Where is Lauren now?
An integral part of the Arsenal defence between 2001 and 2006 and one of the famous Invincibles side of 2003-04, Lauren retired from playing in 2010 after a spell playing for Spanish second division side Cordoba.
During an illustrious 15-year career he won a number of trophies including the Premier League title twice and the FA Cup three times with Arsenal as well as a fourth FA Cup win with Portsmouth in 2008. He also won the Spanish Super Cup in 1998 with Mallorca.
Despite admitting that he felt more Spanish than Cameroonian, he chose to represent his country of birth on the international front and went onto play 24 times for the Cameroon national side winning a gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and lifting the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations trophy.
Upon retiring from playing, Lauren started a new career in the broadcasting industry and now predominantly provides punditry and analysis on Spanish La Liga football for channels such as Sky Sports, the BBC and Eurosport.
He also works for former club Arsenal in an ambassadorial role which takes him around the world promoting the club’s brand.
Follow on Twitter @Lauren12arsenal
Back to Arsenal / Portsmouth
#One2Eleven
Lauren was a guest on Sky Sports programme The Fantasy Football Club in 2016 where he picked the eleven best players he had ever played with in their #One2Eleven section of the show.
GK – Carlos Roa – I still have plenty of respect for David Seaman and Jens Lehmann but I have gone for Roa as he was oustanding when we (Mallorca) won the Spanish Cup against Barcelona.
RB – Kolo Toure – considering he came from Africa with no idea about playing professional football he has been unbelievable.
CB – Sol Campbell – he was deceptively quick for his size and solid too. Could easily cover all the spaces at the back. On his good days one of the best in the world.
CB – Martin Keown – if you cut him in half he would bleed Arsenal. He doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves but you need these kinds of people who play for the institution.
LB – Miquel Soler – played for four of the biggest teams in Spain and even at 36-years old could play 10 games in a row without getting tired.
RM – Freddie Ljungberg – I had a great connection with him and he was an unbelievable player. Sometimes he turned up at training and you would think that he doesn’t fancy it but in a game situation he was always fantastic.
CM – Patrick Vieira – the real captain on and off the pitch who loved Arsenal even though he left under a bit of controversy. If I had to come back as a player again I would come back as him.
LM – Robert Pires – one of the finest players I have played with. Technical with quality he could play on the left or the right. A really down to earth guy too.
ST – Dennis Bergkamp – technically one of the best players I have played with along with Pires and Kanu. He never showed his emotions so when he was one on one with a goalkeeper he was always unpredictable.
ST – Samuel Eto’o – the opposite of Bergkamp, Eto’o always showed emotion and wanted to be the best. We were room mates when we played for the national team and were always challenging each other.
ST – Thierry Henry – a great attitude, Henry wanted to the best every single day whether it was in training or in the match. He gave everything and he was unbelievable.
Lauren: Premier League Statistics
| Nationality | Cameroon |
| Position | Defender |
| Appearances | 184 |
| Goals | 6 |
| Yellow Cards | 38 |
| Red Cards | 0 |
| Premier League Teams Played for | Arsenal, Portsmouth |
Statistics courtesy of www.premierleague.com
Last Updated on 23 September 2022 by Admin