Naby Keïta

Naby Laye Keïta (born 10 February 1995) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Bundesliga club Werder Bremen and captains the Guinea national team.

Naby Laye Keïta was born on 10 February 1995 in Conakry.

Keïta joined hometown club Horoya AC aged nine.

Keïta made his senior international debut for Guinea in 2012.

He moved to France in 2012, joining the youth team of FC Istres after unsuccessful trials at FC Lorient and Le Mans FC.

On 14 December 2012, Keïta made his international debut for the Guinea national team against Sierra Leone in a 2014 African Nations Championship qualification match.

He scored the opener for his side in a 1–1 away draw.

Keïta began his professional career with Ligue 2 club FC Istres in 2013, and a year later he moved to Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Football Bundesliga and Austrian Cup double in both of his seasons.

In 2013, he was promoted to the first team of Istres.

He made his Ligue 2 debut on 22 November 2013 against Nîmes Olympique.

He scored 11 goals in 23 games in his first season as a professional, while his team were relegated to the Championnat National.

In 2014, he joined Austrian top division side Red Bull Salzburg.

He made his league debut on 26 July 2014 against Wiener Neustadt.

Keïta ended the season with five goals and two assists in 30 games, winning the league and cup double.

The following season, he was selected as the Austrian Bundesliga Player of the Year.

He has earned over 50 caps and was part of their squad at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Upon joining Liverpool, he was handed the number 8 shirt by Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard, which had been vacated upon the departure of Gerrard to LA Galaxy in 2015.

Keïta was included in Michel Dussuyer's 23-man squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.

He then moved to RB Leipzig in 2016, making the Bundesliga team of the season in his first year and the UEFA Europa League squad of the season in his second.

In June 2016, Keïta moved to Red Bull Salzburg sister-club RB Leipzig, who had just been promoted to the German Bundesliga.

He scored the winner on his league debut against Borussia Dortmund and scored seven more goals in his debut Bundesliga season.

He was named in the league's team of the season.

He agreed to join Liverpool in 2017, and completed the move a year later, winning the UEFA Champions League in his first season at the club, and the FIFA Club World Cup and Premier League the following season.

Keïta was named in the squad of the season for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, in which his team were quarter-finalists.

On 28 August 2017, a deal was struck for Keïta to join Liverpool on 1 July 2018 after the English club triggered his £48 million release clause in addition to paying an undisclosed premium.

It was then reported that there would be no premium (£48 million total) if Leipzig did not qualify for European football, £4.75 million (£52.75 million total) if they qualified for the Europa League and £11 million (£59 million total) if they finished in the Champions League spots.

Leipzig ultimately finished 6th in the Bundesliga, therefore qualifying for the Europa League.

Keïta made his debut for Liverpool against West Ham United on 12 August 2018 and played a part in the opening goal for Mohamed Salah in a 4–0 win.

On 5 April 2019, Keïta scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 3–1 win against Southampton, and added a first European goal four days later against FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.

He was injured in May 2019, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

Although Keïta was injured, he won his first Liverpool title while out of the matchday squad as his team mates secured the win in the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur in early June.

Hampered by injury, Keïta was a fringe player during the early part of the subsequent season.

On 7 December, he provided a goal and assist in a 3–0 win away against AFC Bournemouth, a game which marked his first league start of the season.

On 10 December, he provided Liverpool's first goal in a 2–0 Champions League win against his former club, Salzburg, which saw the reigning European champions progress to the knockout stages as the victors of Group E.

On 18 December, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 win over Mexican club Monterrey as Liverpool progressed to the Club World Cup final; three days later, on 21 December, he started in the final against Flamengo, playing 100 minutes until being substituted as Liverpool won 1–0 to be crowned world club champions.

On 2 January 2020, he was named in the starting line-up against Sheffield United, but was withdrawn after sustaining a groin injury during the warm-up, being replaced by James Milner.

At the end of the season, Keïta won the Premier League title with Liverpool.

On 17 May 2023, Liverpool announced that Keita would be leaving the club once his contract expired in the summer.

Injuries meant he started only 49 Premier League games during his time with the club.

On 9 June 2023, Bundesliga club Werder Bremen announced that Keita would join the club as a free agent.