Bakari Koné
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| Bakari Koné | ||
.jpg/250px-Bakari_Koné_(Baky).jpg) |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bakari Koné | |
| Date of birth | September 17, 1981 | |
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire | |
| Height | 5ft 2in (1.63m) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | OGC Nice | |
| Number | 12 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1994-1999 | ASEC Mimosas | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1999-2002 2002-2003 2003-2005 2005- |
ASEC Mimosas Al-Ittihad FC Lorient Nice |
84 (29) 28 (11) 68 (34) 95 (29) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2004- | Côte d'Ivoire | 31 (7) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Bakari Koné (born September 17, 1981 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire) is an Ivorian football striker who plays for the Côte d'Ivoire national team and French Ligue 1 side Nice.
Contents |
[edit] The Early Years
Like many other Ivorian stars, he began his career at the famed youth academy at ASEC Mimosas, run by Frenchman Jean-Marc Guillou in his home country. He stayed in the academy for five years before joining the first team squad and turning professional in 1999. During his time with the ASEC first team Bakari won the Ivorian League three times, and also the African Supercup before moving on.
In 2002 he joined Qatari club Al-Ittihad, staying in the Gulf for just six months, before moving to France where he joined the then Ligue 2 outfit FC Lorient following a successful trial. It was here that Koné rose to fame. In his first season at the club he scored a respectable 10 goals, but then bagged an impressive 24 in 35 appearances in the 2004/05 season, earning him the Player of the Year and Top Scorer titles in the Ligue 2. At the end of the season Lorient narrowly missed out on promotion to Ligue 1, and with speculation mounting linking the Ivorian to top flight sides such as OSC Lille, RC Strasbourg and AJ Auxerre, Koné received a standing ovation in his final appearance for his club. In the summer Bakari finally made his move, relocating to the French Riviera at top flight side OGC Nice, where he signed a four-year contract.
[edit] OGC Nice
Bakari made his Nice debut against Troyes on July 30, 2005. In his first season at the club he made 32 appearances, scoring seven times, and eight goals in 33 showings in his second, whilst his general play was impressive. It was in his second season at the club that English side Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger labelled him 'a phenomenon' which lead to speculation that the forward would soon be trying his hand in the English Premiership. Bakari made an impressive start to the 2007/08 season for Nice. After signing a contract extension to 2009 with the Cote d'Azur side he went on to score four times in his first eight appearances for the club. He finished the 2007/08 Ligue 1 season top scorer for his club, after netting 14 goals in 30 appearances for the Cote d'Azur outfit, with the side finishing a respectable eighth in the table.
[edit] International Career
Koné made his international debut for the Ivorian national team against Sudan on September 5, 2004.
He was part of the Ivorian team for the 2006 African Cup of Nations in Egypt. He scored a vital equaliser against Cameroon in the quarter-final. His team won the penalty shootout 12-11. However, in the final, he was one of two Ivorian players to have his penalty saved as the Ivorians lost to hosts Egypt.
The forward was selected as part of the Ivorian side for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was given the number 14 shirt, and played his first match for Côte d'Ivoire against the Netherlands on 16 June 2006. He scored his first World Cup goal in that match, where Côte d' Ivoire lost 2-1.
Koné was also selected as part of the Ivorian squad for the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana. He made four substitute appearances for the Elephants, and scored once against West African rivals Guinea in the quarter final stage, where the Ivorians ran out 5-1 winners.
[edit] Family
He has nine brothers and five sisters. He is the older brother of fellow Ivorian international Arouna Koné, who is a striker for Spanish La Liga club Sevilla. He also has another brother who plays football, Karamoko Koné, who is part of the reserve team setup at Dutch Eredivisie club Roda JC
[edit] Transfer Talk
In October 2006 Koné was quoted saying that he was interested in plying his trade in the English Premiership. Reportedly, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger referred to the striker as a 'phenomenon', leading to speculation that Koné would soon be leaving his Cote d'Azur based club for England.
In summer 2007 it was reported that Koné was unhappy at Nice and was seeking a move away. However eventually he signed a new contract, keeping him at the Stade Municipal du Ray until June 2009.
On 27 February 2008, it was reported on Sky Sports that the forward once again was interested in making a move to England. Koné was quoted as saying: "When I was growing up it was all about the French league but today people talk of Drobga, Meite, Zokora, Kalou. I really want to be part of that. I am very fast and technically very good. All the players in the Premier League have those qualities so I can make a name for myself."
On 9 March 2008, MTN Football reported that Premiership side Arsenal were still keeping track of Koné, now that the striker was in the final 18 months of his current deal.
[edit] Career stats
| Season | Club | Country | Competition | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | Al-Ittihad |  Qatar |
Q-League | 28 | 11 |
| 2003-04 | Lorient |  France |
Ligue 2 | 33 | 10 |
| 2004-05 | Lorient | France |
Ligue 2 | 35 | 24 |
| 2005-06 | Nice | France |
Ligue 1 | 32 | 7 |
| 2006-07 | Nice | France |
Ligue 1 | 33 | 8 |
| 2007-08 | Nice | France |
Ligue 1 | 30 | 14 |
[edit] Honours
• Champion of Ivorian League in 2000, 2001 and 2002 with ASEC
• Supercoupe of Africa Winner in 1999 with ASEC
• Ligue 2 Player of the Year in 2005 with FC Lorient
• Ligue 2 Top Scorer in 2005 with Lorient (24 goals)
• Runner-up in Africa Cup of Nations 2006 with Ivory Coast
• Runner-up in French League Club in 2006 with OGC Nice
[edit] External links
- Bakari Koné - the small man of Ivorian football
- Koné mulls over England move
- Wenger calls Bakari a phenomenon
- Profile on ESPN
- Profile on Yahoo World Cup site
- Goal against Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup (video)
- Profile on L'Equipe
- Profile on Sky Sports
- Koné welcomes praise from Arsenal boss Wenger
- Bakari Koné Official Website
- (French) Bakari Koné French league stats at lfp.fr
- Koné dreams of England move
- Koné fancies England
- Ivorian Koné Wants Premiership Move
- Wenger keeping tabs on Ivorian Koné
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