Cheikhou Kouyaté
Cheikhou Kouyaté (born 21 December 1989) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Senegal national team.
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Kouyaté playing for West Ham United in 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Cheikhou Kouyaté | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 21 December 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Dakar, Senegal | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Nottingham Forest | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2006 | ASC Yego Dakar | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | RWDM Brussels | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | RWDM Brussels | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2014 | Anderlecht | 153 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | → Kortrijk (loan) | 26 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2018 | West Ham United | 129 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Crystal Palace | 129 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Nottingham Forest | 32 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Senegal U20 | 3 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Senegal Olympic | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012– | Senegal | 92 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:20, 10 March 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:56, 26 March 2024 (UTC) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kouyaté moved from Senegal to Belgium in 2006, having been offered a youth contract at RWDM Brussels. He played ten games before moving to Anderlecht aged 19, where he made 206 appearances and won the Belgian First Division A four times. In June 2014, he joined West Ham United of the Premier League, and four years later he transferred to Crystal Palace for an estimated £9.5 million.
Kouyaté represented the Senegal national team at the 2012 Olympics. He played at two FIFA World Cup and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, including Senegal's victory in 2021.