Cheikhou Kouyaté facts for kids
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Kouyaté playing for West Ham United in 2016
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 21 December 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Dakar, Senegal | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder, centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2006 | ASC Yego Dakar | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | RWDM Brussels | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | RWDM Brussels | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2014 | Anderlecht | 153 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | → Kortrijk (loan) | 26 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2018 | West Ham United | 129 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Crystal Palace | 129 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Nottingham Forest | 33 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Senegal U20 | 3 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Senegal Olympic | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012– | Senegal | 92 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Cheikhou Kouyaté (born 21 December 1989) is a professional footballer from Senegal. He plays as a defensive midfielder or a centre-back. He is also a key player for the Senegal national team. Most recently, he played for Premier League club Nottingham Forest.
Kouyaté moved from Senegal to Belgium in 2006. He joined RWDM Brussels as a young player. After playing ten games, he moved to Anderlecht when he was 19. There, he played 206 games and won the Belgian First Division A four times. In 2014, he joined West Ham United in the Premier League. Four years later, he moved to Crystal Palace.
He has played for the Senegal national team in many big tournaments. These include the 2012 Olympics, two FIFA World Cups, and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He was part of the Senegal team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021.
Contents
Playing Career
Starting Out in Belgium
Kouyaté started his football journey in 1996 with ASC Yego Dakar in his hometown. In September 2006, RWDM Brussels discovered his talent. They signed him in January 2007. He played ten league games for their first team between 2007 and 2008.
Success with Anderlecht
When Kouyaté turned 19, he left Brussels. He joined Anderlecht in the same city. He signed a four-year deal as a free player. He also spent some time on loan at K.V. Kortrijk.
Kouyaté played 153 league games for Anderlecht. He scored four goals in five seasons. During his time there, he helped Anderlecht win the Belgian Pro League four times. These wins were in the 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, and 2013–14 seasons. He also won the Belgian Super Cup in 2010, 2012, and 2013.
Time at West Ham United
On 18 June 2014, Kouyaté joined West Ham United. He signed a four-year contract for £7 million. He played his first game for West Ham on 16 August. It was a 1–0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur. The BBC called his performance "impressive."
On 28 December, Kouyaté scored his first goal for West Ham. It was in a 2–1 loss to Arsenal. He scored again on 8 February 2015 in a 1–1 draw with Manchester United. His manager praised his performance in that game. He scored two more goals that season. He played in 31 out of 38 Premier League games.
In the 2015–16 season, Kouyaté scored the first goal in a 2–0 win over Arsenal. He also scored against Bournemouth and Norwich City. In March 2016, he signed a new five-year contract with West Ham. He was sent off twice that season, but both red cards were later cancelled.
On 4 August 2016, Kouyaté scored West Ham's first goal at the Olympic Stadium. This was during a Europa League game. He scored twice in that match. On 26 October 2016, he scored in an EFL Cup win against Chelsea. On 8 April 2017, he scored a great goal against Swansea City.
In the 2017–18 season, Kouyaté scored his first goal on 23 September. It was in a 3–2 loss against Tottenham. His last goal for West Ham was on 24 November 2017. He scored the tying goal in a 1–1 draw with Leicester City. He celebrated this goal to raise awareness about slavery in Libya.
Moving to Crystal Palace
On 1 August 2018, Kouyaté joined Crystal Palace. He signed a four-year deal for about £9.5 million. He played his first game for Palace on 11 August. It was a 2–0 win against Fulham. He scored his first goal for Crystal Palace on 26 December 2019. It was in a 2–1 win against his old club, West Ham.
After Patrick Vieira became manager in 2021, Kouyaté continued to play an important role. He played in midfield or in defense. He helped Palace reach the semi-finals of the 2021–22 FA Cup. He scored in a 2–1 home win over Stoke City in the fifth round.
Time at Nottingham Forest
On 13 August 2022, Kouyaté signed a two-year contract with Nottingham Forest. He played his first game for Forest on 21 August. It was a 1–1 draw with Everton. He scored his first goal for them on 4 September. It was in a 3–2 loss to Bournemouth. In June 2024, the club announced he would leave when his contract ended.
International Career
Kouyaté was called up to the Senegal under-20s at age 18 in 2007. He scored two goals in three games for the team.
On 29 February 2012, Kouyaté made his debut for the Senegal senior team. It was a friendly match against South Africa. In the same year, he played for the Senegal Olympic football team. He played in every game at the Olympic Games. Senegal reached the quarter-finals in their first appearance at the tournament.
In January 2015, he was part of the squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored his first international goal on 5 September 2015. It was in a 2–0 win against Namibia.
He was in the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played all seven games as Senegal finished second in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, he played six matches. He scored in the quarter-finals against Equatorial Guinea. Senegal went on to win the tournament.
Kouyaté was also part of Senegal's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He started the first match against the Netherlands. However, he got a hamstring injury and could not play any more games in the tournament.
In December 2023, he was chosen for Senegal's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Personal Life
Kouyaté is married to Zahra Mbow, and they have a son. He is a practicing Muslim and has made the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
After Senegal won the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, the President of Senegal Macky Sall honored him. Kouyaté was given the title of Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| RWDM Brussels | 2007–08 | Belgian First Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| K.V. Kortrijk (loan) | 2008–09 | Belgian Pro League | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 3 | ||
| Anderlecht | 2009–10 | Belgian Pro League | 21 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 9 | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| 2010–11 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | 48 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | 33 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | 45 | 1 | |||
| 2013–14 | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 47 | 1 | |||
| Total | 153 | 4 | 11 | 1 | — | 42 | 0 | 206 | 5 | |||
| West Ham United | 2014–15 | Premier League | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 4 | |
| 2015–16 | 34 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 5 | ||
| 2016–17 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 36 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | |||
| Total | 129 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 147 | 15 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2018–19 | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | |||
| Total | 129 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 141 | 3 | |||
| Nottingham Forest | 2022–23 | Premier League | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | |
| 2023–24 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 480 | 22 | 28 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 47 | 2 | 566 | 27 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2012 | 6 | 0 |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 92 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Senegal's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 5 September 2015 | Sam Nujoma Stadium, Windhoek, Namibia |  Namibia |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2. | 15 November 2015 | Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal |  Madagascar |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 30 March 2021 | Stade Lat-Dior, Thiès, Senegal |  Eswatini |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4. | 30 January 2022 | Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, Yaoundé, Cameroon |  Equatorial Guinea |
2–1 | 3–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations |
Honours and Awards
Anderlecht
- Belgian Pro League: 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
- Belgian Super Cup: 2010, 2012, 2013
Senegal
- African Cup of Nations: 2021; runner-up: 2019
Individual
- Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion: 2022
Images for kids
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Kouyaté playing for West Ham United in 2016
See also
In Spanish: Cheikhou Kouyaté para niños
