Alou Diarra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Alou Diarra

Diarra with France at the UEFA Euro 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1981-07-15) 15 July 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth	Villepinte, France
Height	1.90 m
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club	Troyes U19 (manager)
Youth career
1987–1993	Aulnay-sous-Bois
1993–1997	Villepinte
1997–1999	Louhans-Cuiseaux
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1999–2000	Louhans-Cuiseaux	3	(0)
2000–2002	Bayern Munich II	41	(5)
2000–2002	Bayern Munich	0	(0)
2002–2005	Liverpool	0	(0)
2002–2003	→ Le Havre (loan)	25	(0)
2003–2004	→ Bastia (loan)	35	(4)
2004–2005	→ Lens (loan)	34	(2)
2005–2006	Lens	32	(2)
2006–2007	Lyon	15	(1)
2007–2011	Bordeaux	133	(11)
2011–2012	Marseille	34	(2)
2012–2014	West Ham United	6	(0)
2013	→ Rennes (loan)	12	(0)
2015–2016	Charlton Athletic	44	(1)
2016–2017	Nancy	18	(2)
Total		432	(30)
National team
2001–2002	France U20	5	(0)
2002–2004	France U21	14	(1)
2004–2012	France	44	(0)
Teams managed
2018–2019	Lens U19 (assistant)
2019–2020	Lens B (assistant)
2020–2022	Lens (assistant)
2022–2023	Troyes U19
2023–	Troyes B
Honours Men's football Representing  France FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2006
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Alou Diarra (born 15 July 1981) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder, a player who helps protect the defense. Sometimes, he also played as a centre-back, which is a central defender. People described him as a "strong, athletic, and powerful" player. He was also known for being a great leader on the field.

Diarra started his football journey in youth clubs in France. He then played for several big teams like Bayern Munich in Germany and Liverpool in England. He spent most of his career in France, playing for clubs like Lens, Lyon, and Bordeaux. He also played for Marseille, West Ham United in England, Charlton Athletic, and Nancy.

Alou Diarra also played for the French national team from 2004 to 2012. He represented France in two FIFA World Cup tournaments. After retiring as a player, he became a coach. As of 2022–23, he manages the under-19 team for Troyes.

Alou Diarra's Early Life

Alou Diarra was born in Villepinte, France. His parents are from Mali. He grew up with three younger brothers and one sister. His family lived in the Rose des Vents neighborhood in Aulnay-sous-Bois. His parents still live there.

One of his brothers, Zanké, is also a footballer. He plays for Quevilly in France's third division. Another brother, Idrissa, helps run a website that connects amateur footballers with clubs. Alou Diarra is married and has two children. In 2010, he left the national team's training camp to be with his wife when his second child was born.

Alou Diarra's Club Career

Starting His Football Journey

Diarra began playing football at a young age for his hometown club, Aulnay. After six years, he moved to Villepinte, the city where he was born. He found it hard to get noticed by professional clubs. He even tried to contact clubs himself to get a chance to try out. Many clubs turned him down, but this made him even more determined to succeed.

In 1997, Diarra joined Louhans-Cuiseaux, a professional club in France's second division. He played for their youth academy and later for their reserve team. In 2000, he made his first professional appearance for the senior team. He played three matches for Louhans-Cuiseaux before the club was moved down to a lower league. He then left the club to find new opportunities.

Playing for Bayern Munich

In the summer of 2000, Bayern Munich, a big German club, signed Diarra. He played for their reserve team, Bayern Munich II, which was in the third division of German football. He played alongside famous players like Owen Hargreaves and Philipp Lahm. In his first season, he played 28 matches and scored four goals. He was known for his strong and competitive style of play.

In 2001, Diarra was called up to the senior Bayern Munich team. He sat on the bench for some league matches but didn't get to play. He did make the bench for the 2001 Intercontinental Cup final, which Bayern won. This was his first major trophy! After that, he went back to the reserve team and got injured. He later returned but decided to leave Bayern in 2002 because he wanted more playing time. Even though he didn't play for the senior team, he still has good memories of his time there.

Gérard Houllier recruited Diarra at Liverpool and later managed the player again at Lyon.

Joining Liverpool FC

On 3 July 2002, the English club Liverpool showed interest in signing Diarra. Their manager, Gérard Houllier, thought Diarra was similar to the famous player Patrick Vieira. Liverpool signed Diarra on a five-year contract. He played his first game for Liverpool in a pre-season friendly match against Le Havre.

Loan Spells in France

Soon after joining Liverpool, Diarra was loaned back to France to play for Le Havre. He made his debut there in August 2002. He played regularly at first, but later mostly came on as a substitute. He scored his first professional goal for Le Havre in January 2003.

In 2003, Diarra hoped to play for Liverpool, but he was loaned out again. This time, he joined Bastia, a club in Corsica. He quickly became a starter and scored goals in his first few weeks. He played 38 matches and scored four goals for Bastia.

After Bastia, Diarra returned to Liverpool for pre-season training. However, he was loaned out for a third time. In July 2004, he joined Lens. This was a very successful loan spell for Diarra. He was a regular starter and even captained the team for much of the season. His strong performances led to him being called up to the French national team. He scored two goals for Lens during this time.

Playing Permanently for Lens

After his successful loan, Diarra wanted to stay at Lens. In June 2005, Liverpool agreed to sell him to Lens. He became a permanent player for the club. Diarra continued to be a key player for Lens. He played 44 matches, scored two goals, and made four assists. He also played in the UEFA Cup for the first time, which is a European club competition. Lens reached the Round of 32 in the UEFA Cup.

Time at Lyon

After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Diarra moved to Lyon, who were the French champions at the time. He joined them in August 2006. However, Diarra found it hard to get regular playing time at Lyon. The manager preferred other players in his position. He scored his first goal for Lyon in a UEFA Champions League match.

Diarra also scored in a French League Cup quarter-final. He later had a thigh injury that kept him out for almost three months. He sometimes complained about not playing enough, which caused some tension with the manager. Despite this, Lyon won the league title for the sixth time in a row, so Diarra earned a winner's medal.

Success with Bordeaux

Diarra during a training session with Bordeaux.

In July 2007, Diarra decided to join Bordeaux. He signed a four-year contract. He said he chose Bordeaux because they wanted to compete for the top spots in the league. At Bordeaux, he became a very important player under manager Laurent Blanc.

Diarra played almost every league match in his first season with Bordeaux. He worked well with other midfielders, helping to break up attacks and distribute the ball. He scored four goals that season. Bordeaux finished second in the league, very close to champions Lyon.

In the 2008–09 season, Bordeaux won the 2008 Trophée des Champions, an annual French football super cup. Diarra continued to be a key player. He scored a goal in a thrilling 4–3 comeback win against Monaco. Bordeaux also won the Coupe de la Ligue, another French cup. Diarra played in the UEFA Champions League and scored a goal against Chelsea.

Bordeaux had a fantastic season in 2009. Diarra scored a crucial goal against Lyon, which helped Bordeaux win the league title. They also won the league cup, completing a "double" (winning two major trophies in one season). Diarra played a career-high 45 matches that season.

For the 2009–10 season, Diarra became the team captain. He helped Bordeaux win the 2009 Trophée des Champions again. He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 win over Nice. However, he struggled with injuries during this period. Bordeaux's form dropped, and they couldn't defend their title.

In the 2010–11 season, Diarra was linked with a move to Marseille, but the transfer didn't happen. He stayed at Bordeaux and scored two goals early in the season. In October 2010, Diarra was involved in a controversial incident where he pushed a referee. He was given a red card and later banned for six matches. He apologized for his actions, and his former coach, Laurent Blanc, supported him.

Moving to Marseille

On 4 July 2011, Diarra finally moved to Marseille, a rival club of Bordeaux. He signed a three-year contract. He continued to play as a defensive midfielder for Marseille.

Playing in England for West Ham United

On 10 August 2012, Diarra moved back to England to join West Ham United. He signed a three-year contract. He was excited to play in the Premier League. Diarra made his debut for West Ham in August.

However, his time at West Ham was difficult. He suffered a thigh injury and later a serious knee injury that kept him out for most of the 2013–14 season. He also expressed frustration about his playing time. In July 2014, he left West Ham by mutual agreement.

Loan to Rennes

During his time at West Ham, Diarra was loaned to Rennes in France in January 2013. He made his debut for Rennes and even provided an assist in his first game. He played twelve matches for Rennes before returning to West Ham.

Charlton Athletic

On 23 February 2015, Diarra signed with Charlton Athletic, an English club in the Championship league. He scored his first goal for Charlton in a match against Millwall. He later extended his contract. In September 2016, he left Charlton to return to France with his family.

Alou Diarra in action for Charlton

Nancy

On 1 September 2016, Diarra joined Nancy, a club that had just been promoted to France's top league, Ligue 1. He signed a one-season deal. In October 2016, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal since 2012, heading in a free kick against Paris Saint-Germain. He left Nancy at the end of the season.

Alou Diarra's International Career

Youth Teams

Alou Diarra played for France's youth national teams, including the under-20 and under-21 squads. In 2001, he was called up for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. He played in the first group match but got injured and missed the rest of the tournament.

He also played for the under-21 team from 2002 to 2004. He played 10 matches and scored one goal. In 2003, he was invited to play for the Mali national team, his parents' home country. However, Diarra chose to continue playing for France.

Senior National Team

On 13 August 2004, Diarra was called up to the senior national team for the first time. He made his debut in October 2004 in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland. He often came on as a substitute for important players like Patrick Vieira.

Diarra was selected to play in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He appeared in two matches, including the final against Italy, where France lost in a penalty shootout.

After 2006, Diarra was absent from the national team for almost two years. He missed UEFA Euro 2008. After playing well for Bordeaux, he returned to the team and played in seven 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. He was then chosen for his second World Cup.

In the 2010 World Cup, France had a difficult tournament. In their final group match against South Africa, Diarra was made captain for the first time. France lost the match and was eliminated from the competition.

Diarra continued to play for France under new coach Laurent Blanc. He captained the team several more times, including in a 2–0 win over Romania and a 1–0 victory over Brazil.

Alou Diarra's Coaching Career

In 2018, Alou Diarra started his coaching career. He joined Lens as an assistant coach for their under-19 team. He then became an assistant for the reserve team and later for the senior team. In 2022, Diarra left Lens to become the manager of the under-19 team at Troyes.

Career Statistics

Source:

Honours

Lens

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005

Lyon

• Ligue 1: 2006–07

Bordeaux

• Ligue 1: 2008–09
• Trophée des Champions: 2008, 2009

Marseille

• Coupe de la Ligue: 2011–12
• Trophée des Champions: 2011

France

• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2006

See Also

In Spanish: Alou Diarra para niños

• Sub-Saharan African community of Paris