Background and career
Frédéric Oumar "Freddie" Kanouté (born 2 September 1977) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker for several top-tier clubs in Europe, enjoying his greatest success with La Liga side Sevilla. Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year, the first player born outside Africa to win the award.
Kanouté began his career with Lyon in France before moving to West Ham United of the Premier League in 2000. After a spell at their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Kanouté moved to Spanish club Sevilla in 2005, where he won two consecutive UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007, in addition to the Copa del Rey twice and remains the club's highest-scoring foreign player, with 137 goals in 290 matches. After seven seasons there, he joined Chinese club Beijing Guoan in June 2012, spending one season there, before retiring from professional football in 2013.
Born in France, Kanouté represented them at under-21 level, before switching to represent Mali, playing at the 2004 African Cup of Nations, where he was joint top-scorer. He also featured at the 2006 and 2010 tournaments. His international career ended in 2010 with a total of 38 caps and 23 goals.
