Name: Seydou Keita
Position: Midfielder
Place of Birth: Bamako (Mali)
Date: 16-01-1980
Height: 1.83 m
Weight: 77 kg
Debut:
FCBarcelona– Wisla (4-0, Champions League), 13/08/2008
Seydou Keita became FC Barcelona’s first signing of the 2007/2008 season. The Mali international arrived from Seville to strengthen the centre of the Barça midfield.
Born in Bamako (Mali) on 16th January 1980, Seydou Keita comes from a footballing family. His
uncle, Kalif Keita, is considered to be one of the best players in the history of Mali, winning the
African Golden Ball in 1970, while his cousin Mahmadou Sissoko is also a well known footballer.
Keita started his career with Centro Kalif Keita of the Mali First Division (a training club
for promising youngsters set up by his uncle) where he was spotted by Olympique Marseille. At 17
years old he followed in his uncle’s footsteps and signed for the French club.
Seydou Keita spent three years in the Marseille reserves before making his first team debut
against Troies on 19th September 1999 in place of former Barça star Cristophe Dugarry. He also
played his first games in the Champions League. A few months earlier, in April, Keita had been
voted best player in the under-20s World Cup in Nigeria, ahead of players of the quality of
Ronaldinho and Lampard. Mali were eliminated in the semi-finals by a Spain side led by Xavi and
finished in 3rd place.
At the end of the season, Marseille coach Abel Braga decided to loan him out to Second
Division Lorient to gain more experience. Keita played all 38 league matches and helped the team
win promotion to Ligue 1. In the 2001/02 season, Keita spent time away with the Mali squad for the
African Cup of Nations in Nigeria and Lorient went back down to the Second Division. The midfielder
finished in 4th place with Mali, played in 21 league matches and helped Lorient win the French Cup
2002 and reach the final of the League Cup.
Lens, who had finished second in Ligue 1 and wanted to strengthen the team ahead of the
Champions League, managed to obtain his services on loan for the 2002/03 season. He played a total
of 38 matches in all competitions and scored 3 goals. His performances persuaded Lens to sign him
and he spent the next 4 seasons at the club. His excellent performances led to his being voted
second best player in Ligue 1 2006/07, behind Florent Malouda.
Now an established star, Keita moved to Sevilla in the summer of 2007, having spent 8 years
in France. He played 31 of the Andalus club’s 38 league matches, 29 of them in the starting
line-up. He scored 4 goals and demonstrated his ability to shoot from distance.
After a year with Sevilla, he became Josep Guardiola’s first signing in the summer of
2008. After an initial period of adjustment to the fast one-touch style of play in the Barça
midfield, Keita started to become more important in the coach’s line-ups. He played 46
matches and scored 6 goals, some of them quite spectacular, such as the goal against Bayern Munich
(1-1) in the Allianz Arena. The Mali international proved to be a reliable addition to the Barça
midfield.
Completely adapted to the Barça style of play, Seydou Keita became a fixture in the Barça
midfield in the 2009-10 season. After a spectacular start to the season, including a hat trick
against Zaragoza, Keita kept his place in the team and even figured as a left winger. The same
happened in 2010/11, where although he started fewer games, Keita became the regular twelfth man in
Guardiola’s plans. Nobody appeared in as many games, 56, as the Malian in 2010/11.
He is a regular for Mali and is one of the stars of the national team. He played in the
African Cup in 2002, 2004 and 2008.
PROFILE
The Mali midfielder is a player who perfectly combines physical strength with technical
ability and tactical awareness. Despite not being a forward, Keita also possesses a great shot with
his left foot, especially from distance, which makes him a real threat to goalkeepers; the fifteen
goals he scored in the two years before joining Barça are testament to that. The Malian has a lot
to offer in midfield: he can play in a holding role as well as behind the attackers and can also
play on the left. His height makes him effective in the air, either in defence or in the opposing
penalty area.
HONOURS
FC Barcelona
2010/11 Champions League
2010/11 Liga
2010/11 Spanish Super Cup
2009/10 Liga
2009/10 World Club Cup
2009/10 European Super Cup
2009/10 Spanish Super Cup
2008/09 Champions League
2008/09 Liga
2008/09 Copa del Rey
Lorient
2001/02 Cup
Individual Awards
1999 Player of the Tournament U-20 World Cup
CAREER
2010-11 FC Barcelona
2009-10 FC Barcelona
2008-09 FC Barcelona
2007-08 Sevilla CF
2006-07 RC Lens
2005-06 RC Lens
2004-05 RC Lens
2003-04 RC Lens
2002-03 RC Lens
2001-02 FC Lorient
2000-01 FC Lorient
1999-00 Olympique de Marsella
Copyright - FCBarcelona | Legal Terms | Buy tickets FC Barcelona | This is the FC Barcelona official website