Sekou Baradji (born 24 April 1984) is a French 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 lea ...

. A

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, he plays for

FC Istres Istres Football Club (; 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 commune in the A ...

. He also holds

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

ese citizenship.

Career in England

Baradji signed for

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

on the transfer deadline, 31 August 2005. He was immediately loaned to

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

. He had been on trial with

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

;

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

tried to offer him a contract before West Ham signed the midfielder. He only made three appearances for the Royals, twice in the

Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

and once in the league, a substitute appearance against

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

in which Baradji's free kick allowed

Brynjar Gunnarsson Brynjar Björn Gunnarsson (born 16 October 1975) is an Icelandic former footballer who last played for KR as a midfielder. Brynjar had previously played for Nottingham Forest, Stoke City, Watford and Reading in England, as well as Vålerenga an ...

to score the winner in a pivotal first-against-second match. Reading did not extend Baradji's loan and West Ham later released him. In 2010 Baradji was on trial with

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

and played in their pre-season friendly draw with

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...

. He also travelled to Austria with the team and played in their 4–1 victory over NK Rudar on 26 July 2010.

References

External links

* * Living people 1984 births Men's association football midfielders French men's footballers French sportspeople of Senegalese descent French sportspeople of Ivorian descent French expatriate men's footballers Footballers from Paris Le Mans FC players Reading F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Tours FC players FC Martigues players Associação Naval 1º de Maio players Dijon FCO players Valenciennes FC players Amiens SC players Istres FC players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players English Football League players Primeira Liga players Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Israel 21st-century French sportsmen {{France-footy-midfielder-1980s-stub