Seydou Keita

For the photographer, see Seydou Keïta (photographer).
Seydou Keita

Keita in action for Barcelona in 2008
Personal information
Full name Seydou Keita[1]
Date of birth (1980-01-16) 16 January 1980
Place of birth Bamako, Mali
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 El Jaish
Number 24
Youth career
1995–1997 Centre Salif Keita
1997–1999 Marseille
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2000 Marseille 6 (0)
2000–2002 Lorient 58 (1)
2002–2007 Lens 157 (19)
2007–2008 Sevilla 31 (4)
2008–2012 Barcelona 119 (16)
2012–2013 Dalian Aerbin 37 (10)
2014 Valencia 11 (1)
2014–2016 Roma 46 (3)
2016– El Jaish 5 (3)
National team‡
2000–2015 Mali 102 (25)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 November 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 January 2015

Seydou Keita (born 16 January 1980) is a Malian professional footballer who plays for Qatari club El Jaish SC.

A versatile midfielder, he can operate as both a central or defensive midfielder. He most notably played for Lens (five seasons) and Barcelona (four), winning 14 titles with the latter club.

Keita represented Mali since the age of 20, appearing in seven Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He also holds a French passport.

Club career

Marseille

Born in Bamako, Mali, Keita finished his football formation in France with Olympique de Marseille, joining the club at the age of 17. He played mainly for the reserve squad during his three-year spell.

Keita made his Ligue 1 debut for L'OM on 19 September 1999 in a 1–0 home win against Troyes AC, adding three games in the season's UEFA Champions League. In the summer of 2000, he left the club.

Lorient / Lens

Keita signed for FC Lorient in Ligue 2, being instrumental (37 games, one goal) as the team promoted to the top level in 2001. He appeared slightly less due to injury in the following season, which ended in immediate relegation back, but brought the conquest of the Coupe de France, the club's first-ever (he played the full 90 minutes in the final against SC Bastia).[2]

In 2002, Keita joined fellow league side RC Lens, eventually becoming captain and scoring a career-best 11 goals in the 2006–07 campaign – his fifth and last – helping Les Sang et Or to the fifth position in the league and the last-16 in the UEFA Cup.

Sevilla

On 11 July 2007, Keita signed for Sevilla FC in Spain, for four years.[3] He appeared in both legs of the season's Supercopa de España, a 6–3 aggregate win against Real Madrid.

Keita was an automatic first-choice for the Andalusians during the 2007–08 campaign, helping the team to the fifth position in the league. On 3 November 2007 he scored from long-distance in a 2–0 home win also against Real Madrid,[4] and added three in nine games in the Champions League, including one against Arsenal in a 3–1 group stage home success which was the opposition's first loss of the campaign.[5]

Barcelona

Keita (middle) in action against Bayer Leverkusen.

On 26 May 2008, Keita signed a four-year contract with FC Barcelona who were believed to have paid his buy-out clause, which stood at around €14 million. He became the first Malian player to ever represent the Catalans, and his new release clause was set at €90 million.[6]

Keita made his official debut for Barcelona in a Champions League qualifier against Poland's Wisła Kraków on 13 August 2008, a 4–0 home win.[7] He made his league debut against CD Numancia on the 31st, coming on as a substitute for Andrés Iniesta midway through the second half of a 0–1 away loss.[8]

Keita scored his first goal for the team on 16 November 2008, in a 2–0 win at Recreativo de Huelva.[9][10] The following week he added another, in a 1–1 home draw against Getafe CF;[11] he finished his first season at the Camp Nou with 46 official games as Barça won the treble. He played 20 minutes in the Champions League final, taking the place of Thierry Henry in the 2–0 win against Manchester United.

On 25 October 2009, Keita scored his first career hat-trick, in a 6–1 home win against Real Zaragoza,[12] and contributed with 29 games – 23 starts – as Barcelona renewed its domestic supremacy. In the 2010–11 campaign he made more appearances than any other outfield player and, on 31 August, aged 31, signed a contract extension that would link him to the club until 2014.

Dalian Aerbin

On 7 July 2012, Keita announced he would be leaving Barcelona after four seasons,[13] invoking a clause in his contract allowing him to leave the club even though he still had two years left. The following day, he signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Chinese Super League side Dalian Aerbin FC, being reportedly paid €14 million per year.[14]

Valencia

Keita playing for Roma in 2014.

On 30 January 2014, Keita returned to Spain after signing with Valencia CF, with the 34-year-old agreeing to a six-month contract with the option for an additional year.[15] He made his debut for the Che on 16 February, replacing Paco Alcácer for the last 20 minutes of a 0–0 away draw against former club Sevilla.[16] On 13 March, midway through the first half of an away fixture against PFC Ludogorets Razgrad for the UEFA Europa League, he was sent off for a challenge on Roman Bezjak that resulted in a penalty kick, but his team eventually won it 3–0[17] and 4–0 on aggregate.

On 27 March 2014, Keita scored Valencia's fastest-ever goal, netting after nine seconds at UD Almería.[18] He also had to leave before the end of the first half with an injury, as the hosts came from behind for a 2–2 draw.[19]

Roma

On 5 June 2014, Keita signed a one-year contract with Serie A club A.S. Roma.[20] He made his official debut in the opening day of the season, against ACF Fiorentina (2–0 win), and scored his first goal on 9 November to help defeat Torino F.C. 3–0 also at the Stadio Olimpico.[21]

Keita agreed to a new one-year deal in the 2015 off-season.[22]

International career

Keita (#12, middle) lining up for Mali in 2008.

Keita made his debut for Mali on 9 April 2000, in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Libya.[23] He represented the country in six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments: in the 2010 edition in Angola he scored twice, both goals coming in the 4–4 group stage draw against the hosts, who were leading 4–0 with 11 minutes to go;[24] Les Aigles, however, could not make it past the group stage.

Keita also participated in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, scoring in the 1–1 quarterfinal draw against the hosts as Mali eventually won the shootout.[25] Previously, he helped the under-20s finish third at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, scoring in the last match against Uruguay – the game's only –[26] and being named the tournament's best player.

Personal life

Keita's uncle, Salif Keita, was also a footballer. He played, amongst others, for Valencia CF and Sporting Clube de Portugal, and was once voted African Footballer of the Year.[27]

He is married to Zubaida Johnson, who is of Cape Verdean descent. On 12 May 2008 he became the father of a son, Mohammed, who was born in Seville.[28]

Career statistics

Club

As of 6 March 2016[29][30]
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
France League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
1999–2000 Marseille Ligue 1 60001031101
2000–01 Lorient Ligue 2 3711010—391
2001–02 Ligue 1 2105131—292
2002–03 Lens Ligue 1 282311070393
2003–04 220301060320
2004–05 3435131—425
2005–06 3533010131524
2006–07 381141101015313
Spain League Copa del Rey Supercup Europe Total
2007–08 Sevilla La Liga 3142020103457
2008–09 Barcelona 29450—122466
2009–10 2961020120446
2010–11 3539220101566
2011–12 2633020111424
China PR League FA Cup League Cup Asia Total
2012 Dalian Aerbin Super League 12410——134
2013 25630——286
Spain League Copa del Rey Supercup Europe Total
2013–14 Valencia La Liga 111——70181
Italy League Coppa Italia Supercoppa Europe Total
2014–15 Roma Serie A 26210—91363
2015–16 14100—20161
Total France 2282024412239329629
Spain 154212028062725130
China PR 371040——4110
Italy 40310—111524
Career total 459544962021091362572

Honours

Club

Lorient
Sevilla
Barcelona

Country

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 presented by Toyota: List of players" (PDF). FIFA.com. 1 December 2009. p. 1. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Bastia 0–1 Lorient" (in French). L'Équipe. 11 May 2002. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "El Sevilla ficha al centrocampista Keita" [Sevilla signs midfielder Keita] (in Spanish). Merca Fútbol. 11 July 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  4. ↑ FC Sevilla 2–0 Real Madrid; ESPN Soccernet, 3 November 2007
  5. ↑ Unbeaten run ends; ESPN Soccernet, 27 November 2007
  6. ↑ Contract details; FC Barcelona, 26 May 2008
  7. ↑ Barcelona 4–0 Wisla Krakow; ESPN Soccernet, 13 August 2008
  8. ↑ Numancia 1–0 Barcelona; ESPN Soccernet, 31 August 2008
  9. ↑ More leaders than ever (0–2); FC Barcelona, 16 November 2008
  10. ↑ Recreativo Huelva 0–2 Barcelona; ESPN Soccernet, 16 November 2008
  11. ↑ Barcelona 1–1 Getafe; ESPN Soccernet, 23 November 2008
  12. ↑ Sensational Barca rediscover form; ESPN Soccernet, 25 October 2009
  13. ↑ Keita announces he won’t be at Barça next season; FC Barcelona, 7 July 2012
  14. ↑ Dalian Aerbin confirm Seydou Keita signing; Goal.com, 8 July 2012
  15. ↑ Comunicado oficial (Official announcement); Valencia CF, 30 January 2014 (Spanish)
  16. ↑ "All square at Sevilla". ESPN FC. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  17. ↑ "Valencia cruise past Ludogrets". ESPN FC. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  18. ↑ "Keita entra en el podio de los goles más rápidos de la Liga" [Keita joins League's fastest goals podium] (in Spanish). Marca. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  19. ↑ "Otro acto de fe en Almería" [Another act of faith in Almería] (in Spanish). Marca. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  20. ↑ "Seydou Ahmed Keita". A.S. Roma. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Roma cruise to easy victory at home to Torino". ESPN FC. 9 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  22. ↑ "Club statement: Seydou Keita". A.S. Roma. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "Match report: Libya – Mali". FIFA.com. 9 April 2000. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  24. ↑ Hosts stunned by fightback; ESPN Soccernet, 10 January 2010
  25. ↑ "South Africa 1–1 Mali". BBC Sport. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  26. ↑ Seydou Keita – FIFA competition record
  27. ↑ "Seydou Keita se ha forjado un nombre" [Seydou Keita has made a name for himself] (in Spanish). FIFA.com. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  28. ↑ Seydou Keita, Barcelona; Muslim Footballers, 26 July 2011
  29. ↑ "S. Kéita". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  30. ↑ Seydou Keita at ESPN FC
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