Cheikhou Kouyaté
Cheikhou Kouyaté is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club
Crystal Palace and captains the Senegal national team.
Kouyaté moved from Senegal to Belgium in 2006, having been offered a youth contract at RWDM Brussels. After breaking into the first team, he went on to play just ten appearances before moving to Anderlecht aged 19. In June 2014, he joined West Ham of the Premier League. He represented the Senegal national team at the 2012 Olympics.
Career
Early career
Kouyaté began his footballing career in 1996 in his hometown with ASC Yego Dakar and was scouted by RWDM Brussels in September 2006. RWDM Brussels then signed the player in January the following year. He went on to play ten league appearances for the first team between 2007 and 2008.Anderlecht
As Kouyaté turned 19, he left Brussels because his former employers did not pay him three months' worth of wages. He subsequently moved to Belgian rivals Anderlecht on a four-year deal for a free transfer. After a loan to KV Kortrijk, he returned to Anderlecht. Kouyaté went on to make 153 league appearances for Anderlecht, scoring four goals in five seasons at the club. He won the 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13 and 2013–14 league titles as well as the 2010–11, 2012–13 and 2013–14 Belgian Super Cups.West Ham United
2014–15 season
On 18 June 2014, Kouyaté signed for West Ham United on a four-year contract. He made his West Ham debut on 16 August 2014 in a 1–0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. His performance was described as "impressive" by the BBC. The following week, manager Sam Allardyce compared him to ex-Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira. On 28 December, Kouyaté scored his first West Ham goal in a 1–2 defeat to Arsenal. His second goal of the season came on 8 February 2015 in a 1–1 draw with Manchester United. His performance in the game won praise from manager Allardyce for Kouyaté's Man of the Match performance which was also singled out as the Individual Performance of the Season, by a West Ham player, at the clubs' annual awards. He scored two further goals in the season, in a 2–2 away draw with Tottenham and in a 2–1 away defeat to Leicester City. Kouyaté finished the season having played 31 out of a possible 38 Premier League games.2015–16 season
On 9 August 2015, Kouyaté scored the opening goal in the 43rd minute in a 2–0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. He then scored in a 4–3 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth on 22 August. He scored his third goal of the season in a 2–2 draw with Norwich City on 26 September, netting the equalizer in the 90th minute to rescue a point for West Ham. In March 2016, Kouyate signed a new, five-year contract with West Ham that could keep him at the club until 2021. Kouyaté was sent-off twice during the 2015–16 season and on both occasions had the card rescinded by The Football Association. On 21 February, he was dismissed by referee Jonathan Moss in a 5–1 FA Cup win at Blackburn Rovers, only for the card to be rescinded a few days later. On 2 April, he was dismissed in a Premier League game at the Boleyn Ground against Crystal Palace by referee Mark Clattenburg. This too, however, was overturned a few days later.2016–17 season
On 4 August 2016, Kouyaté scored West Ham's first ever goal at the Olympic Stadium, coming in the eighth minute of a Europa League game against NK Domžale. He also scored the second in the game, which West Ham won 3–0. On 26 October 2016, Kouyaté scored the opening goal in a 2–1 EFL Cup victory against rivals Chelsea. On 8 April 2017, Kouyaté scored a "stunning low 25-yard strike", as West Ham beat relegation rivals Swansea City.2017–18 season
On 23 September 2017, Kouyaté scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 loss against Tottenham. Kouyaté's final goal for the club came on 24 November 2017, scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Leicester City. Kouyaté marked the headed goal with a lowered crossed-armed celebration, designed to help raise awareness about the ongoing slavery in Libya.Crystal Palace
On 1 August 2018, Kouyaté completed a move to fellow London club Crystal Palace, for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £9.5 million.International career
Kouyaté was called up aged 18 to the Senegal under-20s in the same year as his RWDM Brussels debut. He scored two goals in just three games for the side in 2007.In February 2012, Kouyaté was called up to the Senegal senior team. In the same year, he was announced to be in the squad for Senegal Olympic football team. He played in every game as Senegal's debut appearance in the tournament ended in a knockout in the quarter-final. In January 2015, he was a member of Senegal's squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Equatorial Guinea. Kouyaté is the current Senegalese captain. In May 2018 he was named in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Career statistics
Club
International
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 5 September 2015 | Sam Nujoma Stadium, Windhoek, Namibia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 2. | 15 November 2015 | Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |