Editing Marcel Desailly (section)

==Early life==
Marcel David Desailly was born on 7 September 1968 in [[Accra]], Ghana, to Elizabeth Addy.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Marcel |last1=Desailly |first2=Philippe |last2=Broussard |title=Capitaine |trans-title=Captain |date=2002 |publisher=Stock |location=Paris |isbn=9-782234-054783 |language=fr |pages=16}}</ref> Elizabeth married Mr Abbey, an architect, and became pregnant with Desailly while Marcel Desailly Sr., a diplomat who would become Desailly's adoptive father, was away in France.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/aug/11/newsstory.sport13 |title=Capital capitaine |first=Will |last=Buckley |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=11 August 2002 |access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref> He was adopted by Desailly Sr. soon after he was born and was named after his adoptive father, instead of Odenkey Abbey, the name preferred by his biological father.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/marcel-desailly-goes-back-to-his-roots-vs53srlmflg |title=Marcel Desailly goes back to his roots |first=Ian |last=Hawkey |newspaper=The Times |location=London |date=20 September 2009 |access-date=26 March 2025}}</ref> His mother married Desailly Sr., who adopted all of her children (the former professional footballer [[Seth Adonkor]], seven years his elder, was a half-brother of his). The family relocated to France when Desailly was four years old.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}