Naby Keïta

Naby Laye Keïta (born 10 February 1995) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Guinea national team.[5]

Naby Keïta
Keïta with RB Leipzig in 2016
Personal information
Full name Naby Laye Keïta[1]
Date of birth (1995-02-10) 10 February 1995[2]
Place of birth Conakry, Guinea[3]
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[4]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Liverpool
Number 8
Youth career
2004–2012 Horoya U19
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Horoya
2013–2014 Istres 23 (4)
2014–2016 Red Bull Salzburg 59 (17)
2016–2018 RB Leipzig 58 (14)
2018– Liverpool 76 (7)
National team‡
2012– Guinea 50 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:03, 22 May 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:47, 9 June 2022 (UTC)

Keïta began his professional career with Ligue 2 club FC Istres in 2013, and a year later he moved to Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Football Bundesliga and Austrian Cup double in both of his seasons. He then moved to RB Leipzig in 2016, making the Bundesliga team of the season in his first year and the UEFA Europa League squad of the season in his second. He agreed to join Liverpool in 2017, and completed the move a year later, winning the UEFA Champions League in his first season at the club, and the FIFA Club World Cup and Premier League the following season. Unfortunately it has come to light during his time at Liverpool that he is indeed made of weetabix. His injury record is longer than his honours roll, earning him the nickname 'sicknote'

Keïta made his senior international debut for Guinea in 2012. He has earned over 40 caps and was part of their squad at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, 2019 and 2021.

Club career

FC Istres

Keïta joined hometown club Horoya AC aged nine.[6] He moved to France in 2012, joining the youth team of FC Istres after unsuccessful trials at FC Lorient and Le Mans FC.[6]

In 2013, he was promoted to the first team of Istres. He made his Ligue 2 debut on 22 November 2013 against Nîmes Olympique.[7] He scored 11 goals in 23 games in his first season as a professional, while his team were relegated to the Championnat National.[8]

Red Bull Salzburg
Keïta playing for Red Bull Salzburg in 2016

In 2014, he joined Austrian top division side Red Bull Salzburg.[6] He made his league debut on 26 July 2014 against Wiener Neustadt.[9] Keïta ended the season with five goals and two assists in 30 games, winning the league and cup double. The following season, he was selected as the Austrian Bundesliga Player of the Year.

RB Leipzig

In June 2016, Keïta moved to Red Bull Salzburg sister-club RB Leipzig, who had just been promoted to the German Bundesliga.[6][10] He scored the winner on his league debut against Borussia Dortmund[11] and scored seven more goals in his debut Bundesliga season. He was named in the league's team of the season.[12]

Keïta was named in the squad of the season for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, in which his team were quarter-finalists.[13]

Liverpool

On 28 August 2017, a deal was struck for Keïta to join Liverpool on 1 July 2018 after the English club triggered his £48 million release clause in addition to paying an undisclosed premium.[14][15] It was then reported that there would be no premium (£48 million total) if Leipzig did not qualify for European football, £4.75 million (£52.75 million total) if they qualified for the Europa League and £11 million (£59 million total) if they finished in the Champions League spots.[16] Leipzig ultimately finished 6th in the Bundesliga, therefore qualifying for the Europa League.

2018–19 season

Upon joining Liverpool, he was handed the number 8 shirt by Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard, which had been vacated upon the departure of Gerrard to LA Galaxy in 2015.[17][18] Keïta made his debut for Liverpool against West Ham United on 12 August 2018 and played a part in the opening goal for Mohamed Salah in a 4–0 win.[19]

On 5 April 2019, Keïta scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 3–1 win against Southampton,[20] and added a first European goal four days later against FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.[21] He was injured in May 2019, ruling him out for the rest of the season.[22] Although Keïta was injured, he won his first Liverpool title while out of the matchday squad as his team mates secured the win in the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur in early June.[23]

Këita started in the Carabao Cup final for Liveprool after Thiago sustained an injury in warm up.[24]

2019–20 season
Keïta (front) playing for Liverpool in 2019

Hampered by injury,[25][26] Keïta was a fringe player during the early part of the subsequent season.[27] On 7 December, he provided a goal and assist in a 3–0 win away against Bournemouth, a game which marked his first league start of the season.[28] On 10 December, he provided Liverpool's first goal in a 2–0 Champions League win against his former club, Salzburg, which saw the reigning European champions progress to the knockout stages as the victors of Group E.[29]

On 18 December, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 win over Mexican club Monterrey as Liverpool progressed to the Club World Cup final;[30] three days later, on 21 December, he started in the final against Flamengo, playing 100 minutes until being substituted as Liverpool won 1–0 to be crowned world club champions.[31] On 2 January 2020, he was named in the starting lineup against Sheffield United, but was withdrawn after sustaining a groin injury during the warm-up, being replaced by James Milner.[32] At the end of the season Keïta and Liverpool won the Premier League title.

International career

On 14 December 2012, Keïta made his international debut for the Guinea national team against Sierra Leone in a 2014 African Nations Championship qualification match. He scored the opener for his side in a 1–1 away draw.[33]

Keïta was included in Michel Dussuyer's 23-man squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.[34] In the opening match against the Ivory Coast, he was struck in the face by Gervinho, who was red carded for it.[35]

On 12 November 2015, Keïta scored his first international goal in three years, in a 1–0 away win against Namibia in the first leg of the second round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.[36] Three days later in the return leg – in Morocco due to the Ebola virus epidemic in Guinea – he scored again in a 2–0 win.[37]

Manager Paul Put chose Keïta for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he was affected by injuries.[38] In January 2022, Keïta helped Guinea qualify for the round of 16 of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. His performances saw him earn a place in the tournament's best eleven of the group stage. However, Guinea were eliminated after a loss to Gambia, a match Keïta could not play due to yellow cards accumulation.[39]

Style of play
Keïta playing for Red Bull Salzburg in 2016

While writing for The Guardian, Nick Ames and Nick Miller described Keïta as "a dynamic, box-to-box central midfielder," likening him to N'Golo Kanté. They also noted, however, that he is able to distribute the ball with range and accuracy, and score goals, which has instead frequently led him to be compared to Brazilian-Portuguese former playmaker Deco.[40] David Usher of ESPN has described Keïta as an energetic midfielder, with good defensive qualities, which also allows him to play in a holding role if necessary. Usher went on to note that Keïta is "quick, skillful, creative and direct. He can dribble, pass and shoot, and he frequently makes the spectacular look routine". Ralf Rangnick attributes him having a natural 360° radar.[41][42]

Personal life

Keïta has a younger brother, Petit Keïta, who was previously on the books with German side Inter Leipzig. In October 2018 it was reported that he had been training at Liverpool's Academy, although he was not offered a contract.[43]

In 2017, Keïta was charged with uttering false documents. The German newspaper Bild reported that, in early December 2016 and again six weeks later, he had presented two fake Guinean driving licences in order to obtain a driving licence in Germany. The district court in Leipzig (Amtsgericht Leipzig) fined him €415,000, basing the sentence on Keïta's estimated annual income of around €3 million. Keïta's lawyer filed an appeal.[44] The appeals court reduced the fine to €250,000.[45]

In September 2021, Keïta, his Guinean teammates and their opponents from Morocco were stranded during the 2021 Guinean coup d'état. All returned home safely.[46]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 30 July 2022[4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Istres 2013–14 Ligue 2 23400———234
Red Bull Salzburg 2014–15 Austrian Bundesliga 30540—10[lower-alpha 1]1—446
2015–16 Austrian Bundesliga 291252—3[lower-alpha 2]0—3714
Total 591792—131008120
RB Leipzig 2016–17 Bundesliga 31810———328
2017–18 Bundesliga 27621—10[lower-alpha 3]2—399
Total 581431—102007117
Liverpool 2018–19 Premier League 25210106[lower-alpha 4]100333
2019–20 Premier League 18200204[lower-alpha 4]13[lower-alpha 5]1274
2020–21 Premier League 10000104[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 6]0160
2021–22 Premier League 233403010[lower-alpha 4]1—404
2022–23 Premier League 000000001[lower-alpha 6]010
Total 76750702435111711
Career total 21642173704765129252
  1. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
  2. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
  3. Five appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. One appearance in FA Community Shield, two appearances and one goal in FIFA Club World Cup
  6. Appearance in FA Community Shield

International
As of match played 9 June 2022[33]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Guinea 201211
201310
201470
2015112
201640
201753
201840
201941
202021
202150
202263
Total5011
As of match played 9 June 2022. Guinea score listed first, score column indicates score after each Keïta goal.[33]
List of international goals scored by Naby Keïta
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
114 December 2012National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone Sierra Leone1–01–12014 African Nations Championship qualification
212 November 2015Sam Nujoma Stadium, Windhoek, Namibia Namibia1–01–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
315 November 2015Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco2–02–0
410 June 2017Stade Bouaké, Bouaké, Ivory Coast Ivory Coast3–23–22019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
531 August 2017Stade du 28 Septembre, Conakry, Guinea Libya1–03–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
67 October 2017 Tunisia1–01–4
714 November 2019Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali Mali1–12–22021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
815 November 2020Stade Omnisports Idriss Mahamat Ouya, N'Djamena, Chad Chad1–01–1
96 January 2022Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda2–02–0Friendly
1018 January 2022Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon Zimbabwe1–21–22021 Africa Cup of Nations
119 June 2022General Lansana Conté Stadium, Conakry, Guinea Malawi1–01–02023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours
Keita won the 2015–16 Austrian Cup with Red Bull Salzburg

Red Bull Salzburg

  • Austrian Bundesliga: 2014–15, 2015–16[4]
  • Austrian Cup: 2014–15, 2015–16[4]

Liverpool

Individual

  • Footballer of the Year in Guinea: 2015,[54] 2021
  • Austrian Football Bundesliga Player of the Year: 2015–16[55]
  • Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2016–17[12]
  • UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2017–18[13]
  • CAF Team of the Year: 2018[56]

References
  1. "Naby Keita: 10 things on RB Leipzig's Liverpool-bound Guinea midfielder". Bundesliga. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  2. "FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019: List of Players: Liverpool" (PDF). FIFA. 21 December 2019. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  3. "Naby Keïta". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  4. "N. Keïta: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  5. "Liverpool agree deal to sign Naby Keita". Liverpool F.C. 29 August 2017. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  6. "Ten things on RB Leipzig's new African star Naby Keita". Bundesliga. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  7. "Istres vs. Nîmes – 22 November 2013". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  8. "Ligue 2 table".
  9. "Wiener Neustadt vs. Red Bull Salzburg – 26 July 2014". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  10. Fußball: Naby Keita wechselt von Salzburg zu Leipzig, salzburg.com, 20 June 2016
  11. "Leipzig get first Bundesliga win with Keïta goal against Borussia Dortmund". The Guardian. Associated Press. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  12. "Official Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2016/17". Bundesliga. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  13. "UEFA Europa League Squad of the 2017/18 Season". UEFA. 17 May 2018.
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    Adewoye, Gbenga (1 June 2019). "Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Joel Matip and Naby Keita win Champions League title with Liverpool". Goal.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
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