Player Profile: Mahmadou Diarra

Mahamadou Diarra was born in Bamako, Mali on 18 May 1981. The six foot, 76kg midfielder began his football career in the CSK Bamako youth system. After working his way up, he finally hit the big time in 1998 when he was called to play for the first team in the First Division. European football opened its doors soon thereafter. OFI Crete was the first European team to give Diarra a try at the start of 1998/99 season. He made a great impression and signed his first professional contract. But, it was hard for the Mali native to shine in the small Cyprus League, and by the end of his first season, he signed with Holland’s SBV Vitesse Arnhem.

Despite having difficulty adjusting to Dutch football, the Vitesse coach, and former Barcelona star, Ronald Koeman took Diarra under his wing and helped him improve his technical game. Thanks to Diarra’s strength, the usually mediocre team finished, sixth and fifth in the Dutch League in the two following seasons (2000/01 and 2001/02)

While still playing in Holland in 2001, Diarra signed with France's Olympique Lyonnais for 3.8 million euros. His arrival coincided with Lyon’s explosion onto the French football scene, and the team won four consecutive League titles and started making a name for themselves in Europe by defeating heavyweights including Real Madrid.

Diarra was compared to top european midfielders like Patrick Vieira and Claude Makélélé. Many people who have worked with him, including former Vitesse Arnhem manager Ronald Koeman, felt that Diarra had the potential to succeed at the highest sporting level, but that he needed to learn how to control his strong temperament.

He was rated very highly by Lyon manager Gérard Houllier, who said that Diarra would not be leaving Lyon cheaply. His €40 million price tag matched the price Chelsea F.C. paid Lyon for Michael Essien . Real Madrid joined in the race to sign Diarra, along with Manchester United, Real Madrid reached an agreement with Lyon for €26 million. He was unveiled at the Santiago Bernabeu by Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón, and was assigned the number 6 shirt.

He has since gone on to become a fan favorite with his robust displays in midfield.

Personal information
Full name	Mahamadou Diarra
Date of birth	May 18, 1981 (age 25)
Place of birth	London, England
Height	1,83 m
Nickname	Djila
Position	Defensive Midfield
Club information
Current club	Real Madrid
Number	6
Professional clubs
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2002 2002-2006 2006-	CSK Bamako OFI Crete Vitesse Arnhem Lyon Real Madrid	21 (2) 69 (9) 119 (7) 16 (1)
National team
2001-	Mali	22 (5)