Abdou Diallo

Abdou Diallo
Abdou-Lakhad Diallo (born 4 May 1996), known as Abdou Diallo, is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi. Born in France, he plays for the Senegal national team.
Club career
Monaco
Born in Tours, Diallo joined the youth academy of Monaco at the age of 15. On 28 March 2014, he signed his first professional contract with the club. Vice-president of the club, Vadim Vasilyev commented that Diallo "fits perfectly into our sports project. He has a lot of talent and we hope that he will continue to progress alongside the great players of AS Monaco". On 14 December, he made his first team debut, coming on as a substitute for Bernardo Silva in the extra time of a 1–0 league victory against Marseille.
In June 2015, Diallo was loaned out to Belgian club Zulte Waregem for the 2015–16 season. During his stint at the club, he was deployed at an attacking role, scoring three goals in 33 league matches. In December 2016, media reports emerged that Spanish club Real Betis was interested in signing him. Nevertheless, he made five league appearances during the 2016–17 season, with his side winning the league.
Mainz 05
On 14 July 2017, Diallo moved to Bundesliga club Mainz 05, and signed a five-year contract. On 9 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 league victory against Bayer Leverkusen. During the season, he was deployed at both back three and back four; and had an 80% pass success rate. He started in 27 league matches during the season.
Borussia Dortmund
On 26 June 2018, Diallo joined Borussia Dortmund on a five-year deal for a fee of €28 million. In an interview, he said that Ousmane Dembélé advised him to join the club. On 15 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 league victory against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Paris Saint-Germain
On 16 July 2019, Diallo signed for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) until June 2024. The transfer fee of his deal to the French club was of €32 million.
On 3 August 2019, Diallo made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain in the Trophée des Champions, which ended as a 2–1 win for PSG over Rennes. He made his league debut against Nîmes, in a 3–0 home win on 11 August. Diallo's UEFA Champions League debut came on 18 September, in a 3–0 win against Real Madrid. At the end of the 2019–20 season, he received a Ligue 1 winners medal for his contributions that season, which was ended early (on 30 April 2020) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Loan to RB Leipzig
On 1 September 2022, Diallo completed a return to Germany, signing for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on a season-long loan with an option-to-buy for a reported fee of €25 million.
Al-Arabi
On 15 August 2023, Diallo signed for Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi for a transfer fee in the region of €15 million. He joined the club on a four-year contract.
International career
Diallo was born in France and is Senegalese by descent. He played for many youth teams of France, and even captained France's under-21s.
On 17 March 2021, Diallo was called up to the Senegal national team for the first time. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Congo on 26 March.
He was part of Senegal's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations; the Lions of Teranga went on to win the tournament for the first time in their history.
Diallo was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal Macky Sall following the nation's victory at the tournament.
Style of play
Diallo plays as a central defender. Mainz 05 sporting director Rouven Schröder has said that Diallo is "strong in the air and shrewd in the challenge". Michael Zorc, the sporting director of Borussia Dortmund, described Diallo as "a modern, strong central defender who is very intelligent. He can play a wider defensive role too or even be deployed in a defensive midfield role".
Personal life
Diallo's younger brother, Ibrahima, is also a footballer for Southampton.
Career statistics
Club
International
Scores and results list Senegal's goal tally first. Score column indicates score after each Diallo goal.
Honours
Monaco
Ligue 1: 2016–17
Paris Saint-Germain
Ligue 1: 2019–20, 2021–22
Coupe de France: 2019–20, 2020–21
Coupe de la Ligue: 2019–20
Trophée des Champions: 2019, 2020, 2022
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2019–20
RB Leipzig
DFB-Pokal: 2022–23
Senegal
Africa Cup of Nations: 2021
Individual
Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion: 2022
References
External links
1996 births
Living people
Footballers from Tours, France
Citizens of Senegal through descent
Senegalese men's footballers
Senegal men's international footballers
French men's footballers
France men's under-21 international footballers
France men's youth international footballers
French sportspeople of Senegalese descent
Men's association football central defenders
Ligue 1 players
Belgian Pro League players
Bundesliga players
Qatar Stars League players
S.V. Zulte Waregem players
AS Monaco FC players
1. FSV Mainz 05 players
Borussia Dortmund players
Paris Saint-Germain F.C. players
RB Leipzig players
Al-Arabi SC (Qatar) players
2021 Africa Cup of Nations players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Africa Cup of Nations-winning players
French expatriate men's footballers
Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in Monaco
French expatriate sportspeople in Monaco
Expatriate men's footballers in Monaco
Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
French expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in Germany
French expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
French expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar
Black French sportspeople
Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Senegal
Senegalese expatriate men's footballers