Keita Baldé
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Keita Baldé Diao | ||
| Date of birth | 8 March 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Arbúcies, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lazio | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2011 | Barcelona | ||
| 2010–2011 | → Cornellà (loan) | ||
| 2011–2013 | Lazio | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013– | Lazio | 11 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 February 2014 | |||
Keita Baldé Diao (born 8 March 1995 in Arbúcies) is a Spanish-born Senegalese footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A side Lazio.[1]
Career
Early career
Born in Arbúcies, Girona, Catalonia, Spain, to Senegalese parents, Keita came up through the FC Barcelona's youth academy. In 2010, Keita travelled with his Barcelona youth team to Qatar for a tournament, where he played a practical joke by placing an ice-cube in a team-mate's bed.[2]
As a punishment, Barcelona sent the 15-year-old Keita on loan to satellite club UE Cornellà, despite Keita's reputation as a future prospect for the first team. The loan meant Cornellà held the rights to a fraction of Keita's playing rights. After a season in which he scored 47 goals for Cornellà's youth side, Keita turned down the chance to return to Barcelona, attracting the interest of Real Madrid and Manchester United.[3]
Lazio
In the summer of 2011, he was signed by Italian Serie A club Lazio for a fee of €300,000, of which 10% went to Cornellà.[4] Keita was unable to play official matches for Lazio's youth sides for a year, as he had to wait to be granted Spanish citizenship and the EU passport required for the Italian club to register him. However, he impressed while playing in the Torneo Karol Wojtyla youth competition, where he scored six goals in just four matches.[5]
Keita then spent the 2012-13 season playing with Lazio's Primavera youth side and training with the first team. He was selected by coach Vladimir Petković to sit on the bench for some matches in the latter part of the season but did not make his senior debut.
Promoted to the first team for the following season, Keita made his league debut in a 3-0 home win against Chievo at the Stadio Olimpico, coming on as a late substitute for Luis Pedro Cavanda.[6] Five days later, Keita made his debut in the Europa League, starting in a 1-0 home victory against Legia Warsaw. He provided the assist for the only goal of the game, scored by Hernanes.
References
- ^ http://www.transfermarkt.de/en/balde-diao-keita/profil/spieler_238752.html
- ^ Finalmente Keita La Lazio scopre il baby fenomeno (Gazzetta dello Sport – ed. romana), Marco Calabresi
- ^ Finalmente Keita La Lazio scopre il baby fenomeno (Gazzetta dello Sport – ed. romana), Marco Calabresi
- ^ Esclusiva - Keita, la nuova promessa della Lazio. L?agente: ?C?era l?offerta del Real Madrid, ma??
- ^ Esclusiva - Keita, la nuova promessa della Lazio. L?agente: ?C?era l?offerta del Real Madrid, ma??
- ^ http://www.transfermarkt.de/en/lazio-rom-chievo-verona/index/spielbericht_2359228.html