Amadou Konte (born 13 January 1981 in Bamako) is a Malian-French former footballer.

Amadou Konte
Konte with Maduro jersey in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth (1981-01-13) 13 January 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth Bamako, Mali
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2003 Olympique Noisy-le-Sec 4 (0)
2003 Paternò 16 (2)
2004 Cambridge United 19 (3)
2005–2006 Hibernian 27 (1)
2007 Kalamata 0 (0)
2007–2008 Potenza 16 (3)
2008Spezia (loan) 6 (0)
2008 Potenza 3 (0)
2008–2009 Turate 20 (8)
2009 Messina 0 (0)
2009–2012 Bitonto 0 (0)
2013 Minyor Pernik 0 (0)
2013 P. Madura United 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 May 2013

Career

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Konte started his career in the football academy of French side RC Strasbourg before moving to Portuguese club FC Porto. He did not make a first team breakthrough in FC Porto though, and moved again, firstly to CF Villanovense in Spain,[citation needed] then Olympique Noisy-le-Sec in CFA and Paternò in Serie C1.

In the summer of 2004 Konte signed for Cambridge United and scored 3 goals in 9 appearances. This was enough to prompt interest from Hibernian, who signed him during the January 2005 transfer window, and he made his debut in a 3–0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox the next month. His first goal was a late equaliser against Motherwell in May,[1] earning Hibs a crucial point in their successful quest to qualify for European competition.

The 2005–06 season was less rewarding for Konte though, as the striker endured inconsistent form and infrequent appearances. This led to him being ironically dubbed the "Mali Magician" by some Hibs fans.[2] When Konte again struggled to gain first team action in the first part of the 2006–07 season (despite scoring twice against Dinaburg FC in the UEFA Intertoto Cup)[3] he was released from his contract. He left Hibernian one day before the appointment of new manager John Collins, in November 2006.[4] In 2020, Konte reflected on his time at Hibs, stating that he enjoys his status as a cult favourite and felt that the nickname bestowed upon him by fans was an affectionate one.[5]

In January 2007, he joined Messiniakos of Greek 2nd division. In summer 2007, he signed for Potenza S.C. of Serie C1, and in January 2008, he was loaned to Spezia.

In September 2009, after a nine-month stint with Turate,[6] he was signed by Sicilian club Messina on a free transfer.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Motherwell 2-2 Hibernian". BBC Sport. 7 May 2005. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Five of the best African players in Scotland". The Scotsman. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Dinaburg 0-3 Hibernian (agg 0-8)". BBC Sport. 8 July 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Konte calls time on Hibs career". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Former Hibs striker Amadou Konte: 'I guess when I played, there was a kind of magic'". edinburghlive.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Amadou Konte, con il Paterno' il suo esordio in Italia" (in Italian). Messina Sportiva. 5 September 2009. Archived from the original on 9 September 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  7. ^ "L'ACR annuncia gli acquisti degli attaccanti Di Napoli e Konte" (in Italian). Messina Sportiva. 5 September 2009. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
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