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Salif Keïta
Salif Keita (1946).jpg
Keita with Saint-Étienne in 1968
Personal information
Full name Salif Keita Traoré
Date of birth (1946-12-06)6 December 1946
Place of birth Bamako, French Sudan
Date of death 2 September 2023(2023-09-02) (aged 76)
Place of death Bamako, Mali
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9+12 in)
Playing position Striker
Youth career
1960–1963 Stade Malien
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1963–1965 Real Bamako 21 (8)
1965–1966 Stade Malien 24 (12)
1966–1967 Real Bamako 26 (15)
1967–1972 Saint-Étienne 149 (125)
1972–1973 Marseille 18 (10)
1973–1976 Valencia 74 (23)
1976–1979 Sporting CP 63 (32)
1979–1980 New England Tea Men 39 (17)
Total 414 (242)
National team
1963–1972 Mali 28 (13)
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Salif Keïta Traoré (born December 6, 1946 – died September 2, 2023) was a famous Malian footballer. People often called him simply Keita. He played as a striker, which means he was a main goal scorer. Keita made history in 1970 by becoming the very first person to win the African Footballer of the Year award.

Salif Keïta's Club Career

Salif Keïta Traoré was born in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. He started his football journey playing for local teams like AS Real Bamako and Stade Malien. With AS Real Bamako, he became a champion in the Première Division several times.

Joining Saint-Étienne in France

In 1967, when Keita was 20 years old, he moved to France. He joined a big club called AS Saint-Étienne. This was a very successful time for him. He helped his team win the Ligue 1 title three years in a row. In 1968 and 1970, they even won "the double," meaning they won both the league and the national cup.

Keita was an amazing scorer for Saint-Étienne. In his last two seasons there, he scored an incredible 71 goals in the league. He scored 42 goals in the 1970–71 season alone! In 1970, his fantastic performance earned him the prestigious African Footballer of the Year award.

Moving to Marseille and Valencia

In the summer of 1972, Keita joined another French team, Olympique de Marseille. However, his time there was short. The club wanted him to become a French citizen, which he did not agree to. Because of this, he left France the next year.

He then moved to Spain to play for Valencia CF. Some Spanish newspapers wrote headlines that were not very kind, but fans in Valencia loved him. They nicknamed him La perla negra de Malí, which means "The black pearl of Mali." He scored in his very first game for Valencia, helping them win 2–1 against Real Oviedo. Even though he was popular, Keita felt he was often played in positions he wasn't used to.

Playing for Sporting CP and Retiring

After three years with Valencia, Keita signed with Sporting Clube de Portugal in 1976. He took the place of another famous goal scorer, Héctor Yazalde. In two of his three seasons with Sporting, he scored more than ten goals each time. He also helped the team win a national cup.

Keita retired from football at the age of 34. His last few years were spent playing for the New England Tea Men in the United States.

Salif Keïta's International Career

Keita started playing for the Mali national team very early. He was only 16 years old when he was first chosen in 1963. He was a key player when Mali competed in the 1972 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon. His team performed very well, finishing in second place.

In June 2005, Keita was chosen to be the president of the Malian Football Federation. He held this important position for four years. In 2006, the Confederation of African Football recognized him as one of the best 200 African football players of the last 50 years. This shows how much he was respected in the sport.

Salif Keïta's Family and Legacy

Football talent runs in Salif Keïta's family! His nephew, Seydou Keita, also became a professional footballer. Seydou played for many years in France and later achieved great success with FC Barcelona. Another nephew, Mohamed Sissoko, also played football for big clubs like Valencia, Liverpool, and Juventus FC. Both Seydou and Mohamed played similar roles as central midfielders. A third nephew, Sidi Yaya Keita, was also a midfielder who played most of his career in France.

Salif Keïta's life even inspired a movie! A film director from Guinea, Cheik Doukouré, used Keita's story as the basis for his 1994 film called Le Ballon d'or.

In 1994, Keita created the first training center for young football players in Mali. This center was named after him, helping to develop new talent. From 2007, he also served as a special minister for the Prime Minister of Mali, showing his dedication to his country beyond sports.

Salif Keïta passed away on September 2, 2023, at the age of 76. He left behind a great legacy as a football legend and a national hero.

Honours and Achievements

Salif Keïta won many awards and titles during his career.

With Real Bamako

With Stade Malien

With Saint-Étienne

  • Ligue 1: 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 (League Champion)
  • Ligue 1: Runner-up in 1970–71
  • Coupe de France: 1967–68, 1969–70 (Cup Winner)
  • Trophée des Champions: 1967, 1968, 1969 (Super Cup Winner)

With Sporting CP

With Mali National Team

Individual Awards

Special Recognition

  • FIFA Order of Merit: 1996 (A high award from FIFA)

See also

In Spanish: Salif Keïta Traoré for children

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