David Bellion (born 27 November 1982) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. His previous clubs include Cannes, Sunderland, Manchester United, West Ham United, Nice, Bordeaux and Red Star. Club career Cannes Bellion was born in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, to a Senegalese father and French mother. He started his career at Cannes at the age of 14, and earned a move to English club Sunderland in the summer of 2001. In his youth, he was a talented athlete, competing in the 2001 National Indoor Youth Championships, where he won the 60 metres. Sunderland Bellion signed for Premier League club Sunderland in July 2001. He made his debut at Fulham in August 2001, coming on as a substitute. His first senior goal was against Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light which gave Sunderland a 1–0 win in September 2002. It was his only Premier League goal for Sunderland. Following the goal, Bellion became a first-team regular at Sunderland, although he was unable to save them from relegation with the third-lowest Premier League points tally ever. During the 2002–03 season, Sunderland offered a new contract, but he instead rejected to stay at the club, explaining as he wants to leave the club. He agreed a move to Manchester United in July 2003, although the transfer was completed amid "tapping up" allegations that were resolved by Sunderland, receiving a compensation payment of £2 million, rising to £3 million depending on appearances, in an out-of-court agreement. Manchester United Bellion scored on his Manchester United debut against Celtic on the club's pre-season American tour. His first competitive goal came at Leeds United in the League Cup, and he scored two goals in the 2003–04 season, against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, both at Old Trafford. During the season, he made his Champions League debut when he came on as a substitute in the 5–0 win over Panathinaikos in the group stage. Despite being compared to Thierry Henry and early-season goals against Norwich City and Bolton Wanderers, the 2004–05 campaign proved frustrating for Bellion as he found himself increasingly frozen out of the first-team squad. His season was curtailed in early May, when he suffered a fractured fibula against Charlton Athletic Reserves. During 2004–05, Bellion scored his first Champions League goal (not including qualifiers) in a 6–2 win over Fenerbahçe and was involved in the squad for the FA Community Shield in a