Arouna Koné facts for kids
Koné with Ivory Coast in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arouna Koné | ||
| Date of birth | 11 November 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Anyama, Ivory Coast | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rio Sport | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2002 | Rio Sport | 30 | (17) |
| 2002–2003 | Lierse | 32 | (11) |
| 2003–2005 | Roda JC | 63 | (27) |
| 2005–2007 | PSV | 53 | (21) |
| 2007–2012 | Sevilla | 40 | (1) |
| 2010 | → Hannover 96 (loan) | 8 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | → Levante (loan) | 34 | (15) |
| 2012 | Levante | 0 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Wigan Athletic | 34 | (11) |
| 2013–2017 | Everton | 47 | (6) |
| 2017–2022 | Sivasspor | 109 | (32) |
| 2022–2023 | VK Weerde | ||
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004–2013 | Ivory Coast | 39 | (9) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Arouna Koné (born 11 November 1983) is a former professional footballer from Ivory Coast. He was a talented striker, known for scoring goals.
Koné became well-known in the Eredivisie, the top football league in the Netherlands. He played for clubs like Roda JC and PSV. In 2007, he moved to Sevilla in Spain. He faced some injuries and went on loan to other teams during his time there.
In 2012, Koné moved to the Premier League in England. He played for Wigan Athletic and Everton. With Wigan, he helped the team win the FA Cup in 2013, which is a big achievement in English football.
Arouna Koné also played for the Ivory Coast national team. He represented his country from 2004 until he retired from international football in 2013. He played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He played 39 games for his country and scored 9 goals.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Arouna Koné played for many different football clubs during his career. He started in Ivory Coast before moving to Europe.
Playing for PSV Eindhoven
Koné had a tough start to the 2007–08 season with PSV. He returned late from a holiday and then got sick with malaria. This meant he missed important training time. However, he quickly recovered and was ready for the team's first league game. He also returned to play for his country.
Time at Sevilla FC
On 30 August 2007, Koné joined Sevilla in Spain. He signed a five-year deal. He made his debut in the Spanish league, La Liga, on 16 September. He came on as a substitute and helped his team win. A few days later, he scored his first goal for Sevilla. He also scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League for the club.
In April 2008, there were talks that Koné might leave Sevilla. He didn't play much because other strikers were playing very well. He also had an argument during training. Later, in August, he got a serious knee injury while playing for Ivory Coast. He had surgery and returned to training in February 2009.
After his injury, Koné didn't play much for Sevilla. In February 2010, he went on loan to Bundesliga club Hannover 96 in Germany.
Koné only played one minute for Sevilla in the 2010–11 season. For the next season, he was loaned to Levante in Spain. He played often and scored his first goal for them on 18 September 2011. This goal helped Levante win 1–0 against Real Madrid.
Koné was rested for the last few games of the season because of a small injury. He also didn't want to score too many goals. If he reached 18 goals, he would have to go back to Sevilla automatically. He didn't want this, so he moved to Levante permanently.
Winning the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic
On 14 August 2012, Koné signed a three-year contract with English club Wigan Athletic. He joined them because he liked their style of play. He scored his first league goal in his second game, helping Wigan win 2–0. He also scored two goals in an FA Cup match against Huddersfield Town.
Koné and the Latics (Wigan's nickname) won the FA Cup in 2013. They beat Manchester City 1–0 in a big upset. However, just three days later, Wigan was relegated from the top league after losing to Arsenal.
Playing for Everton
On 8 July 2013, Everton signed Koné. He made his debut on 17 August. In October, he got a knee injury and didn't play for the rest of that season. He returned on 24 December 2014 and scored his first goal for Everton.
At the start of the 2015–16 season, Koné came off the bench to help Everton draw 2–2 against Watford. He then started a game against Southampton and helped Everton win 3–0. Koné continued to play well, helping Everton beat Chelsea 3–1. On 1 November 2015, he scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Everton in a 6–2 win against Sunderland. Koné left Everton at the end of the 2016–17 season.
Moving to Sivasspor
Koné signed a two-year contract with Turkish club Sivasspor on 4 July 2017. He played his first game for them on 12 August. He scored his first goal for Sivasspor on 19 August. On 5 November 2017, he scored two goals, helping his team win 2–1. Koné was the team's top scorer in the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons.
Final Club: VK Weerde
In July 2022, Koné signed with VK Weerde, a club in Belgium's ninth division. After six months with the team, he decided to retire from playing football.
International Career
Koné played for the Ivory Coast under-20 team in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. He scored three goals in that tournament. FIFA, the world football organization, said he was a "crucial pivot" for his team's attacks. They described him as a player with "physical strength, aerial ability and good ball control."
Koné was also chosen to play for the senior national team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. This was the first time Ivory Coast had ever been in a World Cup. He played in all three of their group games. The team did not make it to the knockout stages.
After four years away from international football due to injuries, Koné was called back to the Ivory Coast squad in 2012. He was chosen for the 2013 African Cup of Nations because of his good form at Wigan. His club manager, Roberto Martínez, said that Koné loved playing for his country and was happy to be back in the squad.
Personal Life
Arouna Koné is married and has two sons and three daughters. He is a Muslim. His father passed away when Koné was nine years old.
Koné has said that his blonde hair was inspired by former basketball player Dennis Rodman. He also mentioned that his football heroes were Liberian legend George Weah and Brazilian superstar Ronaldo.
Honours
PSV
- Eredivisie: 2005–06, 2006–07
Wigan Athletic
- FA Cup: 2012–13
Sivasspor
- Turkish Cup: 2021–22
Ivory Coast
- Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2006
See Also
In Spanish: Arouna Koné para niños
Images for kids
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Koné with Ivory Coast in 2012
