Yakou Méïté (born 11 February 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Cardiff City. Born in France, he represents the Ivory Coast at international level.
Early life
Méïté was born and raised in France to Ivorian parents.[citation needed]
Club career
Paris Saint Germain
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]
Reading
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]
Cardiff City
On 7 July 2023, Méïté signed a two-year contract with Cardiff City.[14]
International career
Méïté has represented the Ivory Coast U17s and U20s.[15] He debuted for the Ivory Coast U23s in a 5–0 friendly win over the Togo U23s on 27 March 2018.[16]
Méïté was called up to the senior Ivory Coast squad for a friendly against Togo in March 2018.[17] He was selected for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea on 18 November 2018.[18] 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.[19]
Style of play
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]
Personal life
Yakou Meïté is the cousin of Bamo Meïté, who is also a professional footballer.[20]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 30 November 2024[15]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | 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[c] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Sochaux (loan) | 2017–18 | Ligue 2 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 5 | ||
| Cardiff City | 2023–24 | Championship | 38 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Championship | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | |||
| Total | 52 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 284 | 56 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 299 | 63 | ||
- ^ Includes Coupe de France, FA Cup
- ^ Includes Coupe de la Ligue, EFL Cup
- ^ Appearance in EFL Trophy
International
- As of match played 13 October 2019
| Ivory Coast | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 |
Honours
Paris Saint-Germain U19
- Championnat National U19: 2015–16
- UEFA Youth League runner-up: 2015–16
Paris Saint-Germain
References
- ^ "EFL Released and Retained List 2016–17" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Guingamp vs. PSG - 9 April 2016 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "Royals swoop to sign Yakou Meite". reading.co.uk. Reading F.C. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Reading 2-0 Plymouth". BBC. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^ "Derby 3-2 Reading". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 21 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ "Meite returns to France for loan season at Sochaux". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ "Méïté pens new long-term deal as a Royal". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ a b ""Fighting spirit and attitude… Yakou has that in abundance!"". www.readingfc.co.uk.
- ^ "Yakou Meite: Reading striker calls out racist abuse". BBC Sport. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ^ "Yakou Meite: Reading striker chose to share racist abuse to demonstrate impact on players". BBC Sport. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ^ "Luton 0-5 Reading". BBC. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "NEW DEALS OFFERED AS CONTRACTS COME TO THEIR CONCLUSION". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ "MEITE SET TO DEPART AFTER CONTRACT OFFER TURNED DOWN". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ "Yakou Méïté signs for Cardiff City". cardiffcityfc.co.uk/. Cardiff City F.C. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ a b Yakou Méïté at Soccerway. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Ewan. "Yakou Méïté et les U23 de la Côte d'Ivoire s'imposent face au Togo". fcsochaux.fr.
- ^ "Togo vs Ivory Coast". ESPN. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ "Elim. CAN 2019 (5è j. GUI/CIV): Voici les 23 Eléphants sélectionnés". fifciv.com. 8 November 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ "CÔTE D'IVOIRE 1-0 LIBERIA". soccerway.com/. Soccerway. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ "FC Lorient : l'interview selfie de Bamo Meïté". Le Télégramme (in French). 12 March 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
External links
- Yakou Méïté at WorldFootball.net