page_title: Seydou Keita
section_title: International career
hierarchical_section_title: Seydou Keita / International career
caption_attribution_description: Before their final group B game against Ivory Coas which they lost 4-1. African Nations Cup 2008: Accra, Ghana.
context_page_description: Seydou Keïta is a Malian former footballer. A versatile midfielder, he operated as both a central or defensive midfielder.
  He most notably played for Lens and Barcelona, winning 14 titles with the latter club after signing in 2008. He started his youth career in Mali and his professional career with Marseille. His career would take him to clubs in France, Spain, China, Italy and Qatar.
  Keita represented Mali since the age of 18, appearing in seven Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and winning 102 caps. He also held a French passport.
context_section_description: Keita helped Mali's under-20s finish third at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, scoring the only goal in the last match against Uruguay, and being named the tournament's best player. He made his senior debut for Mali on 9 April 2000, in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Libya. He wore the no.12 shirt as he represented the country in six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments: in the 2010 edition in Angola he scored twice, both goals coming in the 4–4 group stage draw against the hosts, who were leading 4–0 with 11 minutes to go; Les Aigles, however, could not make it past the group stage. From 2007 to 2008, he scored an impressive 8 goals in 20 international matches from his midfield position.
  Keita also participated in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, scoring in the 1–1 quarterfinal draw against the hosts as Mali eventually won the shootout.
caption: Keita (#12, middle) lining up for Mali in 2008.
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