Cédric Kanté

Cédric Kanté

Personal information
Full name	Cédric Kanté
Date of birth	6 July 1979 (1979-07-06) (age 32)
Place of birth	Strasbourg, France
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Centre back / Left back
Club information
Current club	Panathinaikos
Number	5
Youth career
1996–1999	RC Strasbourg
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1999–2001	RC Strasbourg	7	(0)
2001–2002	FC Istres	16	(0)
2002–2003	ASOA Valence	32	(0)
2003–2006	RC Strasbourg	91	(3)
2006–2009	OGC Nice	97	(2)
2009–	Panathinaikos	46	(1)
National team
2001–	Mali	35	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 April 2010. † Appearances (Goals).

Cédric Kanté Defend (born 6 July 1979 in Strasbourg) is a Malian and French football defender, currently playing for Greek team Panathinaikos FC.

Club career

Early career

Kanté progressed through the youth ranks at local club RC Strasbourg before starting his professional career there. He signed his first professional contract with them in 1999, at the age of 19. He spent two seasons with them, in his first stint, making 7 appearances and picking up a Coupe de France winners medal in 2001. He moved on to find first-team football playing for FC Istres, in Ligue 2. In one season at Istres, Kanté made 16 appearances. ASOA Valence saw the talent in the 21 year old and signed him. He spent one season there but was the focal point of the team, anchoring the center of their defense. He left the club due to its financial insecurity, having made 32 appearances.

Strasbourg and Nice

He then returned to boyhood club Strasbourg, signing a three year deal. He quickly made it into the first team and was a main part of their progression within Ligue 2. In Kanté's three seasons for the club, he scored 3 league goals in 91 appearances. At the end of his contract, he signed with Ligue 1 side Nice. His first season at the club was disappointing, with them barely escaping relegation. However his and the club had better fortunes helping them achieve an 8th place finish in his second season. His last season was more of the same, as he helped Nice finish respectably in 9th place during the 2008–09 campaign. After three successful seasons, Kanté left the club for Greek giants Panathinaikos. In all, he made 97 Ligue 1 appearances for the side and added 2 goals.

Panathinaikos

Kanté was signed a 3-year deal for Panathinaikos FC in June 2009.^[1] In his first season at Panathinaikos, he helped the "Prasinoi", the Greens, to their first Greek Championship^[2] and Greek Cup in six years. In the Greek Cup Final, Kanté played a vital role in the center of the defense for Panathinaikos as they defeated Aris 1–0 with a goal from Argentinian winger Sebastián Leto.^[3]

In his first season at Panathinaikos, Kanté appeared in 29 league games and added an assist to his name.^[4]

International

Although born in France, Kanté was eligible to play for the Mali National Team through his ancestry. Thus he opted to play for the country of his parents' birth and represented the Eagles 25 times as well as at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.

Honours

RC Strasbourg

• Coupe de France: 2001

Panathinaikos

• Greek Super League: 2009–10
• Greek Cup: 2010

References

1. ^ "Συμφωνία με Καντέ" (in Greek). pao.gr. 2009-06-12. http://www.pao.gr/el/news/club/?itemid=f02901bb-bbfc-4592-badc-3eee953640d3. Retrieved 2009-06-19. 
2. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-greekroundup
3. ^ http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1236792&lang=eng_news&cate_img=1037.jpg&cate_rss=General
4. ^ http://www.imscouting.com/players/cedric-kante/

External links

• Cédric Kanté at National-Football-Teams.com
• Cédric Kanté French league stats at LFP.fr (French)

Preceded by Christian Bassila

RC Strasbourg Captain September 2004–2005

Succeeded by Mickaël Pagis

Persondata
Name	Kante, Cedric
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 July 1979
Place of birth	Strasbourg, France
Date of death
Place of death