Born in
Orsay, France, Demel started his professional career in the French
Ligue 2 with
Nîmes Olympique. He was signed by
Arsenal in August 2000 spending one season in London without making a first team appearance before being transferred to
Borussia Dortmund. He made his
Bundesliga debut in 2003 winning the Bundesliga and making UEFA Cup Final in his first season. With Hamburg, Demel played regularly as both a
right back and a
midfielder. In May 2006, he signed a new contract with Hamburg, tying him to the club until 2010. Demel was released by Hamburg at the expiry of his contract in 2011. He made 199 appearances for Hamburg including 52 in European football in the
UEFA Cup,
UEFA Europa League and the
2006–07 UEFA Champions League, scoring four goals. Due to injuries it was not until 29 November 2011, in a 2–0 away win against
Middlesbrough, that Demel made his West Ham United debut. With West Ham playing in the
Championship, Demel played 10 games in the
2011–12 season, eight of them after coming on as substitute. On 19 May 2012, he was a member of the team which won promotion to the
Premier League after beating
Blackpool in the
2012 Football League Championship play-off final at
Wembley Stadium. He played the first 57 minutes before being replaced by
Julien Faubert. On 23 January 2013, Demel extended his contract with West Ham until 2015. Demel scored his only West Ham goal in a 2–1 home defeat by
Liverpool on 6 April 2014. After West Ham striker,
Andy Carroll challenged Liverpool goalkeeper,
Simon Mignolet, the goalkeeper dropped the ball and Demel scored from out. Demel was first-choice
right-back for the
2012–13 and
2013–14 seasons playing 31 and 32 games respectively.
Dundee United In November 2015, Demel signed for
Dundee United until the end of the
2015–16 season. He scored his first goal for Dundee United in a 2–1 win over
Hearts on 20 February 2016. Following confirmation of the club's relegation from the
Scottish Premiership, Demel was allowed to leave the club and return to France before the end of the season, despite still being under contract. ==International career==