Bakari Koné

Infobox Football biography
playername = Bakari Koné
fullname = Bakari Koné


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1981|9|17
cityofbirth = Abidjan
countryofbirth = Côte d'Ivoire
height = height|m=1.63
currentclub = Olympique de Marseille
position = Striker
clubnumber = 14
youthyears = 1994-1999
youthclubs = ASEC Mimosas
years = 1999-2002
2002-2003
2003-2005
2005-2008
2008-
clubs = ASEC Mimosas
Al-Ittihad
FC Lorient
Nice
Olympique de Marseille
caps(goals) = 84 (29)
28 (11)
68 (34)
95 (29)
6 (3)
nationalyears = 2004-
nationalteam = Côte d'Ivoire
nationalcaps(goals) = 34 0(9)
pcupdate = September 27 2008
ntupdate = September 8 2008

Bakari "Baky" 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 Olympique de Marseille.

Club career

Early career

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. Guillou recalls: "“One day, when I was passing through his district, some kids stopped me. They kept saying, ‘We’ve got Pele living here, you’ve got to take a look at him’. Then Kone came along. He was slightly built but I never doubted for one moment that he was a real find. I took him into the academy after a trial of just ten minutes, but I did tell him that the Pele nickname would have to go. That’s when he became Baky, and I think it’s better that way.”" [ [http://ivorycoast.worldcupblog.org/1/bakary-kone-the-small-man-of-ivorian-football.html Bakari Koné - the small man of Ivorian football] ]

Koné stayed at 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.

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 appearances in his second. In his second season at the club, English side Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger labelled him a 'phenomenon' [ [http://www.mtnfootball.com/live/content.php?Item_ID=14069 Arsenal Boss Following Ivorian Striker Koné] ] and one of the hottest prospects in French football, leading to speculation that the forward would be playing in the English Premiership. [ [http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3203830,00.html Koné dreams of English move] ]

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 won the Ligue 1 player of the month award for both September and October 2007 [ [http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3203830,00.html Koné dreams of English move] ] , and 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. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/7087375.stm Koné wins French Ligue One award] ]

In June 2008, Koné began talks with French giants Olympique de Marseille with a view to move to the Cote d'Azur club. The proposed transfer was held up however, with a disagreement over the fee, a situation which caused Koné to miss pre-season training at OGC Nice apparently as a protest. The striker spoke out to state that he had been carrying an injury. [ [http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,3033_3810286,00.html Koné denies any wrong-doing] ]

The saga went further, with Nice president Maurice Cohen stating that their south-coast rivals had till July 15 to sign the striker, otherwise the club would speak to other interested parties. One reportedly interested club was capital club Paris Saint-Germain. [ [http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,3033_3796551,00.html Koné not bound for Marseille] ]

The striker was quoted as saying: "I know that this is going to get sorted out but I can't tell you when. If we talk about (the) July 15 (deadline)...I'm not worried about that." [ [http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,3033_3831272,00.html Koné confident of Marseille deal] ]

Marseille president Pape Diouf echoed Koné's comments, stating: "Ultimatums not only fail to impress me, but they also never provide a solution. Now, concerning Baki, it doesn't just depend on us but on the wishes of the two clubs and, in particular, the two presidents. Personally I think that good sense can do a lot in this case. I remain calm." [ [http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,3033_3822180,00.html OM unfazed by Koné ultimatum] ]

On July 17, Thursday, Koné spoke to the media once again regarding his drawn-out transfer saga. He stated: "It's heading down a good road, I hope that it is all going to be done quickly. The important thing is that the two clubs reach an understanding."

Olympique de Marseille

On July 18, it was announced on the official Marseille website that the transfer of the diminutive striker had been completed. [ [http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,3033_3834642,00.html Gerets delighted with Koné deal] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/7514228.stm Koné set for Marseille move] ] The striker commented: "Marseille is a big club. It's a club that has proven its qualities in the past and continues to do it today. I wanted to take part in that." [ [http://www.frenchleague.com/ligue1/lireArticle.asp?idArticle=10505 Koné finally arrives at Marseille] ]

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 June 16 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.

Personal life

Koné 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

Career stats

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 • French Ligue One player of the month September 2007 • French Ligue One player of the month October 2007

References

External links

* [http://ivorycoast.worldcupblog.org/1/bakary-kone-the-small-man-of-ivorian-football.html Bakari Koné - the small man of Ivorian football]
* [http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3203830,00.html Koné dreams of English move]
* [http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=35406&cc=5739 Profile on ESPN]
* [http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/player/211352_KONE_Bakary.html Profile on Yahoo World Cup site]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_U5hPW8RCU Goal against Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup] (video)
* [http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/FootballFicheJoueur19238.html Profile on L'Equipe]
* [http://www.skysports.com/football/player/0,19754,11822_275440,00.html Profile on Sky Sports]
* [http://bakykone.free.fr Bakari Koné Official Website]
*lfpfr|106640
* [http://www.mtnfootball.com/live/content.php?Item_ID=13969 Ivorian Koné Wants Premiership Move]
* [http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11800_3776081,00.html Koné close to Marseille move]
* [http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,3033_3792742,00.html Gerets gets impatient over Koné]
* [http://www.om.net/fr/Saison/101002/Actualites/35977/Kone_Coach_Eric_va_m_apprendre_beaucoup Interview with Koné] "French"