I Am Not Haile – Haile Gebreselassie

My note: Gebre Selassie is a common Christian name across Ethiopia. According to the German phone book registration, there are about 24 Gebre Selassies in Germany.

Like the vast majority of Ethiopian names, the origin of the name, Gebreselassie / Gebre Selassie has an Ethiopian Christian origin.

• Gebreselassie is a composition of two words; Gebre and Selassie.
• Gebre means Servant; Criado / Siervo (Spanish)
• Selassie means Trinity; Trinidad (Spanish)

In the Spanish speaking world “Trinidad Criado” or “Siervo de Díos” are also widely used names.

• Gebre Egziabher = Servant of God / Siervo de Díos (Spanish)
• Gebre Mariam = Servant of Mary / Siervo de Maria (Spanish)
• Haile Selassie = Power of The Trinity / Poder de la Trinidad (Spanish)
• Haile Mariam = Power of Mary
• Selassie = Trinity (as in the Holy Trinity)
  Haile = My Power
• Haile Gebreselassie = My power, Servant of The Trinity

Now, back to Theodor Gebre Selassie:

Gebre Selassie out to establish himself

“I want to assert myself as soon as possible in the Bundesliga, which is one of the best leagues in the world,” said the 25-year-old at his official presentation on Tuesday.

Selassie: “I immediately accepted”

Selassie was a key player in his country’s participation at EURO 2012, nullifying the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo for large periods of their quarter-final tie last Thursday, before the Portuguese struck the winner late on. For Selassie, the chance to play in Germany’s top-flight was too good to resist: “I immediately and happily accepted Bremen’s offer,” said the defender, who will now take a two-week holiday before returning for pre-season training in mid-July.

The son of a Czech teacher and an Ethiopian doctor, Selassie insists his father did not name him after his compatriot and world renowned distance runner Haile Gebrselassie, as was widely reported during the European Championship. “That sounds nice, but it’s not true. Gebre Selassie is the name I was born with.”

 

Source: Bundesliga Germany

 

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