Moussa Diaby

Paris Saint-Germain

Diaby is a product of the Paris Saint-Germain Academy. He joined the club when he was 13 and began playing for the B team in 2017. Diaby was the recipient of the 2016 Titi d'Or as the most promising and best talent in the Paris Saint-Germain academy. In September 2017, at the age of 18, Diaby signed his first professional contract for three years with Paris Saint-Germain.

Loan to Crotone

Not used by PSG head coach Unai Emery in the first half of the season and suspended for eight matches due to a foul play in a match for the Under-19 national league, Diaby resolved to be loaned to Crotone in Serie A during the winter break. He scored a goal and provided an assist in his first match with the reserve team. Present on the bench for the first team in the following weeks, he made his professional debut on 14 April against Genoa, coming on with eight minutes remaining. Four days later, he started against Juventus. After a good performance, he did not appear in the last matches of the season.

Return to PSG

Missing part of the preparation due to the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, Diaby rejoined Paris Saint-Germain during the summer tour. This gave him the opportunity to play his first matches with the professional team, scoring his first goal in a friendly against Atlético Madrid and winning the 2018 Trophée des Champions, although he did not play in the match. Initially, a new loan to Montpellier or Real Sociedad was…

Diaby is a France youth international having represented the country at U18, U19, U20, and U21 levels. He produced a goal and three assists at the 2018 UEFA European U19 Championship, earning a place in the team of the tournament. The following summer, he scored one goal and assisted two more in four matches at the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup where France were eliminated at the Round of 16 stage. On 26 August 2021, he received his first call to France senior squad. He made his international debut on 1 September 2021 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, replacing Kylian Mbappé in the last minute of the match.

Coming from a Malian family, Moussa Diaby began playing football at Espérance Paris in the 19th arrondissement, at the Jules-Ladoumègue sports center in the under-10 category, where he remained until the under-14 level. The club president, Morade Djeddi, recalled in September 2021:

His skills have been evident since he was a child. He was already dynamic, tenacious, and skillful... he was just exceptional. His small size didn't matter, we promoted him to higher age groups, especially for cup matches. He played alongside future professional footballers such as Youssouf Fofana and Yahia Fofana. Spotted by several professional clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, he joined the latter at the age of 13. His small stature initially made it difficult for him to stand out in the lower categories, and he started with the Division d'Honneur team in the under-17 category. Promoted later to the national under-17 team, he became the French champion in this category in 2016. Continuing his good performances the following season, especially in the UEFA Youth League, he was voted Titi d'Or by his training center teammates.

Diaby was born in Paris to a family of Malian descent. He is a Muslim.