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Serey Dié
Geoffroy Serey Die.jpg
Dié with VfB Stuttgart in 2015
Personal information
Full name Sereso Geoffroy Gonzaroua Dié
Date of birth (1984-11-07) 7 November 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth Facobly, Ivory Coast
Height 1.79 m
Playing position Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1998–2001 Centre Nationale des Sports de Haut Niveau
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2002 Volcan Junior
2002–2003 CO Korhogo
2003–2006 Stade d'Abidjan
2006–2007 EO Goulette et Kram
2007–2008 ES Sétif 11 (1)
2008–2012 Sion 115 (4)
2013–2015 Basel 43 (3)
2015–2016 Stuttgart 36 (1)
2016–2019 Basel 52 (3)
2019 → Neuchâtel Xamax (loan) 12 (2)
2019–2020 Aarau 10 (0)
2020 Neuchâtel Xamax 5 (1)
2020–2022 Sion 34 (1)
National team
2013–2022 Ivory Coast 61 (2)
Teams managed
2022 FC Bramois (youth)
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Sereso Geoffroy Gonzaroua Dié (born 7 November 1984), known as Serey Dié, is a former professional footballer from Ivory Coast. He played as a defensive midfielder for the Ivory Coast national team. His last club was Sion. He retired from playing football during the 2021–22 season.

Serey Dié's Football Journey

Starting His Career

Serey Dié was born in Facobly, Ivory Coast. He began his football journey at the Centre National des Sports de Haut Niveau in Abidjan. After playing for Volcan Junior and CO Korhogo, he joined the top team Stade d'Abidjan in 2003. Three years later, he moved to EO Goulette et Kram in Tunisia. However, he left this club after only six months.

Playing in Algeria

Serey Dié then went to Algeria for a trial with ES Sétif. At first, the club president thought he was the wrong player. But the coach asked Serey Dié to stay for training. He played well in a test match and convinced the club to give him a six-month trial. During this time, he played very well. ES Sétif won the 2007–08 Arab Champions League. Even though he played well, he chose not to sign a full contract with them.

Time with Sion

From 2008 to 2012, Serey Dié played for Sion in Switzerland. With Sion, he helped the team win the Swiss Cup two times.

Joining Basel

On 13 December 2012, Basel announced that Serey Dié would join their team. He signed a contract for three and a half years. He started playing for Basel in early 2013 under coach Murat Yakin. His first game for Basel was on 10 February 2013. They won 3–0 against his old club, Sion, at home in St. Jakob-Park.

He scored his first goal for Basel on 1 April 2013. It was the first goal in their 4–0 away win against Luzern. At the end of the 2012–13 Swiss Super League season, Serey Dié and Basel won the league championship. They also reached the final of the 2012–13 Swiss Cup but lost on penalties. In the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, Basel made it to the semi-finals. They played against Chelsea but lost both games.

In the 2013–14 season, Serey Dié won the league championship with Basel again. They also reached the 2013–14 Swiss Cup final but lost to Zürich. Basel played in the Champions League group stage. They finished third in their group and moved to the Europa League knockout phase. They reached the quarter-finals but were beaten by Valencia. Serey Dié played in many matches that season, scoring two goals.

The 2014–15 season was successful for Basel. They won the championship for the sixth time in a row. They also reached the knockout phase of the Champions League. However, Serey Dié did not play as much under the new coach Paulo Sousa. Because he wasn't playing regularly, he decided to leave the club. On 2 February 2015, he moved to Stuttgart.

Playing for Stuttgart

After winning the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast, Serey Dié joined Stuttgart. He played in almost all their remaining games and became a very important player in the midfield. On 15 July 2016, Stuttgart announced that Serey Dié would return to Basel.

Returning to Basel

Basel confirmed his return on the same day, and Serey Dié signed a two-year contract. He joined Basel for their 2016–17 season under coach Urs Fischer. At the end of this season, Serey Dié won the Swiss championship for the fourth time in his career. This was Basel's eighth league title in a row. They also won the 2016–17 Swiss Cup, beating Sion 3–0 in the final. This meant they won both the league and the cup, known as "the double."

In Basel's 2017–18 season, Raphaël Wicky became the new head coach. Basel finished second in the league. They also reached the semi-final of the Swiss Cup. The team played in the Champions League group stage and finished second. In the second half of the season, Serey Dié was loaned to Xamax. He explained that he needed to play regularly to prepare for the Africa Cup with Ivory Coast.

After his loan and playing in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Basel and Serey Dié agreed to end his contract. Between 2012 and 2015, and again from 2016 to 2019, Serey Dié played a total of 168 games for Basel. He scored six goals in these matches, all in the Swiss Super League.

Later Career Clubs

Serey Dié had short periods playing for Aarau and then again for Xamax.

Final Return to Sion

On 26 May 2020, it was confirmed that Serey Dié had returned to FC Sion. This was the club where he started his European career seven years earlier. Serey Dié signed a two-year deal. During the 2021–22 Super League season, Serey Dié retired from his active football career.

Playing for His Country

Serey Dié played for the Ivory Coast 61 times between 2013 and 2022. He scored 2 goals for his country.

Emotional Moment at the World Cup

At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Serey Dié was seen crying during the national anthem before Ivory Coast's match against Colombia. People thought he was crying because his father had died. However, Serey Dié later said that while he did think about his father (who passed away in 2004), his tears came from how intense and excited he felt to represent his country.

Becoming a Coach

After he retired from playing football, Serey Dié became a youth coach. In September 2022, he was hired as a youth coach at FC Bramois.

Career Statistics

International Games

Ivory Coast
Year Games Played Goals Scored
2013 4 0
2014 9 0
2015 13 0
2016 5 0
2017 8 1
2018 5 0
2019 8 1
2020 2 0
2021 3 0
2022 4 0
Total 61 2

International Goals

Scores and results list Ivory Coast's goal tally first.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 20 January 2017 Stade d'Oyem, Oyem, Gabon  DR Congo 2–2 2–2 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
2. 1 July 2019 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt  Namibia 2–0 4–1 2019 Africa Cup of Nations

Honors and Achievements

ES Sétif

  • Arab Champions League: 2007–08

FC Sion

  • Swiss Cup: 2008–09, 2010–11

FC Basel

  • Swiss Super League: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17
  • Swiss Cup: 2016–17
  • Uhren Cup: 2013

Ivory Coast

See also

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