David Bellion joined Manchester United under controversial circumstances when he arrived from Sunderland in June 2003. His time at United was less than spectacular and he struggled to adapt to the Old Trafford stage, being forced to carve out a career elsewhere, mainly in France.
Bellion began his career in Cannes, graduating through their youth academy, but before he made a first team appearance for the club he moved across the channel, joining Sunderland. His debut came shortly after signing, in August 2001, against Fulham.
He didn’t manage to net his first senior goal until September 2002, scoring the winner in Sunderland’s 1-0 win at home to Aston Villa. The goal proved to be the catalyst in his becoming a regular at the Stadium of Light but he was unable to save Sunderland from relegation that season. He was offered a new contract but decided against staying in the North East, opting to join United at the expiration of his deal in 2003.
The 19-year-old joined United amidst ‘tapping up’ allegations which were eventually resolved with a £2 million compensation payment made to Sunderland. The fee could have possibly risen to £3 million depending on the number of appearances Bellion made in a Manchester United shirt.
His competitive debut, and the first time he pulled on the famous red shirt, came as a substitute in a 1-0 home win over newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored his first United goal in the 3-2 victory at Leeds in the League Cup third round and added further strikes in matches against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately they were his only goals in the 2003/04 season.
The 2004/05 campaign was arguably even worse as Bellion increasingly found himself out of the first team picture. His goal tally improved, if only marginally, as he found the net against Norwich City and Bolton Wanderers and also scored his first Champions League goal in the 6-2 mauling of Fenerbahce, notable for Wayne Rooney’s debut heroics.
His future at Old Trafford seemed bleak when he was sent out on loan to West Ham United for the early part of the 2005/06 season. Again, the Frenchman struggled to make an impact, scoring just one goal in his ten appearances at West Ham.
In January 2006, he found himself out on loan again, this time returning to his native France, with Nice. On this occasion Bellion made a positive impact, helping his new side reach the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, which they lost to AS Nancy. He scored three goals in three games towards the end of the campaign, earning himself a permanent move at Nice.
Upon completing his transfer back home, Bellion said that he had no hard feelings toward United but he found that his experience in English football was ‘frustrating’. He would only spend one full season at Nice, and it was a frustrating time of injuries and inconsistent form. Yet, with eight goals, he finished the season as the clubs top goalscorer in the league and it was enough to earn a move to French giants Bordeaux.
He celebrated signing his four-year-contract by scoring the only goal is in his first match, a 1-0 win over Lens. Bellion looked worth every penny of the rumoured £4.5 million fee that Bordeaux paid in the early part of the season as he scored eight goals in his first twelve games. He only added four more goals during the second half of the season as Les Girondins finished second in Ligue 1.
The following season, 2008/09, would be a campaign of mixed fortunes for Bellion. On a personal level, he lost his starting berth in the team, falling behind Marouane Chamakh and Fernando Cavenaghi in the forward pecking order. But Bordeaux enjoyed a terrific year themselves, capturing not only the Coupe de la Ligue but also the Ligue 1 trophy.
In the following seasons, Bellion struggled to make the first team and spent the 2010/11 campaign back on loan at Nice. His time at Les Aiglons was to be particularly unhappy, nothing like his previous spell at the club.
After failing to score whilst at Nice, he returned to Bordeaux and though he slowly found his scoring touch again he missed out on the triumphant Coupe de France squad. Eventually, at the end of his contract at Bordeaux in 2014, Bellion joined Red Star FC of the French third tier.
So whilst he certainly didn’t live up to the hype he promised as a youngster (he was tagged with being the ‘new Thierry Henry’ owing to his blistering speed), and it was little surprise that he failed to make the grade at Old Trafford, he did enjoy some success back home in France.
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