Abou Diaby facts for kids

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Abou Diaby

Diaby playing for Arsenal in 2010
Personal information
Date of birth	(1986-05-11) 11 May 1986 (age 39)
Place of birth	Paris, France
Height	1.92 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1994–1998	Aubervilliers
1998–2001	Red Star
2001–2002	Paris Saint-Germain
1999–2002	INF Clairefontaine
2002–2004	Auxerre
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2006	Auxerre	10	(1)
2006–2015	Arsenal	124	(14)
2015–2017	Marseille	5	(0)
Total		139	(15)
National team
2004–2005	France U19	12	(0)
2006–2007	France U21	2	(0)
2007–2012	France	16	(1)
Honours Men's Football Representing  France UEFA European Under-19 Championship Winner 2005 Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Vassiriki Abou Diaby (born 11 May 1986), known as Abou Diaby, is a French former professional footballer. He played mainly as a box-to-box midfielder. This means he was good at both attacking and defending. People described him as "languid, elusive, and athletic". He could also "dribble past opponents or slip passes to team-mates". Diaby was known for his "superb touch" and "excellent close control".

Diaby's career was often affected by many injuries. This problem started when he was playing in France. Because of his playing style and how he looked, people often compared him to Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.

Diaby was born in Paris, France, and grew up in Aubervilliers. He started playing football at his local club, CM Aubervilliers. In 1998, he joined Red Star Paris. A year later, Diaby was chosen to train at the famous INF Clairefontaine academy. He spent four years there, while also training with Red Star.

Before leaving Clairefontaine, Diaby moved to Paris Saint-Germain. Due to a mistake by the club, he became a free agent. He then joined the academy of Auxerre. He played for Auxerre's youth team for two years. He made his professional debut in the 2004–05 season. Diaby also played in the UEFA Cup with Auxerre.

In January 2006, Diaby signed with English club Arsenal. He made his debut that same month. He scored his first goal for Arsenal three months later against Aston Villa. After leaving Arsenal in 2015 due to ongoing injury problems, Diaby joined French club Marseille. He retired from football in February 2019.

Diaby played for France's youth teams, including the under-19 and under-21 teams. He was part of the under-19 team that won the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. Diaby made his debut for the senior team in March 2007. He played for France in one major tournament, the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Diaby started all three group stage matches in that tournament.

About Abou Diaby

Early Life and Interests

Diaby was born in Paris and grew up in Aubervilliers, a suburb of Paris. His father was a truck driver. Diaby became interested in football after watching the French team win the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He especially admired midfielder Patrick Vieira, who he called "a monument to French football".

Diaby also enjoyed playing other sports, like basketball and boxing. His family is from Ivory Coast. Diaby is a Muslim. As he grew up, he was very interested in subjects like religion, philosophy, science, and astronomy. When he was 17, while at the Auxerre youth academy, he even became interested in accountancy.

Football Career

Starting Out in France

Diaby began his football journey in December 1996 with his hometown club, CM Aubervilliers. His coaches there noticed how quickly he improved. After two years, he moved to Red Star Paris, a semi-professional team.

At Red Star, Diaby was described as "fairly quiet and quite frail". He started playing for their under-13 team. In 1999, he was chosen to join the famous INF Clairefontaine academy. This academy trains France's best young footballers. Diaby was even part of a documentary series called A la Clairefontaine, which showed the lives of young players there.

Time at Auxerre

After Clairefontaine, Diaby was expected to join Paris Saint-Germain. However, due to a mistake by the club, he became a free agent. Scouts from Auxerre quickly signed him. He joined their academy for the 2002–03 season. In his first year, he helped the under-16 team win their league title.

During the 2003–04 season, Diaby played for both the under-19 team and the reserve team. He played alongside future Arsenal teammate Bacary Sagna. After this season, he signed his first professional contract. He was then promoted to the first team.

Diaby made his professional debut on 14 August 2004. He came on as a substitute in a 3–1 win against Rennes. He also played in the UEFA Cup for Auxerre. He scored his first professional goal on 10 September 2005 in a match against Rennes. However, he struggled with injuries during this time. This meant he didn't play as much as he hoped.

Moving to Arsenal

Diaby with Arsenal in the 2006–07 season.

On 13 January 2006, Diaby joined English club Arsenal for about £2 million. He had reportedly turned down an offer from Chelsea. He was given the number 2 shirt. Diaby made his Arsenal debut on 21 January 2006. He came on as a substitute in a loss to Everton. He made his first start a few days later in a League Cup win. On 21 February, he played his first UEFA Champions League match.

Diaby scored his first goal for Arsenal on 1 April 2006. It was in a big 5–0 win over Aston Villa. However, on 1 May, he suffered a very serious ankle injury. A Sunderland player tackled him, and it was described as "horrendous". This injury meant he missed the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Doctors even told him it could end his career.

He had three surgeries and spent eight months recovering. Diaby returned to play in the 2006–07 season. In February 2007, during the 2007 Football League Cup Final against Chelsea, Diaby accidentally kicked Chelsea defender John Terry in the face. Terry was stretchered off but recovered. Arsenal lost the match, but Diaby got an assist for their only goal.

In his first full season with Arsenal, Diaby scored his first goal on 22 September 2007. It was in a 5–0 win against Derby County. He scored goals in back-to-back matches in December 2007. One was in the Champions League against Steaua București. The other was in the League Cup against Blackburn Rovers.

On 29 March 2008, Diaby received his first red card in a match against Bolton Wanderers. He then missed the rest of the season due to a thigh injury.

Diaby started the 2008–09 season late because of his thigh injury. He made his season debut on 18 October 2008. He scored in a Champions League group stage win against Fenerbahçe. He played more regularly this season. He scored against Aston Villa and Newcastle. He finished the season by scoring in a 4–1 win over Stoke City.

Diaby with Arsenal in the 2008–09 season.

Diaby had a strong start to the 2009–10 season. He played well with Alex Song and Cesc Fàbregas in midfield. On 22 August 2009, he scored two goals in a 4–1 win against Portsmouth. He also scored the winning goal against Birmingham City. He scored another goal in the Champions League against AZ. He finished this season with his highest number of matches played, goals, and assists.

The 2010–11 season started well for Diaby. He scored and assisted in a 6–0 win over Blackpool. However, he got injured again in September. On 5 February 2011, he was sent off in a match against Newcastle. Arsenal was leading 4–0 at the time, but after he was sent off, they conceded four goals and the game ended in a draw.

The 2011–12 season was again full of injuries for Diaby. He only made a few substitute appearances in the Premier League and Champions League.

For the 2012–13 season, Diaby started Arsenal's first three games. He was even named Man of the Match in a 2–0 win against Liverpool. But on 29 September, he got injured again in a loss to Chelsea. On 28 March 2013, it was announced that he had torn a major knee ligament (ACL). This meant he would be out for about eight or nine months.

Diaby returned from injury on 11 May 2014. He came on as a substitute in Arsenal's last match of the 2013–14 Premier League season. In November 2014, he suffered another hamstring injury. On 10 June 2015, Arsenal released Diaby from his contract.

Time at Marseille

In July 2015, Diaby signed with French club Marseille. He had been without a club since leaving Arsenal. After more injury problems, he returned to play on 18 March 2016. He came on as a substitute in a 5–2 loss to Rennes. On 3 April 2016, he started a league match, his first start in over three years. He only played four matches that season.

In October 2016, Diaby had surgery on his right ankle due to ongoing pain. He was out for four months.

On 25 February 2019, Diaby announced his retirement from football at age 32. He had last played for Marseille in 2017. He said it was the right time to stop because of his many physical problems. He had only played in 214 senior career matches.

Playing for France

Youth Teams

Diaby played for France's youth national teams. He made his debut for the under-19 team in a friendly against Turkey. He played in all six qualifying matches for the 2005 European Under-19 Football Championship. In the tournament, he missed the first game but played in all the others, including the final against England. France won the match 3–1, and Diaby earned his first international trophy. He played 12 matches for the under-19 team.

He made his debut for the under-21 team on 28 February 2006. However, his ankle injury meant he missed the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. Due to many injuries, he only made one more appearance for the under-21 team.

Senior Team

On 15 March 2007, Diaby was called up to the senior French team for the first time. This was a "huge surprise" to him, as he had just returned from his ankle injury. He made his senior international debut in a match against Lithuania. He earned his first start in the next game against Austria, which France won 1–0.

After this, Diaby didn't play for France for three years. He was called up sometimes but often had to withdraw due to injuries. Despite this, he was named in France's preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He returned to the international scene in a friendly win against Costa Rica. He was then chosen for the 23-man World Cup squad.

Diaby made his World Cup debut in France's opening match against Uruguay. He played the whole game, which ended 0–0. He was praised as one of France's best players in that match. Diaby started both of France's other group stage matches against Mexico and South Africa. France lost both games and did not do well in the tournament.

Under new manager Laurent Blanc, Diaby was expected to be a starter. He played in a 2–0 win over Luxembourg. However, he missed the next game against England due to injury. He returned for a friendly against Brazil in February 2011. He played in more matches in June 2011. Due to injuries in the 2011–12 season, he missed UEFA Euro 2012.

After more than a year, Diaby returned to the national team in September 2012. In his first game back, he scored his first international goal. It was in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Finland, which France won 1–0.

How He Played

Diaby taking a throw-in in a match against Fulham in 2007

Diaby was often called a "box-to-box midfielder". This means he was good at both attacking and defending. While he could play as a defensive midfielder, Diaby preferred to have another defensive player with him. His former manager, Arsène Wenger, said Diaby was "more of an offensive player". He could "cross the field at ease" and had "good power".

When he was younger at Auxerre, he often played as an attacking midfielder. This was because of his skill, ball control, and ability to dribble past players.

When Diaby joined Arsenal, manager Wenger compared him to Patrick Vieira. They looked similar and played in similar positions. However, Diaby said he was "more attack-minded, a more technical player". He felt Vieira was "much more aggressive" and had a bigger physical impact. Wenger agreed, saying Vieira was more of a passer, while Diaby was more of a dribbler.

Diaby was known for being very prone to injuries. After his serious ankle injury in 2006, he had many smaller injuries. This meant he never played a full season for Arsenal without getting hurt. Even at Auxerre, injuries stopped him from playing regularly. His highest number of appearances for Arsenal in one season was 40 games.

Career Stats

Club

International

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Diaby goal

International goal scored by Abou Diaby

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 September 2012	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	0–1	0–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Awards

Arsenal

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2006–07

France U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2005

See Also

In Spanish: Abou Diaby para niños