Born in Accra, Ghana, Desailly's family moved to France, and he began his career in Nantes. In 1992, he moved to Marseille, and won the European Cup with Olympique de Marseille the following year. In 1994, while a member of AC Milan, he again won the Cup, being the first player to win the Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs. Although he prefers to be a defenseman, he also played midfield for some time.
Desailly then moved to the English club, Chelsea FC, where he remains today. He currently plays centre-back, and plays for both Chelsea and the French national soccer team.