| Yakou Méïté | |
| Full Name: | Yakou Méïté[1] |
| Birth Date: | 11 February 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Paris, France |
| Height: | 1.85 m |
| Position: | Striker / Winger |
| Currentclub: | Cardiff City |
| Clubnumber: | 19 |
| Youthyears1: | 2009–2014 |
| Youthclubs1: | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Years1: | 2013–2016 |
| Clubs1: | Paris Saint-Germain B |
| Caps1: | 45 |
| Goals1: | 8 |
| Years2: | 2015–2016 |
| Clubs2: | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Caps2: | 1 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2016–2023 |
| Clubs3: | Reading |
| Caps3: | 156 |
| Goals3: | 42 |
| Years4: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs4: | → Sochaux (loan) |
| Caps4: | 31 |
| Goals4: | 3 |
| Years5: | 2023– |
| Clubs5: | Cardiff City |
| Caps5: | 38 |
| Goals5: | 2 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2013 |
| Nationalteam1: | Ivory Coast U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2015 |
| Nationalteam2: | Ivory Coast U20 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2017– |
| Nationalteam3: | Ivory Coast U23 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2018– |
| Nationalteam4: | Ivory Coast |
| Nationalcaps4: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 20 April 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 13 October 2019 |
Yakou Méïté (born 11 February 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Cardiff City. Born in France, he represents the Ivory Coast at international level.
Méïté was born and raised in France to Ivorian parents.
Méïté started his professional career at Paris Saint-Germain. He made his professional debut on 9 April 2016, in a Ligue 1 match against Guingamp, replacing Jean-Kévin Augustin after 91 minutes, in a 2–0 away win.[2]
On 29 July 2016, Méïté signed a three-year contract with English side Reading.[3] He made his debut for Reading as a substitute in an EFL Cup tie against Plymouth Argyle on 9 August 2016,[4] with his first goal for the club coming on 21 January 2017, during a 3–2 defeat to Derby County in the Championship.[5]
On 8 July 2017, Méïté moved to Sochaux, on a season-long loan deal.[6]
On 3 October 2018, Reading announced that Méïté had signed a new contract with Reading, until the summer of 2022.[7] On his return to Reading, he became a mainstay as the club's striker and scored 6 goals in 5 games, impressing manager Paul Clement.[8]
In August 2019, Méïté spoke out about racist abuse he received on social media.[9] He said he chose to do so due to the impact it had on players.[10] On 4 July 2020, he scored four goals in a 5–0 win away at Luton Town.[11]
On 17 May 2023, Reading announced that they had offered a new contact to Méïté, with his current deal due to expire at the end of June 2023.[12] On 21 June 2023, Méïté confirmed his decision to leave Reading at the end of his contract.[13]
On 7 July 2023, Méïté signed a two-year contract with Cardiff City.[14]
Méïté has represented the Ivory Coast U17s and U20s. He debuted for the Ivory Coast U23s in a 5–0 friendly win over the Togo U23s on 27 March 2018.[15]
Méïté was called up to the senior Ivory Coast squad for a friendly against Togo in March 2018.[16] He was selected for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea on 18 November 2018.[17] He made his debut for the Ivory Coast on 26 March 2019, in a 1–0 victory over Liberia, playing 73 minutes before being replaced by eventual goalscorer Jonathan Kodjia.[18]
Méïté is a physically strong player. He has impressive strength, ability in the air, speed and tireless stamina. Paul Clement praised him for his workrate and willingness to battle for every ball.[8]
Yakou Meïté is the cousin of Bamo Meïté, who is also a professional footballer.[19]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Paris Saint-Germain B | 2013–14 | CFA | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2014–15 | CFA | 20 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 6 | ||||||
| 2015–16 | CFA | 24 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 2 | ||||||
| Total | 45 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 8 | |||
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Reading | 2016–17 | Championship | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | Championship | 37 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 40 | 13 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Championship | 40 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 45 | 17 | ||||
| 2020–21 | Championship | 25 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 12 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Championship | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Championship | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 156 | 42 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165 | 47 | |||
| Reading U21 | 2016–17 | — | — | — | — | 1[20] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Sochaux (loan) | 2017–18 | Ligue 2 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 232 | 53 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 247 | 60 | |||
| Ivory Coast | |||
| Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
Paris Saint-Germain U19
Paris Saint-Germain