33·Legends

Fantamady Keita vs Mahamadou Diarra

Mali against Mali. The almanac states its case, the crowd votes, you decide.

FK

Fantamady Keita

Mali · 1968–1976 · ST

Almanac rating
84
Rank in Mali
#7 of 33
Clubs
AS Real Bamako, Stade Rennais, Angoulême Charente

Mali had never reached a Nations Cup final until the 1972 semi-final against Zaire, when Keita struck twice, the second deep in extra time, to settle a 4-3 thriller. He finished that tournament as its leading scorer and collected a runners-up medal after the 3-2 defeat by Congo, and CAF later named him among Africa's 200 best players of the preceding 50 years. Career record: club career at AS Real Bamako, Stade Rennais, Angoulême Charente.

vs
MD

Mahamadou Diarra

Mali · 2002–10 · CDM

Almanac rating
87
Rank in Mali
#4 of 33
Clubs
SBV Vitesse, Olympique Lyonnais, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol

Before Real Madrid signed him in 2006, Fabio Capello told president Ramón Calderón the squad needed three players: Diarra, Diarra and Diarra. He arrived with four consecutive Ligue 1 titles from his four seasons at Lyon and added La Liga in 2006-07 and 2007-08, having made the Ligue 1 team of the year in 2005-06, and he won 72 caps for Mali, whom he captained, across Africa Cup of Nations campaigns in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2010. Career record: club career at SBV Vitesse, Olympique Lyonnais, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol.

The verdict

The almanac puts Mahamadou Diarra ahead by 3 rating points, 87 against 84.

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