- Mahamadou Diarra
-
Mahamadou Diarra 
Personal information Full name Mahamadou Diarra Date of birth 18 May 1981 Place of birth Bamako, Mali Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) Playing position Defensive midfielder Youth career 1997–1998 Centre Salif Keita Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1998–1999 OFI Crete 21 (2) 1999–2002 Vitesse 65 (9) 2002–2006 Lyon 152 (11) 2006–2010 Real Madrid 122 (3) 2011 Monaco 9 (0) National team‡ 2001– Mali 64 (6) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 December 2010.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 September 2011Mahamadou Diarra (born 18 May 1981 in Bamako) is a Malian footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Mali national team. He is captain of the national team.
Contents
Biography
Early career
Diarra started his career with Greek side OFI Crete. He played for French club Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) from 2002 until 2006 and formed a successful midfield partnership with Michael Essien, winning four Ligue 1 titles during his time at the club.[1] He was known for his strength in the midfield.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello asked President Ramón Calderón to sign three players, "Diarra, Diarra and Diarra".[2] Real Madrid joined in the race to sign Diarra, along with Manchester United. Lyon said that Diarra will not leave and put a €40 million price tag, which matched the price Chelsea paid Lyon for Michael Essien in the summer 2005.[3] On 18 August 2006, Real Madrid agreed a fee of €26 million. On 22 August, he was unveiled at the Santiago Bernabeu by Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón, and was assigned the number 6 shirt, which had been worn by Iván Helguera in the previous season.
In 2006-07, Diarra was a staple player in Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello's 2-defensive midfielder system. He lost his first team spot at one point, when he and Antonio Cassano were caught on camera making fun of Capello during a training session. He played a pivotal role in the 2007-08 league success under new coach Bernd Schuster, and established himself as the first-choice defensive midfielder, causing teammate Fernando Gago to play higher up field.
In October 2008, while playing an international fixture against Chad, Diarra was stretchered off the field after receiving a blow to his knee. He was rested for a month and made his next appearance in late November, but was forced to undergo surgery after he aggravated his knee injury once more, ruling him out for the rest of the season. After enjoying two successful seasons, he lost his place in the team to the new signing Xabi Alonso in the beginning of the 2009-10 season. With the successful integration of Xabi Alonso into the Madrid set up, Diarra was no longer the stalwart in midfield. With the arrival of Jose Mourinho and the influx of players for the 2010-11 season, Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso became the first choice pairing. In January 2011, after the acquisition of Emmanuel Adebayor, Diarra's contract was bought out making him a free agent.
AS Monaco
Diarra signed with AS Monaco on 27 January 2011. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Olympique de Marseille.[4][5] Diarra left AS Monaco after the club was relegated from Ligue 1 after the 2010-11 league campaign. Diarra has been linked with a move to the Middle East[6] and Doncaster Rovers.[7]
International career
Diarra first represented Mali at the youth levels. He was in the squad that took third place at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria. Having impressed at the U-20 tournament, Diarra was given his debut in 2001 and is currently the team captain. He won the award for Best Young Player at the 2002 African Cup of Nations.
International goals
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. January 30, 2004 Stade El Menzah, Tunis, Tunisia 
Burkina Faso1–2 1-3 2004 African Cup of Nations 2. February 7, 2004 Stade El Menzah, Tunis, Tunisia 
Guinea2-1 2-1 2004 African Cup of Nations Playing style
FourFourTwo magazine says that "Diarra provides aggression, tactical awareness, toughness and the discipline that other players simply lack."[8]
Personal
Career statistics
- (correct as of 22 December 2010 )
Club Season League Cups Continental Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Lyon 2002-03 25 0 5 1 8 0 38 1 2003-04 28 1 1 1 10 0 39 2 2004-05 36 2 3 1 9 2 48 5 2005-06 32 3 5 1 8 2 45 6 2006-07 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Total 123 6 14 4 35 4 172 14 Real Madrid 2006-07 33 3 2 0 7 1 42 4 2007-08 30 0 2 0 6 0 38 0 2008-09 9 0 1 0 3 0 13 0 2009-10 15 0 2 0 3 0 20 0 2010-11 3 0 3 0 2 0 8 0 Total 90 3 10 0 21 1 121 4 AS Monaco 2010-11 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 Total 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 Career Total 215 9 24 4 56 5 295 18 Honours
Club
- French Ligue 1: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
- Trophée Des Champions: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2006–07, 2007–08
- Supercopa de España: 2008
- Copa del Rey (1): 2010–11
References
- ^ http://africanfootball.mtnfootball.com/live/content.php?Item_ID=25240
- ^ http://talentspotter.fourfourtwo.com/player/mahamadoudiarra-8288.aspx
- ^ http://soccerlens.com/where-will-diarra-go-lyon-manchester-united-or-real-madrid/297/
- ^ "Ligue 1 round-up". Sky Sports. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11819_6712337,00.html.
- ^ "Monaco agrees deal to sign midfielder Mahamadou Diarra from Real Madrid". The Canadian Press. 27 January 2011. http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gUdKi-AQM9NUw4wLYVoceKhPgOqA?docId=5780158. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ http://www.insidefutbol.com/2011/09/24/mahamadou-diarra-offered-lucrative-middle-east-option/49649/
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/doncaster/9606623.stm
- ^ http://talentspotter.fourfourtwo.com/player/mahamadoudiarra-8288.aspx
- ^ http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2009/08/22/1454134/ramadan-fasting-for-real-madrid-trio-lassana-benzema-and
External links
- Profile at Realmadrid.com
- ESPN Profile
- FootballDatabase profile and career statistics
- About Diarra on rus
Categories:- 1981 births
- Living people
- Malian footballers
- Mali international footballers
- 2004 African Cup of Nations players
- 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players
- 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players
- Malian expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in Greece
- Expatriate footballers in France
- Expatriate footballers in Monaco
- Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands
- Expatriate footballers in Spain
- OFI Crete players
- Olympique Lyonnais players
- AS Monaco FC players
- Malian Muslims
- SBV Vitesse players
- La Liga footballers
- Real Madrid C.F. players
- Centre Salif Keita players
- Ligue 1 players
- Eredivisie players
- Malian expatriates in Spain
- Malian expatriates in Greece
- People from Bamako
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