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Cédric Kanté (born 6 July 1979) is a Malian former 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, rugby ...
who played as a defender. Born in France, he represented the Mali national team internationally winning 41 caps and scoring once.


Club career


Early career

Kanté progressed through the youth ranks at local club
RC Strasbourg Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (commonly known as RC Strasbourg, Racing Straßburg, RCSA, RCS, or simply Strasbourg; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Füeßbàllmànnschàft Vu Stroßburri'') is a football in France, French association football ...
before starting his professional career there. He signed his first professional contract with them in 1999, at the age of 19. He spent two seasons with them, in his first stint, making 7 appearances and picking up a
Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professio ...
winners medal in
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...
. He moved on to find first-team football playing for FC Istres, in
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligu ...
. In one season at Istres, Kanté made 16 appearances. ASOA Valence saw the talent in the 21-year-old and signed him. He spent one season there and was the focal point of the team, anchoring the center of their defense. He left the club due to its financial insecurity, having made 32 appearances.


Strasbourg and Nice

He then returned to boyhood club Strasbourg, signing a three-year deal. He quickly made it into the first team and was a main part of their progression within Ligue 2. In Kanté's three seasons for the club, he scored 3 league goals in 91 appearances. At the end of his contract, he signed with
Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...
side
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
. His first season at the club was disappointing, with them barely escaping relegation. However his and the club had better fortunes helping them achieve an 8th-place finish in his second season. His last season was more of the same, as he helped Nice finish respectably in 9th place during the 2008–09 campaign. After three successful seasons, Kanté left the club for
Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
club Panathinaikos. In all, he made 97
Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...
appearances for the side and added 2 goals.


Panathinaikos

Kanté signed a three-year deal with Panathinaikos in June 2009. In his first season at Panathinaikos, he helped the "Prasinoi", the ''Greens'', to their first Greek Championship and
Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most i ...
in six years. In the Greek Cup Final, Kanté played a vital role in the center of the defense for Panathinaikos as they defeated Aris 1–0 with a goal from Argentinian winger
Sebastián Leto Sebastián Eduardo Leto (born 30 August 1986) is a former Argentine professional footballer who played as a winger or forward.He is now assistant manager at Al-Gharafa SC. Club career Lanús Born in Alejandro Korn, Leto began his career wit ...
. In his first season at Panathinaikos, Kanté appeared in 21 league games and added 2 assists to his name.


Sochaux

In July 2012, Kanté returned to France, signing a two-year contract with Ligue 1 team FC Sochaux-Montbéliard.


Ajaccio

After suffering relegation to Ligue 2 with Sochaux in the 2013–14 season, Kanté left the club and signed a one-year contract with another relegated side,
AC Ajaccio Athletic Club Ajaccio ( co, Athletic Club Aiacciu), commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ''ACA'' or simply Ajaccio, is a French association football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and ...
.


International career

Born in France, Kanté was eligible to play for the Mali national team through his ancestry. He opted to play for the country of his parents' birth and represented ''the Eagles'' 25 times as well as at the
2008 Africa Cup of Nations The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated to the Confede ...
in Ghana.


Honours

Strasbourg *
Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professio ...
: 2000–01 * Coupe de la Ligue: 2004–05 Panathinaikos *
Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
: 2009–10 *
Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most i ...
: 2009–10 Mali *
Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internati ...
bronze:
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kante, Cedric 1979 births Living people Footballers from Strasbourg Association football defenders French people of Malian descent Malian footballers French footballers Mali international footballers 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players 2012 Africa Cup of Nations players RC Strasbourg Alsace players FC Istres players ASOA Valence players OGC Nice players Panathinaikos F.C. players FC Sochaux-Montbéliard players AC Ajaccio players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Super League Greece players Malian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Greece Black French sportspeople