Frédéric Kanouté facts for kids
Kanouté in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frédéric Oumar Kanouté | ||
| Date of birth | 2 September 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, France | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2000 | Lyon | 40 | (9) |
| 2000 | → West Ham United (loan) | 8 | (2) |
| 2000–2003 | West Ham United | 76 | (27) |
| 2003–2005 | Tottenham Hotspur | 60 | (14) |
| 2005–2012 | Sevilla | 209 | (89) |
| 2012–2013 | Beijing Guoan | 34 | (10) |
| Total | 427 | (151) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–1999 | France U21 | 11 | (1) |
| 2004–2010 | Mali | 38 | (23) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Frédéric Oumar Kanouté (born on September 2, 1977) is a former professional footballer. He played as a striker for many top teams in Europe. He had his biggest success with the Spanish team Sevilla.
Kanouté was named the African Footballer of the Year in 2007. He was the first player born outside Africa to win this special award. He started his career in France with Lyon. Then, he moved to England to play for West Ham United in 2000. After playing for Tottenham Hotspur, he joined Sevilla in Spain.
With Sevilla, he won the UEFA Cup two times in a row, in 2006 and 2007. He also won other European and Spanish trophies. He is still Sevilla's top foreign goal scorer. In June 2012, he moved to Beijing Guoan in China.
Even though he played for France's Under-21 team, Kanouté later played for the Malian national team. He helped Mali reach the semi-finals of the 2004 African Cup of Nations. He also played in the tournaments in 2006 and 2010. His international career ended in 2010. He played 38 games and scored 23 goals for Mali.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Frédéric Oumar Kanouté was born on September 2, 1977. His birthplace was Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, a town in France.
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Lyon
Kanouté's skills as a striker were first noticed by his local team, Olympique Lyonnais. He joined them as a young player in 1997. He played his first game in the Intertoto Cup.
Time at West Ham United
In 2000, Kanouté joined the English team West Ham United. He first joined on a loan, which means he played for them for a short time. He played well with another player, Paolo Di Canio. After showing his talent, West Ham's manager, Harry Redknapp, signed him permanently.
Kanouté had mixed success at West Ham. People praised his ability, but sometimes criticized his relaxed attitude. West Ham was moved down to a lower league at the end of the 2002-03 season.
Moving to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur bought Kanouté for about £3.5 million on August 5, 2003. He scored a goal in his very first game on August 23. It was the winning goal in a 2-1 home game against Leeds United. He scored just nine minutes after coming onto the field.
His first season was interrupted because he was called to play for Mali in the 2004 African Cup of Nations. Tottenham tried to stop him from going. They asked FIFA if he was allowed to play for Mali after playing for France's Under-20 team.
Kanouté did not become a regular starter at Tottenham. Other players like Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe were often chosen instead. He scored fewer goals but became good at setting up goals for others. He would run at defenders and create space for his teammates.
Success with Sevilla
Kanouté was sold to Sevilla in Spain on August 17, 2005, for €6.5 million. He came on as a substitute in the second half of the 2006 UEFA Cup Final. He scored a goal in the 89th minute, helping Sevilla win 4–0 against Middlesbrough.
In the 2006-07 UEFA Cup, Kanouté played against his old team, Tottenham Hotspur. He scored a penalty goal in Spain and another goal in England. Sevilla won the overall match 4–3.
Sevilla almost won the league title that year, but Real Madrid won instead. Sevilla finished in third place. After that, Kanouté was a key player for Sevilla. He helped them qualify for the UEFA Cup in 2008 and the Champions League in 2009.
On the first day of the 2009–10 season, Kanouté received two yellow cards and was sent off the field. This happened in the first half of a game against Valencia.
On October 22, 2011, during the 2011–12 season, Kanouté received two yellow cards against FC Barcelona. This happened after he kicked the ball off the penalty spot when Lionel Messi was about to take a penalty kick. He also had an argument with Cesc Fàbregas.
Kanouté's last season in Spain was affected by injuries. He played in 26 matches, scoring four goals. He left Sevilla when his contract ended in the summer of 2012. Kanouté became a very important player for Sevilla. He scored 136 goals in 290 matches. He helped the club win two UEFA Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, two Copa del Rey trophies, and one Spanish Supercup.
Playing in China
On June 29, 2012, Kanouté signed a contract with Chinese Super League team Beijing Guoan. On July 18, 2012, he scored his first two goals for the team. This was in a 6–0 win against Qingdao Jonoon in the Chinese FA Cup. In May 2013, Kanouté scored two goals in a league game against Tianjin Teda.
International Career
Kanouté played 11 games for the France national under-21 team. He scored one goal between 1998 and 1999. Even after he turned 21, he was not called to play for the main French national team.
In 2004, FIFA changed its rules. This allowed a footballer to play for the national team of the country where their mother or father was born. Kanouté chose to play for Mali, where his father was from. He was one of the top goal scorers for Mali at the 2004 African Cup of Nations. He scored four goals in four matches. He helped Mali reach the semi-finals, where they lost to Morocco.
In October 2007, Kanouté and his Mali teammate Mamady Sidibé were attacked by angry fans. This happened after they helped Mali knock Togo out of an African Cup of Nations qualifier. Frédéric Kanouté announced he was retiring from international football after Mali was eliminated from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
How He Played
In 2001, a newspaper called The Irish Times described Kanouté as "very skillful, quick-footed, quick-witted and with an eye for the spectacular." When he signed for Sevilla in 2005, the club's sports director said he was "tall, good in the air, skillful and strong." He could play as a main striker or just behind one. Throughout his career, he was known for being good at scoring goals.
Personal Life and Beliefs
Frédéric Kanouté has been practicing Islam since he was about 20 years old. He once refused to wear a Sevilla shirt that had the name of a club sponsor, 888.com. This was because the website was used for gambling, which is against his Islamic beliefs. So, the club gave him a shirt without the sponsor's name for each match. The company agreed to let him skip their advertising campaigns. In return, Kanouté wore the sponsored kit, which was part of the players' duties.
In 2007, Kanouté paid over US$700,000 of his own money to buy a mosque in Seville. The building's lease had ended, and the mosque was going to be sold. The Islamic community in Spain asked Kanouté for help. Kanouté also helped raise over $1 million in a fundraising effort to build the mosque.
Kanouté says his faith has never caused problems with his coaches, teammates, or fans. He has said that Islam helps him stay calm and think about the world. He also observes fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan. He has said he can fast even when playing, though it can be harder in the hot weather of southern Spain.
After scoring a goal in a January 2009 match, Kanouté lifted his jersey. Underneath, he showed a black shirt with the word "Palestine" on it. This action was seen as displaying a message about a conflict. Kanouté received a yellow card for showing a political message. He was later fined about $4,000 by the league.
The Kanouté Foundation
Kanouté has also shown interest in helping people. In 2006, he started a project to build a "Children's Village" in Mali. This village is now known as the Sakina Children's Village. Kanouté has spoken about his Foundation and the Village in a book called How to do good: Essays in Building a Better World. He also took part in a tour in 2017, speaking in different cities to promote humanitarian causes.
Career Statistics
Club Performance
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lyon | 1997–98 | French Division 1 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | – | 29 | 8 | |
| 1998–99 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 12 | 3 | |||
| 1999–2000 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 20 | 1 | |||
| Total | 40 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 3 | – | 61 | 12 | |||
| West Ham United (loan) | 1999–2000 | Premier League | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 2 | ||
| West Ham United | 2000–01 | Premier League | 32 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 14 | ||
| 2001–02 | 27 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 12 | ||||
| 2002–03 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 84 | 29 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 92 | 33 | ||||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2003–04 | Premier League | 27 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 31 | 12 | ||
| 2004–05 | 32 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 41 | 9 | ||||
| 2005–06 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 60 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 4 | – | – | 73 | 21 | ||||
| Sevilla | 2005–06 | La Liga | 32 | 6 | 2 | 2 | – | 11 | 6 | – | 45 | 14 | ||
| 2006–07 | 32 | 21 | 5 | 4 | – | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 30 | |||
| 2007–08 | 30 | 16 | 1 | 1 | – | 9 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 42 | 26 | |||
| 2008–09 | 34 | 18 | 6 | 3 | – | 2 | 2 | – | 42 | 23 | ||||
| 2009–10 | 27 | 12 | 5 | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 39 | 15 | ||||
| 2010–11 | 28 | 12 | 5 | 1 | – | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 21 | |||
| 2111–12 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 31 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 209 | 89 | 27 | 15 | – | 50 | 27 | 4 | 6 | 290 | 137 | |||
| Beijing Guoan | 2012 | Chinese Super League | 10 | 1 | 2 | 2 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 12 | 3 | ||
| 2013 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 34 | 10 | ||||
| Total | 34 | 10 | 5 | 2 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 46 | 13 | ||||
| Career total | 427 | 151 | 44 | 24 | 12 | 4 | 75 | 31 | 4 | 6 | 602 | 216 | ||
International Performance
| Mali | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 11 | 7 |
| 2005 | 3 | 0 |
| 2006 | 3 | 2 |
| 2007 | 3 | 2 |
| 2008 | 9 | 6 |
| 2009 | 6 | 4 |
| 2010 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 38 | 23 |
Awards and Honours
Lyon
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1997
Sevilla
- Copa del Rey: 2006–07, 2009–10
- Supercopa de España: 2007
- UEFA Cup: 2005–06, 2006–07
- UEFA Super Cup: 2006
Individual Awards
- Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2004
- African Footballer of the Year: 2007
- ESM Team of the Season: 2006–07
See also
In Spanish: Frédéric Kanouté para niños
