Bakari Koné

Early career

Koné was born in Abidjan. Like many other Ivorian stars, he began his career at the famed youth academy at ASEC Mimosas, run by Frenchman Jean-Marc Guillou in his home country. Guillou recalls: "One day, when I was passing through his district, some kids stopped me. They kept saying, 'We've got Pelé living here, you've got to take a look at him'. Then, Koné came along. He was slightly built but I never doubted for one moment that he was a real find. I took him into the academy after a trial of just ten minutes, but I did tell him that the Pelé nickname would have to go. That's when he became Baky, and I think it's better that way." Koné stayed at the academy for five years, before joining the first team and turning professional in 1999. During his time with the ASEC's first team, he won the Ivorian League three times, and also the African Supercup before moving on. In 2002, he joined Qatari club Al-Ittihad, staying in the Persian Gulf region for just six months, before moving to France, where he joined the then Ligue 2 outfit FC Lorient, following a successful trial. It was here that Koné rose to fame. In his first season at the club, he scored 10 respectable goals, but then bagged an impressive 24 in 35 appearances in the 2004–05 season, earning him the Player of the Year and Top Scorer titles in the Ligue 2. At the end of the season, Lorient narrowly missed out on promotion to Ligue 1, and with speculation mounting linking the Ivorian to top flight…

Koné made his international debut for the Ivory Coast national team against Sudan on 5 September 2004. He was part of the Ivorian team for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. He scored a vital equaliser against Cameroon in the quarter-final. His team won the penalty shootout 12–11. However, in the final, he was one of two Ivorian players to have his penalty saved as the Ivorians lost to hosts Egypt. The forward was selected as part of the Ivorian side for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was given the number 14 shirt, and played his first match for Ivory Coast against the Netherlands on 16 June 2006. He scored his first World Cup goal in that match, where the Ivory Coast lost 2–1. Koné was also selected as part of the Ivorian squad for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. He made four substitute appearances for the Elephants, and scored once against West African rivals Guinea in the quarter final stage, where the Ivorians ran out 5–1 winners. He was also selected in the preliminary Ivory Coast squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but was eventually dropped along with Gilles Yapi Yapo and Emerse Faé, who played with him in the 2006 World Cup.

Club

International

Scores and results list Ivory Coast's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Koné goal.

Koné holds both Ivorian and French nationalities. He is the older brother of fellow Ivorian international Arouna Koné, who is a striker.