| Sikou Niakaté | |
| Birth Date: | 10 July 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Montreuil, France |
| Height: | 1.86 m |
| Position: | Centre-back |
| Currentclub: | Braga |
| Clubnumber: | 4 |
| Youthyears1: | 2005–2006 |
| Youthclubs1: | Saint-Germain-en-Laye |
| Youthyears2: | 2006–2013 |
| Youthclubs2: | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Youthyears3: | 2013–2015 |
| Youthclubs3: | Boulogne-Billancourt |
| Youthyears4: | 2015–2016 |
| Youthclubs4: | Évreux |
| Youthyears5: | 2016–2017 |
| Youthclubs5: | Valenciennes |
| Years1: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs1: | Valenciennes |
| Caps1: | 29 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2018–2023 |
| Clubs2: | Guingamp |
| Caps2: | 54 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Years3: | 2018–2019 |
| Clubs3: | → Valenciennes (loan) |
| Caps3: | 14 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs4: | → Metz (loan) |
| Caps4: | 12 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs5: | → Braga (loan) |
| Caps5: | 26 |
| Goals5: | 3 |
| Years6: | 2023– |
| Clubs6: | Braga |
| Caps6: | 19 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018 |
| Nationalteam1: | France U19 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | France U20 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam3: | Mali |
| Nationalcaps3: | 10 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 21:22, 11 August 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 6 June 2024 |
Sikou Niakaté (born 10 July 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Primeira Liga club S.C. Braga. Born in France, he plays for the Mali national team.
Sikou Niakaté was born in Montreuil, France. He holds French and Malian nationalities.[1]
Niakaté made his professional debut for Valenciennes FC in a 1–0 Ligue 2 loss to Nîmes Olympique on 31 July 2017, making his appearance at the age of 18.[2] [3]
On 31 August 2018, the last day of the 2018 summer transfer window, Niakaté joined Ligue 1 side Guingamp on a five-year contract. He was immediately loaned back to Valenciennes for the remainder of the season.[4]
On 12 August 2021, he joined Metz on a season-long loan with an option to buy.[5]
On 28 June 2022, Niakaté moved on loan to Braga in Portugal. Braga held an option to buy his rights at the end of the loan for €1.8 million, and if he played in half of the official games in the season, the option would become an obligation to buy.[6] On 7 June 2023, Braga announced the triggering of the clause, with Niakaté signing a five-year contract.
On 20 September 2023, Niakate’s 88th minute own goal prompted SC Braga 2–1 home defeat against SSC Napoli in SC Braga’s first UEFA Champions League game in a decade.[7] [8]
Niakaté was called up to the France U17 national team in December 2015, becoming the first player in Évreux FC 27 history to do so.[9]
Niakaté was called up to the Mali national team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Gabon.[10] [11] He officially decided to represent the home country of his parents, Mali, in 2023. He made his debut for the African nation in a 4–0 victory of Mali against South Sudan during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, resulting in their qualification for the 2024 tournament.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Valenciennes | 2016–17 | Ligue 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Ligue 2 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | |||
| Total | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | ||||
| Guingamp | 2019–20 | Ligue 2 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | Ligue 2 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | ||||
| 54 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 55 | 2 | ||||||
| Valenciennes (loan) | 2018–19 | Ligue 2 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Guingamp B | 2019–20 | CFA 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Metz (loan) | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Metz B | 2021–22 | CFA 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Braga (loan) | 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| Braga | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 31 | 2 | |
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 36 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 159 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 191 | 7 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mali | 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 10! | 0 | ||
Braga