Seydou Keita is a defensive midfielder who plays for Spanish side Barcelona and the Mali national team. Keita began his professional career at French club Marseille but first came to prominence playing for Lorient. After two seasons there he moved on to RC Lens. There he was scoring several goals, as a defensive player, and was given the captaincy. He stayed at Lens for five seasons before his move to Spain came. He signed a four year contract with Sevilla but had such a brilliant first season there, that several top clubs were chasing his services. When the season finished in May 2008 he transferred to Camp Nou and Barcelona.
Keita has been a regular in Mali’s national team since 2000. He also played in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. Mali came 3rd in the competition and Keita was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s most outstanding player.