Bakary Sako

Early years

Sako had been with Châteauroux since 2001, joining the club as an academy player. He made his league debut on the final matchday of the 2005–06 Ligue 2 season coming on as a half-time substitute in a 4–1 victory over Bastia. Following the season, he signed his first professional contract after agreeing to a three-year deal. He was promoted to the senior squad and assigned the number 26 shirt. During the next two seasons, Sako was limited to mostly substitute appearances. He did score his first league goal, during the 2007–08 season, in a 1–2 defeat against Brest. During the 2008–09 season Sako became an integral part of the team, helping the club narrowly avoid relegation on the final day.

Saint-Étienne

On 9 July 2009, Sako departed Châteauroux for Ligue 1 club Saint-Étienne, where he signed a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 29 August 2012, Sako signed for Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee that was reported to be £2.2 million. He scored on his Wolves debut in a League Cup tie against Northampton Town on 30 August 2012, and again on his league debut in the following match, a 3–1 defeat at Cardiff. The winger adapted well to English football, scoring ten times in total and contributing eleven assists. However, his season was halted early when he tore his hamstring in March 2013 in a match against Bristol City, which ruled him out for much of the…

Youth

Sako played for the Malian U17 team in one friendly match in 2005, while the team was preparing for the 2005 African Under-17 Championship. The following year, he returned to the French team playing with the under-18 squad. He was a member of the French squad that participated in the 2007 European Under-19 Championship reaching the semi-finals before being eliminated by Spain. He made his French under-21 debut on 11 February 2009 in a friendly match against Tunisia. He scored his first under-21 goal in the 2009 Toulon Tournament against Qatar.

Senior

Sako was called up by the Malian national team for the first time for a friendly against Senegal on 5 March 2014. He scored his first international goal against Guinea in a friendly match played in Colombes, France, on 25 May 2014. His first goal in competitive internationals came when he scored the opener in a 2–0 win over Malawi in an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match played in Bamako on 7 September 2014. In December 2014 Sako was called up to the Mali squad for the finals of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Equatorial Guinea in January 2015. This was to be his first taste of a senior international tournament. Sako started Mali's first two matches in group D of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. These both finished in 1–1 draws, against Cameroon on 20 January and against Ivory Coast on 24 January. Sako scored a left-foot half-volley against Ivory Coast that the BBC hailed as the goal…

Club

As of 1 July 2022

International goals

Scores and results list Mali's goal tally first.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Football League One: 2013–14 Crystal Palace

FA Cup runner-up: 2015–16 Individual

PFA Team of the Year: 2013–14 League One, 2014–15 Championship Football League One Team of the Season: 2013–14