Mali: a look back at the fine career of Salif Keita, the first African Ballon d'Or winner

Salif Keita is no more. The Malian legend died in France on Saturday 2 September. An icon of Malian football, he was the first star of African football after independence. He began his career at Pionniers de Ouolofobougou. He later played for Real de Bamako and Stade malien before leaving for France.

An AS Saint-Etienne icon

Nicknamed the "Black Panther" in France, Salif Keita arrived at AS Saint-Etienne in 1967, where he wrote one of the finest chapters of his career. With Les Verts he won the French league three times and the Coupe de France twice. The first African Ballon d'Or winner in history (1970) scored 140 goals in 185 games over five seasons. "The Black Panther has left us, taking with him a piece of our club", the club said on its account on Twitter. The Saint-Etienne side will pay tribute to him at the Saint-Etienne v Valenciennes match, the 5th round of fixtures in Ligue 2.

The former Malian striker also played in other leagues. The former Marseille player went on to play for Valencia in Spain (1973-1976), then Sporting in Portugal (1976-1979), and ended his career in the United States, at Boston, in 1980.

🖤 The black panther has left us, taking with him a piece of our club.

Salif Keita, we mourn your passing. pic.twitter.com/SuLn9pUDET

— AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) September 2, 2023

A phenomenon of African football

Salif Keita represented Mali. The former striker for the Eagles won 15 caps for the Malian national team. He helped Mali reach the final of the African Games in 1965. He was also a finalist at the Africa Cup of Nations in 1972 in Cameroon, when Mali were making their debut in the competition. The Malian Football Federation also paid tribute to him. "Salif KEITA Domingo has taken his bow. The sporting world in #Mali, and football in particular, wishes to offer its condolences to the family of Salif Keïta, and also to the Malian nation", it wrote.

After his brilliant career, he returned to Mali, where he invested in the hotel trade before founding his country's first football academy, which produced talents such as Mahamadou Diarra (Lyon, Real Madrid) and his nephew Seydou Keita (Lens, Barcelona). He was also president of the Malian Federation from 2005 to 2009 and, from 2013, lifetime ambassador of AS Saint-Etienne.

His story inspired the film "Le Ballon d'or" by Cheik Doukouré in 1994, in which he plays the role of the coach who trains a future football star.