12 Facts About Mahamadou Diarra

Mahamadou Diarra was born on 18 May 1981 and is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

Mahamadou Diarra served as captain for the Mali national team.

Mahamadou Diarra made his debut for Vitesse on 13 August 1999.

Mahamadou Diarra played a total of 69 league matches and scored nine times for the Arnhem-based club.

At Lyon, Mahamadou Diarra was a starter in each of his four seasons, playing alongside Michael Essien and Juninho Pernambucano in the midfield and helping his side to win the Ligue 1 in each of those seasons.

Mahamadou Diarra appeared in 33 of Madrid's 38 matches, scoring three times.

In October 2008, while playing an international fixture for Mali against Chad, Mahamadou Diarra was stretchered off the field after receiving a blow to his knee.

In January 2011, it was reported that Mahamadou Diarra would be leaving Real Madrid, and was linked to several clubs including Malaga.

Mahamadou Diarra returned to French football after signing with Monaco on 27 January 2011.

Mahamadou Diarra signed for Premier League side Fulham on 26 February 2012.

Mahamadou Diarra scored his first goal for Fulham against Bolton Wanderers on 7 April 2012.

Mahamadou Diarra observes fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan, he maintains that "every coach has respected my decision".