Cheick Keita

Virtus Entella

After trials with French clubs failed to produce a contract, Keita joined the youth team of Italian second-tier club Virtus Entella. On 17 January 2015, he was an unused substitute in a Serie B match against Bari. Early the following season, on 12 September, the player made his senior debut in Serie B against A.C. Cesena at Stadio Comunale, playing the game as a starter under coach Alfredo Aglietti. He was shown a yellow card in the 32nd minute. On 24 October, Keita was sent off after 75 minutes of the match against Bari for receiving two yellow cards. He was again sent off on 26 March 2016 against Como, this time in stoppage time. He played 32 games (including a game in the Coppa Italia) and was shown eleven yellow cards and two red. After considerable transfer window interest from what website TuttoB.com dubbed "half of Serie A", Keita remained with Entella. He made 14 league appearances in the first half of the 2016–17 season, with only one yellow card.

Birmingham City

On 19 January 2017, Keita signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Birmingham City of the EFL Championship (English second tier); the fee was undisclosed. According to manager Gianfranco Zola, "Everybody speaks very highly about him in Italy and a lot of teams were interested – we did very well to get him because everybody says he has got a big future." He made his debut on 4 February at home to Fulham, playing on the left of a makeshift back four, kept a clean sheet,…

Keita was born in France of Malian descent. He represented Mali at under-20 level, and received his first call-up to the senior team in May 2016 for a friendly against Nigeria and an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan, but missed out through injury. Manager Alain Giresse selected him again for a World Cup qualifier against Gabon in November, but he remained an unused substitute.

Club

As of match played 4 May 2025

Of Malian descent, Keita was born in 1996 in Paris, where he grew up in the Cité rouge area of the 19th arrondissement. A childhood friend, Mohamed Sylla, who became a rapper under the name of MHD, made reference to Keita in his song "Afro Trap Pt. 3 (Champions League)"; as of September 2021, its YouTube video had received more than 120 million views. Keita played football for a local youth team, FC Solitaires, before joining Paris FC. He was selected to attend INF Clairefontaine, and spent three years in Monaco's youth system before being released.