Africa’s first Ballon d’Or winnerA legend of African soccer passed away in Bamako on Saturday, September 2. Salif Keita, Africa’s first Ballon d’Or winner, has passed away, leaving a lasting legacy.
Salif KeitaSalif Keita passed away on Saturday, September 2
Salif Keita is no more.The Malian legend passed away on Saturday, September 2 in France. An icon of Malian soccer, he was the first African soccer celebrity after independence. He began his career with Pionniers de Ouolofobougou. He went on to play for Real de Bamako and Stade Malien before flying to France.
AS Saint-Etienne icon
Nicknamed the “Black Panther” in France, Salif Keita moved to AS Saint-Etienne in 1967, where he would go on to write one of the finest pages of his career. With Les Verts, he won the French championship three times and two French Cups. The first African Ballon d’Or winner in history (1970) scored 140 goals in 185 matches over five seasons. “The Black Panther has gone, taking with him a piece of our club”, he added on his twitter account. The Saint-Etienne team will pay tribute to him during the match between Saint-Etienne and Valenciennes on Matchday 5 of Ligue 2.
🖤 La panthère noire s'en est allée, emportant avec elle un morceau de notre club.
Salif Keita, nous pleurons ta disparition. pic.twitter.com/SuLn9pUDET
— AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) September 2, 2023
The former Malian striker also played in other leagues. The former OM player played for Valencia in Spain (1973-1976), then Sporting Portugal (1976-1979), and ended his career in the United States, in Boston, in 1980.
African soccer phenomenon
Salif Keita defended the colors of Mali. The former Aigles striker was selected 15 times by the Malian team. He helped Mali reach the final of the All-Africa Games in 1965. He was also a finalist at the CAN in 1972 in Cameroon, when Mali were making their debut in the competition. The Malian Football Federation paid tribute to him.“Salif KEITA Domingo has bowed out. The world of sport in #Mali and particularly soccer wishes to express its condolences to the family of Salif Keïta but also to the Malian nation,” it wrote.
After his brilliant career, he returned to Mali, where he invested in the hotel business before founding his country’s first soccer training center, from which came talents such as Mahamadou Diarra (Lyon, Real Madrid) and his nephew Seydou Keita (Lens, Barcelona). He was also President of the Malian Football Federation from 2005 to 2009 and, from 2013, a life-long ambassador for AS Saint-Etienne.
His story inspired Cheik Doukouré’s 1994 film “Le Ballon d’Or”, in which he plays the role of the coach who trains a future soccer star.
