Salif Keïta facts for kids
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Keita with Saint-Étienne in 1968
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Salif Keita Traoré | ||
| Date of birth | 6 December 1946 | ||
| Place of birth | Bamako, French Sudan | ||
| Date of death | 2 September 2023 (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Bamako, Mali | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 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) |
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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.
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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
- Malian Cup: 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67
- African Cup of Champions Clubs: Runner-up in 1966
With Stade Malien
- African Cup of Champions Clubs: Runner-up in 1965
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
- Primeira Liga: Runner-up in 1976–77
- Taça de Portugal: 1977–78 (Cup Winner)
- Taça de Portugal: Runner-up in 1978–79
With Mali National Team
- African Games: Silver medal in 1965
- Africa Cup of Nations: Runner-up in 1972
Individual Awards
- African Cup of Champions Clubs: Top goalscorer in 1965, 1966
- African Footballer of the Year: 1970
Special Recognition
- FIFA Order of Merit: 1996 (A high award from FIFA)
See also
