| Cheick Diabate | |
| Fullname: | Cheick Tiemoko Diabate[1] |
| Birth Date: | 21 January 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Southwark, England[2] |
| Height: | 1.86m (06.1feet)[3] |
| Position: | Defender |
| Currentclub: | Bradford City (on loan from Exeter City) |
| Clubnumber: | 39 |
| Youthyears1: | –2018 |
| Youthclubs1: | Stevenage |
| Youthyears2: | 2018–2019 |
| Youthclubs2: | Exeter City |
| Years1: | 2019– |
| Clubs1: | Exeter City |
| Caps1: | 66 |
| Goals1: | 3 |
| Years2: | 2020 |
| Clubs2: | → Buckland Athletic (loan) |
| Caps2: | 1 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2020 |
| Clubs3: | → Bideford (loan) |
| Caps3: | 0 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2020 |
| Clubs4: | → Tiverton Town (loan) |
| Caps4: | 3 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2021 |
| Clubs5: | → Truro City (loan) |
| Caps5: | 14 |
| Goals5: | 2 |
| Years6: | 2024– |
| Clubs6: | → Bradford City (loan) |
| Caps6: | 6 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 22:40, 7 October 2024 (UTC) |
Cheick Tiemoko Diabate (born 21 January 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Bradford City on loan from club Exeter City.
Diabate started his career at Stevenage before a move to Exeter City in 2018. He first appeared in a matchday squad during Exeter's 2–0 away EFL Trophy group-stage victory over Newport County in October 2019,[4] and then later that season enjoyed a brief loan spell with Buckland Athletic.[5] In a disrupted 2020–21 campaign, Diabate had loan spells at Bideford[6] and Tiverton Town[7] before making his Exeter debut in November 2020, featuring for the final twenty-eight minutes of their EFL Trophy tie with West Bromwich Albion U23s, which resulted in a 4–0 win for The Grecians.[8]
On 14 July 2021, Diabate joined Southern League Premier Division South side, Truro City[9] and went onto make his debut during a 1–1 draw with Walton Casuals a month later.[10] He then scored his first career goal in a 4–1 away victory over Poole Town in October[10] before eventually returning to Exeter two months later following an injury crisis at the Devon-based side.[11] He made his league debut for the club just a week later in a 2–1 defeat to Sutton United.[12] He went on to feature heavily in the second half of Exeter's season as they secured promotion to League One. Diabate was rewarded with a new two-year contract in June 2022.[13]
On 30 August 2024, Diabate joined League Two club Bradford City on a season-long loan deal.[14]
Diabate's cousin Mory Koné is a former professional footballer, having played for Troyes, Le Mans, and Parma.[15]
Diabate is a Muslim.[16]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Exeter City | 2019–20 | EFL League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | EFL League One | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 1 | ||
| Total | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 3 | |||
| Buckland Athletic (loan) | 2019–20[17] | Western League Premier Division | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Bideford (loan) | 2020–21[18] | Southern League Division One South | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Tiverton Town (loan) | 2020–21 | Southern League Premier Division South | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1[19] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Truro City (loan) | 2021–22 | Southern League Premier Division South | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 17 | 2 | ||
| Bradford City (loan) | 2024-25 | EFL League Two | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Career total | 60 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 71 | 5 | |||
Exeter City