Abdoulay Diaby (born 21 May 1991) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...

who plays mainly as a

left winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for Al Ittihad Kalba. Born in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, he represents

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...

at international level.

Club career

Sedan

Born in

Nanterre Nanterre (, ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering t ...

, France, Diaby began his career at Sedan, having been passed by INF Clairefontaine (France national Football team Centre). After progressing through the ranks of Sedan, Diaby made his professional debut on 4 May 2010 against

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlie ...

, where he came on as a substitute for Lossémy Karaboué in the 73rd minute, in a 3–1 loss. He made another appearances for the side three days later on 7 May 2010, again coming on as a substitute, in a 0–0 draw against AC Arles-Avignon. He went on to make two appearances in the 2009–10 season. In the 2010–11 season, Diaby made his first team appearance on 20 November 2010, where he started the match, in a 2–0 win over FC Steinseltz in the seventh round of Coupe de France. On 13 January 2011, he signed his first professional contract with the club, keeping him until 2014. He scored his first goal for the club and set up one of the goals, in a 5–3 loss against

FC Istres Football Club Istres Ouest Provence (; commonly referred to as simply Istres) is a French association football club based in Istres. The club was formed in 1920 and currently play their home matches at the Stade Parsemain in Fos-sur-Mer, a com ...

on 11 March 2011. Seven days later, on 18 March 2011, he scored in a follow–up match, in a 1–1 draw against

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

. By the end of the 2010–11 season, he had made eleven appearances scoring two times in all competitions. In the 2011–12 season, Diaby scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against

Clermont Foot Clermont Foot 63 ( Occitan: ''Clarmont d'Auvèrnhe''; commonly referred to as Clermont Foot or simply Clermont) is a French association football club based in Clermont-Ferrand. The first incarnation of the club was formed in 1911 and the curre ...

on 12 August 2011. A month later, on 16 September 2011, he scored again, in a 3–0 win over Le Havre. He then scored three goals throughout October, scoring against

Angers SCO Angers Sporting Club de l'Ouest, commonly referred to as Angers SCO or simply Angers (), is a French professional football club based in Angers in Pays de la Loire in western France. The club was founded in 1919 and plays in Ligue 1, the first ...

(twice) and

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

. He ended a two-month goal drought on 9 March 2012 when he scored in a 1–1 draw against

US Boulogne Union Sportive de Boulogne-sur-Mer Côte d'Opale (commonly referred to as US Boulogne or frequently, simply Boulogne) is a French association football club based in the commune of Boulogne-sur-Mer. The club was founded in 1898 and currently pl ...

. He was in another goal drought when on 18 May 2012, he scored in a 2–1 win over

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

. Despite suffering injuries during the 2011–12 season, Diaby went on to make 31 appearances and scoring nine times in all competitions. In the 2012–13 season, Diaby scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–2 loss against

Nîmes Olympique Nîmes Olympique (commonly referred to as simply Nîmes) is a French association football club based in Nîmes. The club was founded on 10 April 1937 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. Until November 2022, ...

on 17 August 2012. During a 2–0 win over Clermont Foot on 24 August 2012, he was sent–off for a straight red card in the 80th minute. After serving a match suspension, Diaby returned to the starting line-up and scored in a 3–1 loss against

Stade Lavallois Stade Lavallois Mayenne Football Club (), also referred to as Stade Laval or simply Laval, is a French association football club based in Laval in western France. The club was formed on 17 July 1902 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second ...

on 14 September 2012. After being dropped from the first team for "disciplinary reasons" in early–November, he scored on his return on 9 November 2012, in a 1–1 draw against

Gazélec Ajaccio Gazélec Football Club Ajaccio ( co, Gazélec Football Club Aiacciu), commonly referred to as GFC Ajaccio, GFCA, Gazélec Ajaccio or simply Gazélec (), is a French football club from Ajaccio, Corsica. Founded in 1960, Gazélec plays in the Champ ...

. During a match against

Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...

on 26 February 2013, he scored his seventh goal of the season, in a 1–0 win. Despite suffering from injury and suspension towards the end of the 2012–13 season, Diaby went on to make 28 appearances and scoring seven times in all competitions. Following the club's relegation to

Championnat de France Amateur The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligu ...

, he was released.

Lille

It was announced on 30 July 2013 that Diaby joined

on a three–year contract with the club. After his two years spell at Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz came to an end in the 2014–15 season, Diaby signed a two–year contract with Lille, keeping him until 2019. He made his Lille debut on 28 February 2015, where he came on as a late substitute for

Divock Origi Divock Okoth Origi (born 18 April 1995) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club AC Milan and the Belgium national team. Origi began his career at Lille, and scored on his professional debut for them in 2013. A y ...

, in a 2–1 win against

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

. He went on to make two more appearances later in the season, both coming as a substitute.

Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz (loan)

Immediately after joining Lille, Diaby moved to Belgium, where he joined Mouscron-Péruwelz. Diaby made his Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz debut, where he came on as a substitute for Antonio Jakoliš in the 74th minute, in a 2–1 win over

RWS Bruxelles RWS Bruxelles (Royal White Star Bruxelles) was a Belgian football club located in the municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Brussels. History The club, founded in 1948, was formerly known as Kapelleveld FC, playing in Evere, but they changed ...

on 10 August 2013. On 4 September 2013, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–2 win over Eendracht Aalst. After not featuring for the first team in two months, he made his return on 29 November 2013, starting in a 2–0 win over K.S.V. Roeselare. After missing out two matches in mid–January, he scored on his return, in a 2–1 win over Eendracht Aalst on 25 January 2014. Later in the 2013–14 season, Diaby helped the side get promoted to

Jupiler Pro League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 te ...

next season. He finished the season, making 20 appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. It was announced on 12 July 2014 that Diaby re-joined Mouscron-Péruwelz for the second time on loan. In his second season, with Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz in the Jupiler Pro League, he started well scoring against

Waasland-Beveren Sportkring Beveren is a professional Belgian association football club located in the municipality of Beveren, East Flanders. They play in the Belgian First Division B. History The club was founded in 1936 as Red Star and registered to an amat ...

Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (; nl, Standard Luik ; german: Standard Lüttich ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most ...

(twice),

Zulte Waregem Sportvereniging Zulte Waregem (), commonly known as Zulte Waregem or by their nickname Essevee (), is a Belgian professional football club based in Waregem, West Flanders. Zulte Waregem plays in the Belgian First Division A. Their highest finish a ...

and

Cercle Brugge Cercle Brugge Koninklijke Sportvereniging () is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges. Cercle have played in the Belgian Pro League since the 2003–04 season, having previously spent several years in the Belgian Second Divisio ...

(twice). He later added his tenth and eleventh goal against

Lierse Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring (), often simply known as Lierse, was a Belgian professional football club from the city of Lier in the Antwerp province. Lierse have won four championship titles and two Belgian Cups. Lierse was one of the six ...

and Waasland-Beveren. In January 2015, Diaby returned to his parent club. By the time of his departure, he made 22 appearances and scoring 12 times (which he was the top scorer at the time and still was at the end of the 2014–15 season) in all competitions.

Club Brugge

After announcing his intention to move to Belgium, it was announced on 22 May 2015 that Diaby joined Jupiler Pro League side

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062.

, signing a four-year contract. The transfer move reported to cost €2 million. Upon joining the club, he said his target in his first season at Club Brugge was to score at least 20 goals. Diaby made his Club Brugge debut on 16 July 2015, where he started the whole game, in a 1–0 against Gent in the

Belgian Super Cup The Belgian Super Cup ( nl, Belgische Supercup, ; french: Supercoupe de Belgique; german: Belgischer Fußball-Super Cup), ''Pro League Supercup'', is a Belgian club competition played as a single match between the Belgian First Division A champio ...

. Two weeks later, on 1 August 2015, he made his league debut for Club Brugge, in a 2–1 loss against Sint-Truidense. In a follow up match against KV Mechelen on 1 August 2015, Diaby scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–0 win. On 30 August 2015, he scored four times, in a 7–1 win over Standard Liège. After two months goal drought, he scored twice on 28 October 2015 in a 2–0 win over

OH Leuven Oud-Heverlee Leuven (), also called OH Leuven or OHL, is a Belgian football club from the city of Leuven. It was created in 2002 from the merger of three clubs, '' F.C. Zwarte Duivels Oud-Heverlee'', whose registration number it inherited, '' ...

, followed up by scoring in a 2–0 win over Westerlo. During December, he added four goals, which were against

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

, Westerlo (twice) and

K.V. Kortrijk Koninklijke Voetbalclub Kortrijk (often simply called KV Kortrijk or KVK) is a Belgian professional football club based in Kortrijk, West Flanders. They play in the Belgian First Division, and they achieved their best ranking ever during the 200 ...

. Diaby then scored in both legs against Gent in the semi–finals of the Belgium Cup, which a 1–0 win against them saw them reach the final via away goal. Despite suffering some injuries setback, he eventually played in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

against Standard Liege, but was sent–off for a professional foul on

Giannis Maniatis Giannis Maniatis ( el, Γιάννης Μανιάτης ; born 12 October 1986) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a right back or a defensive midfielder. Club career Panionios Maniatis was first spotted as a 16-year-old pla ...

, as Club Brugge eventually lose 2–1. After serving a one-match suspension, he returned to the starting lineup on 9 April 2016 against Gent, which saw Club Brugge win 2–0. He then played a vital role towards the end of the 2015–16 season, including scoring twice, in a 4–0 win over

Anderlecht Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...

to win the league title for the first time in eleven years. Despite facing competitions from

Jelle Vossen Jelle Vossen (born 22 March 1989) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian First Division A club Zulte Waregem. Club career RC Genk Vossen was part of a last minute transfer deal in the late evening of 31 Au ...

, Leandro Pereira, Wesley Moraes,

Bernie Ibini-Isei Bernie Alpha Ibini-Isei (born 12 September 1992), also known simply as Bernie Ibini, is a professional soccer player who plays as a winger and a forward. Born in Nigeria, he represented Australia internationally. Early life Bernie Ibini-Ise ...

and José Izquierdo throughout the 2015–16 season, Diaby went on to make 47 appearances and scoring 20 times (thirteen of which was the joint top scorer with Vossen) in all competitions. In the 2016–17 season, Diaby retained his first team place for the side, playing in the striker position. He struggled to score goals as he did last season. soon suffered his own injuries concern as a result. On 25 January 2017, he returned from injury, coming on as a late substitute, in a 2–1 win over Waasland-Beveren. Once again, he suffered an Osteitis pubis that saw him sidelined for the rest of the season. Until the end of the 2016–17 season, Diaby went on to make 20 appearances in all competitions. At the start of the 2017–18 season, Diaby returned from injury in the pre–season and didn't make his first appearance of the season on 2 August 2017, in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Qualifying Round against

İstanbul Başakşehir ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_in ...

, which saw them lose 3–0, and was eliminated from the tournament. Four days later, on 6 August 2017, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over

Eupen Eupen (, ; ; formerly ) is the capital of German-speaking Community of Belgium and is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Liège, from the German border ( Aachen), from the Dutch border ( Maastricht) and from the "High Fen ...

. Two weeks later, on 20 August 2017, he scored again, in a 2–1 win over K.V. Kortrijk. Throughout December, Diaby produced a goal scoring form against

Lokeren Lokeren () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders, and belongs to the Waasland, also called ''Land van Waas'', of which it is the second most important city after Sint-Niklaas. The city, located on the river ...

, Anderlecht (twice), KV Mechelen and Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz (twice). By December, he scored nine goals for the side this season. In the league's Championship play-offs, Diaby scored four goals for the side, scoring against RSC Charleroi, Standard Liège (twice) and Anderlecht. He suffered ankle injury that saw him sidelined for the rest of the season. Shortly after, the club went on to win the league for the second time for the last two years, as he was among three players to play a role this season to win the Championship. Despite being absent from the first team, due to injuries this season, Diaby continued to remain in the first team despite facing competitions from Vossen and Wesley. Diaby finished the 2017–18 season with 41 appearances and 16 goals in all competitions.

Sporting CP

It was announced on 21 August 2018 that Diaby joined Portuguese club

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

, signing a five–year contract on an undisclosed fee, though it was reported to cost €4 million. The club also inserted a US$70 million release clause on Diaby. Upon joining the club, Diaby said of the move: "I am very happy to be here. Sporting CP is a great club and as soon as I heard about the possibility of coming here I did not hesitate, I know that Portuguese football has great clubs, that are always participating in European competitions." He made his league debut for the club on 24 September 2018, coming on as an 86th-minute substitute for

Nemanja Gudelj Nemanja "Neno" Gudelj ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Гудељ; born 16 November 1991) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga side Sevilla and the Serbia national team. He is the son of former player Nebojša Gudel ...

in a 1–0 away defeat to

Braga Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...

. On 5 October 2020, after spending the entire 2019–20 campaign on loan at Beşiktaş JK, Diaby was loaned to

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Banco Santander, Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaL ...

side

Getafe CF Getafe Club de Fútbol (), or simply Getafe, is a professional football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. The team competes in La Liga, the highest tier of the Spanish football system. The club's home stadium (owned and o ...

, for one year. On 17 January 2021, Diaby was recalled by Sporting CP from Getafe after three appearances and subsequently loaned to Belgian club RSC Anderlecht until the end of the season.

Loan to Anderlecht

On 18 January 2021, Diaby joined

Belgian First Division A The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 Belgian First Division A, 2020 ...

club

on loan until the end of the season. The loan included an option to buy.

International career

In October 2014, Diaby was called up by

for the first time; then scoring on his debut, in a 2–0 win over

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

on 11 October 2014. Mali eventually qualified for the

2015 Africa Cup of Nations The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015 for sponsorship reasons, was the 30th staging of the Africa Cup of Nations, the international men's football championship of Africa. It was orga ...

after beating

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

2–0 on 19 November 2014. In late–December 2014, Diaby was listed in the national team 35 men provisional squad. After appearing twice as an unused substitute in the first two matches in the tournament, he made his first appearance of the tournament, where he started the match before being substituted, in a 1–1 draw against

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

on 28 January 2015. Almost a year later, on 6 September 2015, Diaby scored his first goal in eleven months, in a 1–1 draw against

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

. In the Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Diaby then scored two goals in two matches between 4 June 2016 and 4 September 2016 against

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of th ...

and

. He then ended his two-year goal drought when he scored the first-half penalty, in a 1–1 draw against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

on 23 March 2018.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Mali's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Diaby goal.''

Honours

Club Brugge *

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 tea ...

: 2015–16, 2017–18 *

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

Sporting CP *

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; "Cup of Portugal") is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard since the 2015–16 sea ...

: 2018–19 *

Taça da Liga The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual football club competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the Primeira Liga and LigaPro, the top two tiers ...

: 2018–19 Al Jazira *

UAE Super Cup The UAE Super Cup ( ar, كأس السوبر الإماراتي), is the curtain raiser of the United Arab Emirates football season. It is played between the previous season's Pro-League winners and President's Cup Winners. The first edition was p ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diaby, Abdoulay 1991 births Living people People from Nanterre Footballers from Hauts-de-Seine French footballers Citizens of Mali through descent Malian footballers Mali international footballers Association football forwards CS Sedan Ardennes players Lille OSC players Royal Excel Mouscron players Club Brugge KV players Sporting CP footballers Beşiktaş J.K. footballers Getafe CF footballers Al Jazira Club players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Belgian Pro League players Belgian First Division B players Primeira Liga players UAE Pro League players 2015 Africa Cup of Nations players 2019 Africa Cup of Nations players French expatriate footballers Malian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Belgium Expatriate footballers in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in the United Arab Emirates French expatriate sportspeople in Belgium French expatriate sportspeople in Portugal French expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Malian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Malian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Malian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Malian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Malian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates French sportspeople of Malian descent