Father of two children, Seydou Kéita is a Malian international footballer born on January 16, 1986 in Bamako, the capital of Mali, who currently plays for El Jaish SC in Qatar. A midfielder by training, he is 1.86 m tall and has a strong left foot.
Nephew of former Malian footballer Salif Kéita, Seydou has spent most of his career in Europe. He is Mali’s most successful footballer (17 titles).
It all began for the young Seydou when he joined his uncle’s training center, the Centre Salif Kéita, in 1995, before transferring to Olympique de Marseille in 1997.
Seydou Keita a legend on a par with Eto’o, Drogba and Yaya Touré?
His time in France
Transferred to Olympique de Marseille in 1997, Seydou Kéita struggled to establish himself in the first team at the age of just 17. He was made available to the reserves before being loaned out to Lorient Football Club.
Nevertheless, he played 9 matches for Marseille. He made his debut in the Champions League before replacing Christophe Dugary 5 days later, on September 19, 1999, in the French league.
In 2000, OM loaned Seydou Kéita to Lorient. With the Merlus, Kéita was to forge his own image. At the end of the season, he finished runner-up in the French D2 and was named in the team of the season.
After a successful season, Marseille eventually sold the Malian prodigy to Les Merlus. From 2000-2002, Kéita played for FC Lorient, before being loaned out again to Racing Club de Lens.
Between 2002 and 2007, Seydou Kéita remained with Lens. He played 156 matches, scoring 19 goals. A club with which he won the now defunct Intertoto Cup. In 2007, Seydou Kéita moved to Spain, where he enjoyed arguably the best period of his long career.
2007-2012, Golden Age
In 2007, the Malian moved to the newly-crowned UEFA Cup champions, where he made a dazzling start by winning the Spanish Super-Cup with the Andalusians against Real Madrid.
After a very successful first season with Sevilla, he was soon welcomed back to the Catalan club FC Barcelona. A club with which he would enjoy his most exciting and trophy-laden footballing years.
In 4 years with the Catalans, the native of Bamako won no fewer than 14 titles before moving to China in 2012, where he signed for Darlian Aerbin.
China – Spain – Italy – Qatar
After his departure from Catalonia, the Mali Eagles midfielder was to enjoy an eventful career. Between 2012-2016, he will play for four different clubs.
Seydou Kéita left FC Barcelona for China, where he spent two seasons before returning to Spain with FC Valencia. After half a season, he will move to AS Roma in Italy before settling back in Qatar, where he continues to play.
In all, Seydou Kéita has played 451 games and scored 53 goals. And like any top-level athlete, he’s had his share of injuries, highs and lows.
In his second season with Lorient, for example, he suffered a huge number of injuries, which kept him away from the stadiums for a long time. Or with Barça, a club where the competition was fierce and he was never an indisputable starter. Seydou Kéita is also a country, a nation, a national team.
Seydou with the Eagles of Mali
Seydou Kéita’s adventure with the Eagles began quite early. He started out with the cadets before exploding onto the U-20 scene.
At the 1999 U-20 World Cup in Nigeria, Mali finished 3rd and Seydou Kéita was voted best player of the tournament ahead of Ronaldinho and Lampard.
Later, he made his debut with the Malian first team, with whom he took part in no fewer than 7 African Nations Cups between 2002 and 20015.
With the Malian national team, Seydou Kéita won 100 caps and scored 25 goals. He is best known for his heavy left-footed strikes. After a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations 2015, Seydou will officially retire from international football.
Private life
Seydou Kéita is married to Cape Verdean Zubaida Johnson. The couple have two children, Hanane Yousra and Mohamed Ikhas.
Club honors
France:
2002 Coupe de France
2005 Intertoto Cup
Spain
Spanish Super Cup: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
Spanish Champion: 2009, 2010, 2011
Champions League: 2009, 2011
European Super Cup: 2009; 2011
Club World Cup: 2009, 2011
International honours
3rd Africa Cup of Nations: 2012, 2013
Personal trophies :
Best Junior World Cup player 1999, Ligue 1 French team type (2006-2007) 2nd best Ligue 1 French player (2006-2007), African bronze medallist 2007, Best first-phase La Liga player (2007-2008)
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