Frédéric Kanouté

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Frédéric Kanouté
Kanouté in 2008
Personal information
Full name Frédéric Oumar Kanouté
Date of birth (1977-09-02) 2 September 1977 (age 46)
Place of birth Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, France
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Lyon 40 (9)
2000 → West Ham United (loan) 8 (2)
2000–2003 West Ham United 76 (27)
2003–2005 Tottenham Hotspur 60 (14)
2005–2012 Sevilla 209 (89)
2012–2013 Beijing Guoan 34 (10)
Total 427 (151)
International career
1998–1999 France U21 11 (1)
2004–2010 Mali 38 (23)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Frédéric Oumar Kanouté (born 2 September 1977) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker for several top-tier clubs in Europe, enjoying his greatest success with La Liga side Sevilla. Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year, the first player born outside Africa to win the award.

Kanouté began his career with Lyon in France before moving to West Ham United of the Premier League in 2000. After a spell at their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Kanouté moved to Spanish club Sevilla where he won two consecutive UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007 in addition to various other European and domestic honours and remains the club's highest-scoring foreign player. He joined Beijing Goan in June 2012.[2][3][4]

Despite playing for France U-21, Kanouté was a member of the Malian squad which reached the semi-finals of the 2004 African Cup of Nations and also featured in their selections for the tournament in 2006 and 2010. His international career ended in 2010 with a total of 38 caps and 23 goals.

Early life[edit]

Frédéric Oumar Kanouté[5] was born on 2 September 1977[6] in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Rhône.[5]

Club career[edit]

Lyon[edit]

Kanouté's talents as a striker were first noticed by his local team, Olympique Lyonnais, and he joined them as an apprentice in 1997. He made his debut in the Intertoto Cup against Polish side Odra Wodzisław.[citation needed]

West Ham United[edit]

In 2000, Kanouté was signed by English Premier League side West Ham United on an initial loan basis. He formed a solid partnership with Paolo Di Canio and after some promising appearances in the Premier League, Hammers manager Harry Redknapp made his move permanent. Kanouté had varying success at the Boleyn Ground, often praised for his ability, but also criticised for his laid back attitude. West Ham were relegated at the end of the 2002-03 season.[citation needed]

Tottenham Hotspur[edit]

Kanouté was bought by Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £3.5 million on 5 August 2003.[7] He scored on his debut on 23 August, the winner in a 2-1 home league victory over Leeds United, nine minutes after coming on for Bobby Zamora.[8]

His first season was interrupted by a call-up for the 2004 African Cup of Nations for Mali. Tottenham tried to stop him going by asking FIFA whether Kanouté was eligible to play for Mali after representing France at Under-20 level.[9]

Kanouté was unable to cement himself as a regular at White Hart Lane, as Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe were preferred. He became a less prolific goalscorer and instead was involved in attacks by setting up various goals with runs at the defence and creating space for other attacking players.[citation needed]

Sevilla[edit]

Kanouté playing for Sevilla in 2011

Kanouté was sold to Sevilla on 17 August 2005 for €6.5 million.[10] He was a second-half substitute for the club in the 2006 UEFA Cup Final against Middlesbrough and scored in the 89th minute as Sevilla won 4–0.[citation needed]

In the 2006-07 UEFA Cup, Kanouté's first games for Sevilla against Tottenham Hotspur led to him scoring a penalty at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in a game marred by crowd trouble, and a goal at White Hart Lane, leaving the final aggregate score 4–3 to Sevilla.[citation needed]

Sevilla's title challenge that year ultimately unravelled and Real Madrid took the title, with Kanouté's side in third.[11] After that, he was a consistent member of the team, helping Sevilla qualify for a UEFA Cup position in 2008 and a Champions League direct qualification in 2009.[citation needed]

On the first day of the 2009–10 season, Kanouté received two yellow cards for fouls against Valencia and was sent off in first half stoppage time.[citation needed]

On 22 October 2011, during the 2011–12 season, Kanouté received two yellow cards against FC Barcelona for kicking the ball off the penalty spot, when Lionel Messi was due to take it. The second yellow was for an altercation between Kanouté and Cesc Fàbregas.[12] Kanouté's farewell season in Spain was plagued with injuries as he participated in 26 matches, scoring four goals and assisting two others – he left at the end of his contract in the summer of 2012.[13] Kanoute became an iconic figure at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, netting 136 goals in 290 matches as helped the club to win two UEFA Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, two Copa del Rey trophies and one Spanish Supercup.[13]

Beijing Guoan[edit]

On 29 June 2012, Kanouté signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan.[13][14] On 18 July 2012, he scored his first two goals in his team's 6–0 victory against Qingdao Jonoon in the Chinese FA Cup. In May 2013, Kanouté scored a brace in a Super League fixture against Tianjin Teda.[citation needed]

International career[edit]

Kanouté made 11 appearances for the France national under-21 team, scoring one goal, from 1998 to 1999.[15] After turning 21 in 1998, Kanouté was not called up for the French national squad in 2000, 2002, or 2004. In 2004, FIFA changed its rules to allow a footballer to play for the national team of the country in which his mother or father was born. Although eligible for either, Kanouté elected to play for Mali rather than for France. Kanouté was joint top goal scorer for Mali at the 2004 African Cup of Nations. Kanouté scored four goals in four matches helping Mali to the semi-finals, where they lost to Morocco.[citation needed]

In October 2007, Kanouté, along with Mali international teammate Mamady Sidibé, were attacked by irate Togolese fans after they knocked Togo out of the African Cup of Nations qualifier.[16] Frederic Kanoute announced his retirement from international football following Mali's elimination from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.[17]

Style of play[edit]

In 2001, Kanouté was described by The Irish Times in 2001 as "highly skilful, quick-footed, quick-witted and with an eye for the spectacular."[18] Upon signing for Sevilla in 2005, the club's sporting director, Monchi, described Kanouté with the following words: "He's tall, good in the air, skilful and strong and can play up front or just behind the lead striker."[19] Throughout his career he was also known for his eye for goal.[20] In 2020, Chris Howie of beIN Sports described Kanouté as a "tall, languid, graceful [...] striker," also labelling him a "late bloomer."[21]

Personal life[edit]

He has been practicing Islam since he was around the age of 20. He refused to wear a Sevilla shirt bearing the name of club sponsor 888.com, due to the fact the website is used for gambling, which is against the principles of Islam; this meant that the club had to give him a brand-free jersey every match. The company, however, agreed to excuse him from their publicity campaigns in return for Kanouté wearing the sponsored kit, which was part of the players' contractual duties. In 2007, Kanouté paid more than US$700,000 out of his pocket to buy a mosque in Seville. The contract on the premises had expired and the mosque was due to be sold. The Islamic community of Spain confirmed it had requested Kanouté's aid after the mosque was put up for sale.[22] Kanouté helped raise over $1m in a crowdfunding campaign to build the mosque.[23]

Kanouté insists his faith has never presented itself as a problem in his relationship with the coaching staff, teammates or fans. He has stated that "Islam has helped me to be this way, so this is normal. It's a path you take to keep you calm, to help you think about the place you live in, to love your neighbour. It's strange when I hear about all these problems of terrorism because it's the opposite of what I understood for Islam."[24]

He observes fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan. He has stated that "I can keep fasting in Ramadan even when I am playing...it is sometimes harder to keep the fast because here in the south of Spain it is very hot, but I can do it, thank God."[25]

After scoring a goal in a January 2009 Copa Del Rey match against Deportivo La Coruña, Kanouté lifted his jersey and displayed a black shirt underneath emblazoned with the word "Palestine". The action was interpreted by BBC sources[26] as a protest against the Israeli Army operation in the Gaza Strip ongoing at that time. Kanouté was cautioned with a yellow card for displaying a political message, and subsequently fined around $4,000 by the league.[26]

The Kanouté Foundation[edit]

Kanouté has also showed interest in a variety of humanitarian causes. In 2006, he launched an appeal to establish a "Children's Village" in Mali.[27] This is now the well established Sakina Children's Village. Kanouté talks about his Foundation and the Village in the book, How to do good: Essays in Building a Better World, published in December 2016.[28] He also took part in a speaker tour inspired by the book in 2017, speaking in Oslo, Stockholm, Paris and London alongside other humanitarians and philanthropists.[29][30]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Lyon 1997–98 French Division 1 18 6 1 0 0 0 11 2 – 30 8
1998–99 9 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 – 11 3
1999–2000 13 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 – 17 1
Total 40 9 1 0 2 0 15 3 – 58 12
West Ham United (loan) 1999–2000 Premier League 8 2 0 0 0 0 – – 8 2
West Ham United 2000–01 Premier League 32 11 4 3 3 0 – – 39 14
2001–02 27 11 1 1 0 0 – – 28 12
2002–03 17 5 0 0 0 0 – – 17 5
Total 84 29 5 4 3 0 – – 92 33
Tottenham Hotspur 2003–04 Premier League 27 7 1 3 3 2 – – 31 12
2004–05 32 7 5 0 4 2 – – 41 9
2005–06 1 0 – – – – 1 0
Total 60 14 6 3 7 4 – – 73 21
Sevilla 2005–06 La Liga 32 6 2 2 – 11[a] 6 – 45 14
2006–07 32 21 5 4 – 10[a] 4 1[b] 1 48 30
2007–08 30 16 1 1 – 9[c] 6 2[d] 3 42 26
2008–09 34 18 6 3 – 2[a] 2 – 42 23
2009–10 27 12 5 1 – 7[c] 2 – 39 15
2010–11 28 12 5 1 – 9 6 1[e] 2 43 21
2011–12 26 4 3 3 – 2[f] 1 – 31 8
Total 209 89 27 15 – 50 27 4 6 290 137
Beijing Guoan 2012 Chinese Super League 10 1 2 2 – 0 0 – 12 3
2013 24 9 3 0 – 7[g] 1 – 34 10
Total 34 10 5 2 – 7 1 – 46 13
Career total 427 151 44 24 12 4 72 31 4 6 559 216
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Cup
  2. ^ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in Supercopa de España
  5. ^ Appearance in Supercopa de España
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Appearances in AFC Champions League

International[edit]

Mali[31]
Year Apps Goals
2004 11 7
2005 3 0
2006 3 2
2007 3 2
2008 9 6
2009 6 4
2010 3 2
Total 38 23
Scores and results list Mali's goal tally first.[32]
No. Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored
1, 2 26 January 2004 Bizerte, Tunisia  Kenya 3–1 2004 African Cup of Nations 2
3 30 January 2004 Tunis, Tunisia  Burkina Faso 3–1 2004 African Cup of Nations 1
4 7 February 2004 Tunis, Tunisia  Guinea 2–1 2004 African Cup of Nations 1
5 19 June 2004 Bamako, Mali  Zambia 1–1 2006 World Cup and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 1
6 18 August 2004 Colombes, France  Congo Kinshasa 3–0 Friendly 1
7 5 September 2004 Bamako, Mali  Senegal 2–2 2006 World Cup and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 1
8 28 May 2006 Bondoufle, France  Morocco 1–0 Friendly 1
9 16 August 2006 Narbonne, France  Tunisia 1–0 Friendly 1
10 25 March 2007 Bamako, Mali  Benin 1–1 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 1
11 12 October 2007 Lomé, Togo  Togo 2–0 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 1
12 21 January 2008 Sekondi, Ghana  Benin 1–0 2008 Africa Cup of Nations 1
13, 14 7 June 2008 N'Djamena, Chad  Chad 2–1 2010 World Cup qualifier 2
15, 16 14 June 2008 Omdurman, Sudan  Sudan 2-3 2010 World Cup and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 2
17 22 June 2008 Bamako, Mali  Sudan 3–0 2010 World Cup and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 1
18 11 February 2009 Bois-Guillaume, France  Angola 4–0 Friendly 1
19 28 March 2009 Omdurman, Sudan  Sudan 1–1 2010 World Cup and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 1
20 21 June 2009 Bamako, Mali  Benin 3–1 2010 World Cup and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 1
21 11 October 2009 Bamako, Mali  Sudan 1–0 2010 World Cup and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 1
22 10 January 2010 Luanda, Angola  Angola 4–4 2010 Africa Cup of Nations 1
23 18 January 2010 Cabinda, Angola  Malawi 3–1 2010 Africa Cup of Nations 1

Honours[edit]

Lyon

Sevilla[13]

Individual

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Frederic Kanoute: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Kanoute named Africa's best". Archived from the original on 2 February 2008.
  3. ^ Kanoute leaves Sevilla for Beijing Guoan Goal.com, 30 June 2012
  4. ^ Kanoute heads to China FIFA.com, 30 June 2012
  5. ^ a b "Frédéric Kanouté". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Frederic Kanouté: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  7. ^ Johnson, William (5 August 2003). "All clear for Kanoute as Tottenham wrap up deal". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  8. ^ "Kanoute grabs Spurs winner". BBC News. 23 August 2003.
  9. ^ Clissitt, Ben (5 April 2007). "Where did it all go right for Fredi Kanouté?". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Sevilla beckons for striker Kanouté". UEFA. 17 August 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  11. ^ Henderson, Charlie (16 May 2007). "Espanyol 2-2 Sevilla - Sevilla win 3-1 on penalties". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
  12. ^ Frederic Kanoute Claims Barcelona Star Cesc Fabregas Called Him a Terrorist (Video) CaughtOffside.com, 23 October 2011
  13. ^ a b c d "Kanoute leaves Sevilla for Beijing Guoan". Goal. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  14. ^ "北京国安足球俱乐部与卡努特正式签约 (Beijing Guoan Football Club and Kanouté formally signed)" (in Chinese). Tagesspiegel. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  15. ^ "Frédéric Kanouté" (in French). French Football Federation. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Caf to discuss Togo attacks" BBC Sport, 15 October 2007; Retrieved 15 October 2007
  17. ^ "Kanoute retires after Mali exit" BBC Sport, 21 February 2010
  18. ^ "Kanoute always happy to go against the tide". The Irish Times. 27 January 2001. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Tottenham's Kanoute joins Sevilla". CNN.com. 17 August 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  20. ^ "La Spagna fa l'en plein" (in Italian). UEFA. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  21. ^ Howie, Chris (9 April 2020). "One of a Kind – Frederic Kanoute". beIN SPORTS. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  22. ^ Minshull, Phil (12 December 2007). "Devout worshipper". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
  23. ^ "Former footballer helps raise $1m for construction of mosque in Seville". SalamWebToday. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  24. ^ Din, Tusdiq (23 August 2011). "Fasting and football. How do top-flight Muslims cope?". The Independent. London. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  25. ^ Din, Tusdiq (24 August 2009). "Exclusive: I Can Keep Fasting In Ramadan Even When I Am Playing – Fredi Kanoute". Goal.com. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  26. ^ a b "Kanoute faces T-shirt fine". BBC Sport. 8 January 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  27. ^ Kanouté the footballer and the man Frédéric Oumar Kanouté Official Website
  28. ^ Philanthropy Age (2016). How to do Good: Essays on Building a Better World. London Wall Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9932917-9-1.
  29. ^ Doyle, Paul (28 March 2017). "Fredi Kanouté: 'Muslims should not have to prove they are not terrorists before talking'". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  30. ^ "How to do good: Building a better world". www.howtodogood.global.
  31. ^ "Frédéric Kanouté". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  32. ^ "Frédéric Kanouté - Goals in International Matches". Archived from the original on 20 April 2015.
  33. ^ "Lyon 3-2 Montpellier (Aggregate: 4 - 2)". UEFA. Archived from the original on 1 August 2004. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  34. ^ "Beijing Guoan sign Kanoute". ESPN. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  35. ^ Kanoute named Africa's best
  36. ^ Furious Drogba Slams CAF Over Kanoute Award And Pulls Out

External links[edit]

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