eboue because it saw him lose everything he owned in the UK.
Emmanuel Eboue played for Arsenal for seven years and went to Turkey to play for Galatasaray for four years before finally ending his career at Sunderland in 2016.
He made millions of dollars during that period but eventually became homeless. But is Emmanuel Eboue homeless right now?
Where the homelessness rumours started
The rumours of Eboue being homeless began in 2016 when he served a one-year ban imposed by FIFA for failing to pay a former agent. According to Eboue, his ex-wife, Aurelie Bertrand, handled his finances and was always in control of what he would sign.
Eboue also revealed that out of the €8 million he received playing for Galatasaray in Turkey, he sent his ex-wife Aurelie €7 million.
But his ex-wife never made the payments to his former agent. And since FIFA banned him, Eboue could not train with any team, play for any team, or earn an income.
After serving his one-year ban, Eboue faced family issues – his wife initiated a divorce. Unfortunately, Emmanuel EbouĂ©’s divorce led to losing his assets to his wife.
What was previously Emmanuel Eboue’s house now belonged to his wife, meaning he had no home. He ended up staying with a friend and eventually slept on the floor in his sister’s home.
What happened to Emmanuel Eboue?
Emmanuel Eboue had more than ÂŁ20 million in career earnings or $24.7 million. Yet, after the divorce, a judge awarded his ex-wife all the properties he had in the United Kingdom.
The properties included two houses (including the Enfield home), cars, and €8 million or $8.6 million in savings, which was also his estimated net worth at that time.
In 2019, Eboue returned to Ivory Coast. He married his ex-girlfriend and childhood friend Stephanie Boedé. Eboue and Boedé met when he started his youth career at the ASEC Mimosas youth academy in 2001.
Is Emmanuel Eboue bankrupt?
As of 2023, Emmanuel Eboue is not bankrupt, poor, or homeless. In May 2021, the former Arsenal defender debunked reports in the mainstream and social media platforms that his divorce from ex-wife Aurelie left him poor.
Eboue admitted in an interview that his wife won the divorce case. That meant he relinquished all the properties he had in England, including two houses, money, and cars, to her.
However, he said he was not worried because he expected her to use the assets to care for his children.
Before returning to Ivory Coast, Eboue received a job offer from his former team Galatasaray, where he became the assistant coach of the Galatasaray under-14 team. Galatasaray’s manager, Fatih Terim, gave Eboue the job after learning about his financial problems.
After that, he left England and returned home to Ivory Coast. Here, Eboue insists he has properties he purchased during his playing career. He also has properties in Ghana, and he lives off of them.
While Emmanuel Eboue’s current job is undetermined, the former Arsenal defender owns a football academy in Ivory Coast. The name of his football academy is EEFC – the Emmanuel Eboue Football Club. He uses it to spot talent and expose it to interested football teams.
Have your say
What lessons have you learned from the Emmanuel Eboue homeless story?
