# Cheikhou Kouyaté
**Cheikhou Kouyaté** (born 1989 in Dakar, Senegal) is a retired Senegalese professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder and could also fill in at center-back and central midfield. He retired on 25 May 2026 after a career spent mainly at RSC Anderlecht, West Ham United, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest, and he won the 2021 [Africa Cup of Nations](https://www.edgepedia.org/africa-cup-of-nations) with Senegal.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.es/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934) • [2](https://www.transfermarkt.us/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934) • [3](https://www.fotmob.com/fr/players/148302/cheikhou-kouyate)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, Dakar, Senegal; 1.89 m, right-footed[1](https://www.transfermarkt.es/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934) |
| Position | Defensive midfielder (primary); secondary positions center-back and central midfield[1](https://www.transfermarkt.es/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934) |
| Senior clubs | Anderlecht (2009–2014), West Ham United (2014–2018), Crystal Palace (2018–2022), Nottingham Forest (2022–2024), Amed SK (2025)[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career) • [3](https://www.fotmob.com/fr/players/148302/cheikhou-kouyate) |
| Senegal | Debut 29 February 2012; 92 caps and 4 goals[5](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cheikhou-kouyate/45944) |
| Honours | Africa Cup of Nations 2021 (Cameroon); 4 Belgian First Division A titles and 3 Belgian Super Cups with Anderlecht[3](https://www.fotmob.com/fr/players/148302/cheikhou-kouyate) |
| Status | Retired since 25 May 2026; last club Amed SK; now working as an advisor for the Senegal national team[2](https://www.transfermarkt.us/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934) • [1](https://www.transfermarkt.es/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934) |
## Early career and Anderlecht
Kouyaté came through the youth ranks at ASC Yego Dakar (1996–2006) before moving to Belgium, where he spent 2006–2007 with FC Brussels.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.es/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934) He joined [Anderlecht](https://www.edgepedia.org/anderlecht) in 2008 and spent the 2008/2009 season on loan at Kortrijk, where he made 26 league appearances and scored 3 goals in the Belgian First Division A.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career)
At Anderlecht from 2009 to 2014 he became a mainstay, making 153 league appearances with 4 goals and 5 assists across five First Division A seasons, and adding 40 appearances in UEFA club competition, including 14 in the Champions League group stages in 2012/2013 and 2013/2014.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career) The club won the Belgian title in four of his five full seasons (2009/2010, 2011/2012, 2012/2013, and 2013/2014) and the Belgian Super Cup in 2010/2011, 2012/2013, and 2013/2014.[3](https://www.fotmob.com/fr/players/148302/cheikhou-kouyate)
## West Ham United
On 18 June 2014 Kouyaté signed a four-year contract with West Ham United.[6](https://www.bola.net/profile/cheikhou_kouyate/) He spent four Premier League seasons there, totaling 129 league appearances, 12 goals, and 7 assists, with his most productive scoring season in 2015/2016 (5 league goals).[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career) He also made 5 appearances in the Europa League in 2015/2016 and 2016/2017, scoring twice.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career)
## Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest
Kouyaté moved to Crystal Palace in August 2018 for a reported fee of 10.7 million euros.[5](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cheikhou-kouyate/45944) Across four seasons he made 129 league appearances for Palace, scoring 2 goals with 4 assists, and played regularly, including 36 league games in 2020/2021.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career)
In August 2022 he joined Nottingham Forest on a free transfer, signing on 13 August 2022.[5](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cheikhou-kouyate/45944) His two seasons there were largely as a squad player: 33 league appearances, 1 goal, and 1,083 league minutes, with only 204 minutes in the 2023/2024 Premier League season.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career) He left in mid-2024 and was without a club for over a year before finishing his career in Turkey.[5](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cheikhou-kouyate/45944)
## Final season and retirement
In September 2025 Kouyaté joined Amed Sportif Faaliyetler (Amed SK) in Turkey's 1. Lig, his last club.[5](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cheikhou-kouyate/45944) • [2](https://www.transfermarkt.us/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934) He made 8 league appearances in 2025/2026, all as a substitute or short outing, totaling 100 minutes, plus one cup appearance of 84 minutes.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career) He retired on 25 May 2026.[2](https://www.transfermarkt.us/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934)
## Senegal international
Kouyaté debuted for Senegal on 29 February 2012 and finished with 92 caps and 4 goals.[5](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cheikhou-kouyate/45944) He appeared at five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023), playing 7 matches at the 2019 edition and 6 at the 2021 edition, where he scored once as Senegal won the tournament in Cameroon.[7](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/national/career) He also played at the 2012 Olympic men's football tournament and at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, making 3 appearances in 2018 and 1 in 2022.[7](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/national/career)
His international career wound down after 2024, and he announced the end of his international career with Senegal after his final club spell.[8](https://african-football.com/news/cheikhou-kouyate-met-fin-a-sa-carriere-internationale-avec-le-senegal/) Transfermarkt lists his current role as an advisor with the Senegal national team setup.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.es/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934)
## Playing style
Kouyaté's profile combined physical presence with positional flexibility. At 1.89 m he was used as a ball-winning defensive midfielder but also as an emergency center-back; FotMob's percentile comparison against other midfielders places him in the 93rd percentile for aerial duels won and the 69th percentile for defensive actions.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.es/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934) • [3](https://www.fotmob.com/fr/players/148302/cheikhou-kouyate) Across his two Premier League spells in England he made 261 league appearances and scored 14 goals, an unusually useful return for a holding player, including 5 league goals in the 2015/2016 season with West Ham.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career)
## References
1. [Cheikhou Kouyaté – Perfil del jugador, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.es/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934)
2. [Cheikhou Kouyaté – Player profile, Transfermarkt (US)](https://www.transfermarkt.us/cheikhou-kouyate/profil/spieler/66934)
3. [Cheikhou Kouyaté – FotMob player profile](https://www.fotmob.com/fr/players/148302/cheikhou-kouyate)
4. [Cheikhou Kouyaté Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/career)
5. [Cheikhou Kouyaté stats and ratings, Sofascore](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cheikhou-kouyate/45944)
6. [Profil Cheikhou Kouyate, Bola.net](https://www.bola.net/profile/cheikhou_kouyate/)
7. [Cheikhou Kouyaté International Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/6906/cheikhou-kouyate/national/career)
8. [Cheikhou Kouyaté met fin à sa carrière internationale avec le Sénégal, African-football.com](https://african-football.com/news/cheikhou-kouyate-met-fin-a-sa-carriere-internationale-avec-le-senegal/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Africa › West African footballers › Footballers of Senegal, Mali, and Guinea*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license