Kader Keïta in September 2011 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Abdul Kader Keïta | ||
Date of birth | (1981-08-06) 6 August 1981 (age 43) | ||
Place of birth | Gagnoa, Ivory Coast | ||
Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Youth career | |||
1998–1999 | Africa Sports | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1999–2000 | Africa Sports | 23 | (4) |
2000–2001 | Étoile du Sahel | 22 | (7) |
2002 | Al Ain | 19 | (6) |
2002–2005 | Al-Sadd | 53 | (26) |
2005–2007 | Lille | 73 | (17) |
2007–2009 | Lyon | 62 | (5) |
2009–2010 | Galatasaray | 27 | (5) |
2010–2012 | Al-Sadd | 27 | (7) |
2014–2015 | Budapest Honvéd | 2 | (0) |
Total | 281 | (77) | |
International career | |||
2000–2012 | Ivory Coast | 72 | (11) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Abdul Kader Keïta (born 6 August 1981) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a winger. He represented the Ivory Coast national football team from 2000 to 2012.
Club career
Keïta, also known as 'Popito', began his career at homeland club Africa Sports, before moving on to Tunisian Club Etoile du Sahel. Following spells in United Arab Emirates with Al Ain and Qatar with Al Sadd, he moved to France with Ligue 1 club OSC Lille in 2005.
Lyon
On 31 May 2007, Olympique Lyonnais chairman Jean-Michel Aulas revealed that the club had made bids for both Keïta and his fellow teammate Mathieu Bodmer.
On 16 June 2007, Lyon confirmed the signing of Keïta from Lille for €18 million, with Bodmer also moving to Lyon. During his two seasons at the club, he made 52 appearances in all competitions, scoring 5 goals.
Galatasaray
On 2 July 2009, Galatasaray officially announced that Keïta joined the Turkish club and signed a three-year contract, for €8.5 million transfer fee plus €500,000 variable. He scored his first goal for Galatasaray in a Europa League qualification match against Maccabi Netanya in the 5th minute. On 12 December, Keïta scored for Galatasaray in a 3–2 victory over Antalyaspor.
On 18 February 2010, Keïta scored a late equalizer to secure a 1–1 away draw for Galatasaray against Atlético Madrid in the Europa League. Later, in the second leg he equalized again to make it 1–1, but Galatasaray failed to qualify. On 28 February, he scored the second and fourth goals in a 4–1 victory over Kasımpaşa. His first goal was a volley from just inside the penalty area. In Galatasaray's 3–0 victory over MKE Ankaragücü in March, Keïta scored the second goal as well as assisting the final goal. On 11 April 2010, he assisted two of Milan Baroš' goals in a 4–1 victory over Diyarbakırspor. A week later, he scored the first goal in a 1–2 victory over Manisaspor.
Al Sadd
Keïta rejoined his previous club Al Sadd SC in July 2010, for €8.15 million.
Keïta was involved in a melee which ensued on 19 October in the 2011 AFC Champions League semi final first-leg between Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Al Sadd. Suwon player Choi Sung-Hwan was inadvertently kicked in the head by an Al Sadd defender, and Suwon's Yeom Ki-hoon let the ball out after Choi Sung-hwan went down with a head injury inside Al Sadd's box. While Choi was being tended to by medics, Keïta took the free kick quickly, and passed it to teammate Mamadou Niang unknowingly to the Suwon defense who thought possession would be returned to them according to FIFA fair play rules. Niang sprinted down the center half past the goalkeeper to score a second goal for Al Sadd. The chaos was further elevated when a Suwon fan ran onto the pitch, causing a brawl to erupt between the two teams. Afterwards, Keïta received a red card, allegedly for running towards the fan, slapping him in the back of the head and grabbing him by his throat. His teammate Lee Jung-Soo had told the press that Keïta had apologized for assisting Niang in scoring the goal, and admitted it was wrong. Al Sadd's coach, Jorge Fossati, suggested that Al Sadd was annoyed that Suwon had not immediately put the ball out of play, and decided to take actions into their own hands. Keïta was later suspended by AFC for the return leg.
Keïta scored a goal in the AFC Champions League Final on 5 November, as his side defeated Jeonbuk Motors on penalties after the match ended 2–2 and was named as Man of the Match. He left the team at the end of the 2011–12 season, and was linked with several teams in England and stated his interest of playing in the Premier League.
International career
Keïta had a distinguished international career with 72 caps for the Ivory Coast, representing the team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, 2010 FIFA World Cup and at four Africa Cup of Nations in 2002, 2008, 2010, and 2012, helping them finish runner-up in 2012.
Keïta was selected for 2010 African Nations Cup and played three matches, scoring once against Algeria during the quarter-final match.
2010 World Cup incident
During the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Keïta was involved in an off-the-ball incident with Kaká during a group game against Brazil. Keïta ran into Kaká and fell onto the floor, clutching his face, as if in great pain. Kaká was shown a yellow card, his second of the match, and sent off. ABC wrote "Abdul Kader Keïta's embarrassing reaction to a love-tap in the midriff from the Brazilian playmaker was both laughable and disgraceful. Obviously hoping to get Kaka in further hot water after he had only just earlier been shown his first yellow card, Keïta fell to the ground and clutched his face as if he'd been shot from close range. He blatantly cheated to ensure the Brazilian was given his marching orders."
The incident has been named by numerous journalists as among the most shameful in the World Cup and was called "disgraceful" by the sports announcer, and Keïta's actions named in the ten worst moments of the World Cup. Keïta was named to the 2010 World Cup "Infamous 11" as one of the all-around worst sportsmen in the tournament.
Personal life
Keïta's older brother, Fadel, is also a former professional footballer and Ivorian international.
Honours
Africa Sports
Al-Ain
Al-Sadd
- Qatar Stars League: 2003–04
- Emir of Qatar Cup: 2002–03, 2004–05
- Qatar Crown Prince Cup: 2003
- AFC Champions League: 2011
Lyon
References
- "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 – List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- "Abdul Kader Keïta" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- "Yahoo". Yahoo. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- "Soccer – Lyon sign Lille players Bodmer and Keïta". Reuters. 16 June 2007. Archived from the original on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- "Abdul Kader Keïta leaves Lyon for Galatasaray". USATODAY.com. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- "Reference Document 2008/09" (PDF). Olympique Lyonnais. 2009. p. 50. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 August 2020.
- "Galatasaray Profesyonel Futbol Takımı oyuncumuz Abdul Kader Keïta'nin avro8.150.000 bedelle Katar AL SADD S.C. Kulübüne transfer olması". Turkish Public Disclosure System (KAP) (in Turkish). 6 July 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- BERNAMA – Asian Football Body Investigating In-game Brawl In South Korea
- "Asia shamed by showpiece brawl". ESPNFC.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- "Jeonbuk Motors vs. Al Sadd - Football Match Report - November 5, 2011 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- Gourizo, Giscard (3 December 2012). "Ivory Coast winger Abdul Kader Keïta is keen on a move to the Premier League". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- "Game's credibility taking a dive". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
- "2010 World Cup's Most Shocking Moments #25: Kaka Red Card". Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- "Ten Worst Moments of the 2010 World Cup". Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- "Picking a World Cup 2010 Infamous Eleven". The Roar Your Sports Opinion. 17 July 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- Yaméogo, Guy-Florentin (7 December 2011). "France (Lille): La nouvelle vie de Fadel Kéïta". news.abidjan.net/ (in French). Retrieved 5 March 2019.
External links
- Abdul Kader Keïta at the Turkish Football Federation
- Kader Keita – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Abdul Kader Kéïta at National-Football-Teams.com
- Kader Keita at Soccerbase
- Keïta is runner up for Ivorian Player of the Year award, BBC Sport, 6 January 2007
2006–07 Ligue 1 UNFP Team of the Year | |
---|---|
- 1981 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Abidjan
- Ivorian men's footballers
- Naturalized citizens of France
- French men's footballers
- Men's association football midfielders
- Ivory Coast men's international footballers
- 2002 African Cup of Nations players
- 2006 FIFA World Cup players
- 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players
- 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players
- 2010 FIFA World Cup players
- 2012 Africa Cup of Nations players
- Africa Sports d'Abidjan players
- Étoile Sportive du Sahel players
- Al Ain FC players
- Al Sadd SC players
- Lille OSC players
- Olympique Lyonnais players
- Galatasaray S.K. footballers
- Budapest Honvéd FC players
- Persib Bandung players
- Qatar Stars League players
- Ligue 1 players
- Süper Lig players
- Nemzeti Bajnokság I players
- UAE Pro League players
- Ivorian expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Tunisia
- Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates
- Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar
- Expatriate men's footballers in France
- Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey
- Expatriate men's footballers in Hungary
- Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Tunisia
- Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates
- Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
- Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in France
- Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
- Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary
- AFC Champions League Elite–winning players
- 21st-century French sportsmen