Millwall secured midfield machine after Plymouth Argyle snub – He was a Den hero | OneFootball

Millwall pounced on a move for free agent Jimmy Abdou, after the Comoros international departed Plymouth Argyle.

In the summer of 2008, Jimmy Abdou joined Millwall on a free transfer from Plymouth Argyle, and he would go on to become a fulcrum of the Lions’ midfield for more or less the next decade.

At the end of the 2007/08 season, in which the Pilgrims had finished tenth in the Championship, Abdou opted to reject a contract offer from the club in order to depart.

That decision allowed then League One outfit Millwall to pounce on a transfer that could fairly be viewed as one of the greatest deals in the club’s history.

Abdou went on to gain promotion with the Lions in 2010 as well as 2017, and made close to 350 appearances for the Bermondsey-based club as they established themselves back in the second-tier for much of the 2010s.

Abdou’s decision to reject Plymouth allowed him to become Millwall hero

Having begun his career in Ligue 2 with both Martiques and then Sedan, with whom he also spent time in the French top-flight with, Abdou eventually moved to England in the summer of 2007 to join Plymouth.

After just a season with Paul Sturrock’s side, he had impressed enough for them to offer him a new deal as the potential to develop into a Championship stalwart was clearly evident.

However, Plymouth didn’t reap those rewards and it was to be Millwall where he would go on to become a cult hero south of the River Thames at The Den.

During his time with Millwall, he was twice named their Player of the Season, with both seasons coming at the end of impressive campaigns in the Championship.

The first of which came in Millwall’s first season following promotion in 2010/11, and the second came in their last season during that stint in the second-tier in the 2014/15 campaign.

That perhaps best shows not only his longevity but the type of player that Abdou was, because a newly-promoted side requires a level of grit and determination to ensure they keep their heads afloat; and he embodied that more than anyone, but a team that is going down is often lambasted by supporters, and yet Abdou’s tenacity and hard work still shone in that 2014/15 campaign.

Even prior to that, though, he had already emerged as a fan favourite in the 2008/09 campaign, with a couple of outstanding performances in particular against Leeds United in the play-off semi-finals.

The drive and commitment he showed helped him to immediately settle in at The Den, and his levels of endeavour were always likely to endear him to supporters.

Just discussing his intensity and industry perhaps undermines a technical ability that Abdou possessed, too, as was acknowledged by former Millwall boss Steve Lomas:

“He is a better player than he is given credit for and he can pass the ball. I keep hearing people say he can’t pass the ball.

“I watch him in training every day and he can pass the ball. He is a fantastic athlete and fully committed so it has never been about not appreciating him.

“He has bided his time and not got in the team. If you win and you play well ten you’ll stay in the team, it’s that simple.”

Abdou’s final season at The Den reinforced his cult hero status with supporters as he started and played all 90 minutes of Millwall’s 1-0 defeat of Bradford City in the 2017 League One play-off final.

More was yet to come from Abdou

Abdou’s time at Millwall came to an end in the summer of 2018 after a season-long loan at AFC Wimbledon, where he made some significant contributions to helping the club stay afloat and avoid relegation from the third-tier.

However, having returned to hometown club Martigues for four years, it is the last four years of his career that are perhaps most personally memorable for Abdou as he helped Comoros qualify for their first ever major tournament with the 2021 CAF Africa Cup of Nations in 2022.

Abdou captained Comoros through the group stages before being sent off in their round of 16 tie with Cameroon, where Comoros’ special and remarkable journey would end – with Abdou at the heart of it with typically hard-working and driven performances, combined with a fairly ugly red card challenge.