Keita showed his good his finishing against Liberia. His late equalizer when he spun and shot in low off a post when afforded a little space kept the Eagles' challenge going.

Unless you count Jean Tigana who was born in Mali, Keita is probably the best player to come out of the country since Salif Keita. The other great Keita is no relation, but the young Seydou is a product of the famous football center which he set up.

Keita came to local prominence early. He was only 13 in 1993 when he emerged with local Bamako team Soleil Lafiabougou as their top scorer.

In 1995 he joined the Salif Keita football center where he attracted the
attention of Olympic Marseille in France. He signed a junior contract in
1998. This became a senior contract after the World Youth Championship in 1999 when Mali grabbed a bronze medal. Barcelona and Real Madrid were hovering for the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Marseille were going through difficult times when Keita joined and he
struggled to make an impact in a team that flirted with relegation for two seasons. Marseille loaned him out to second division Lorient in 2000 and there he helped them gain promotion to the top flight before making his move permanent.

At CAN 2002 Seydou Keita has shown all the talents that make him the archetypal playmaker in the modern game. He glides around the pitch, head always up looking for passes and space. He can pass sublimely and is a sensational dribbler. Keita always makes himself available for team-mates, and against Algeria showed that he cannot be intimidated out of a game.

At still only 22, he is surely destined for superstardom at both club and national level.