.jpg) Sako withSaint-Étienne in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bakary Sako[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1988-04-26)26 April 1988 (age 37)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Ivry-sur-Seine, France | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Winger/Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Châteauroux | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2000 | Vitry CA | ||
| 2000–2002 | US Ivry | ||
| 2002–2006 | Châteauroux | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2009 | Châteauroux | 68 | (9) |
| 2009–2012 | Saint-Étienne | 106 | (12) |
| 2012–2015 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 118 | (36) |
| 2015–2018 | Crystal Palace | 43 | (5) |
| 2018–2019 | West Bromwich Albion | 5 | (0) |
| 2019 | Crystal Palace | 4 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Pafos | 6 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Saint-Étienne | 7 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Levadiakos | 9 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | FC 93 | 3 | (1) |
| 2025– | Châteauroux | 2 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2005 | Mali U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | France U21 | 11 | (2) |
| 2014–2017 | Mali | 21 | (9) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 October 2025 | |||
Bakary Sako (born 26 April 1988) is a professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder for FrenchChampionnat National clubChâteauroux. He has previously played for English League clubsCrystal Palace,Wolverhampton Wanderers, andWest Bromwich Albion. From 2014 to 2017, he played for theMali national team.
Sako had been withChâteauroux since 2001, joining the club as an academy player. He made his league debut on the final matchday of the2005–06 Ligue 2 season coming on as a half-time substitute in a 4–1 victory overBastia.[4] Following the season, he signed his first professional contract after agreeing to a three-year deal.[5] He was promoted to the senior squad and assigned the number 26 shirt.[citation needed]
During the next two seasons, Sako was limited to mostly substitute appearances. He did score his first league goal, during the2007–08 season, in a 1–2 defeat againstBrest.[6] During the2008–09 season Sako became an integral part of the team, helping the club narrowly avoid relegation on the final day.[citation needed]
On 9 July 2009, Sako departed Châteauroux forLigue 1 clubSaint-Étienne, where he signed a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[citation needed]
On 29 August 2012, Sako signed forChampionship clubWolverhampton Wanderers on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee that was reported to be £2.2 million.[7][8] He scored on his Wolves debut in aLeague Cup tie againstNorthampton Town on 30 August 2012,[9] and again on his league debut in the following match, a 3–1 defeat atCardiff.[10]
The winger adapted well to English football, scoring ten times in total and contributing eleven assists.[11] However, his season was halted early when he tore his hamstring in March 2013 in a match againstBristol City,[12] which ruled him out for much of the season's final games, during which the team were relegated to League One.[13]
Sako was the subject of transfer speculation during Summer 2013 with interest fromFulham in June 2013 but the London club did not meet a reported £4 million asking price.[8] Owing to his uncertain future, the player did not play in Wolves' final match of the transfer window as he "didn't feel he was in the right frame of mind".[14] Several reported bids fromNottingham Forest were rejected by the club.[14][15] In October 2013, Forest again attempted to set up a deal but Wolves pulled out of negotiations citing that "the terms surrounding the offer were unrealistic".[16]
Despite the initial speculation surrounding his future and the breakdown of his proposed move to Forest, Sako went on to have a productive season for Wolves, finishing as joint top-scorer alongside the departedLeigh Griffiths as Wolves won theLeague One title with a record points haul for the third tier. Sako was also named in the League OnePFA Team of the Year for the 2013–14 season alongside four of his teammates.[17]
Back at Championship level, Sako continued to score regularly for Wolves and was named in the Championship PFA Team of the Year for the 2014–15 season.[18] He finished the season as the club's (joint) top goalscorer as the team missed out on the play-offs on goal difference. Out of contract with the club, he voiced his desire to play in the Premier League,[19] while head coach Kenny Jackett stated that he expected Sako to depart.[20]
On 5 August 2015, Sako joinedPremier League sideCrystal Palace on a three-year contract following his release from Wolves.[21] He scored his first goal for the club on his full debut againstAston Villa on 22 August 2015.[22]Sako then scored again the following week away to Chelsea, in a 2–1 win, which wasJosé Mourinho's second ever loss at Stamford Bridge. Sako also assisted the second goal scored byJoel Ward.[23]
In the 2017–18 season, Sako's form started to pick up under the management ofRoy Hodgson scoring his first goal of the season against Huddersfield in theEFL Cup. He later scored againstBristol City in the same competition. Sako was also back scoring in the league as well, netting againstWatford,Burnley andLeicester. He also added a goal in theFA Cup in an away loss toBrighton & Hove Albion.[24][25][26]
On 2 October 2018,West Bromwich Albion signed free agent Sako until the end of the season.[27]
On 27 January 2019, Sako rejoinedCrystal Palace on a short-term contract until the end of the 2018–19 season.[28] He was released on expiry of his contract at the end of June.[29][30]
On 28 July 2019,Denizlispor announced the signing of free agent Sako viaTwitter.[31] But later, the club gave up the transfer due to his ankle injury history.[32]
On 6 September 2019,Pafos announced the signing of Sako viaFacebook.[33]
On 30 December 2021, Sako returned to his former club Saint-Étienne on a contract until the end of the2021–22 season.[34]
Sako played for theMalian U17 team in one friendly match in 2005, while the team was preparing for the2005 African Under-17 Championship. The following year, he returned to theFrench team playing with theunder-18 squad. He was a member of the French squad that participated in the2007 European Under-19 Championship reaching the semi-finals before being eliminated bySpain. He made hisFrench under-21 debut on 11 February 2009 in afriendly match againstTunisia. He scored his first under-21 goal in the2009 Toulon Tournament againstQatar.
Sako was called up by theMalian national team for the first time for a friendly againstSenegal on 5 March 2014.[35] He scored his first international goal againstGuinea in a friendly match played inColombes, France, on 25 May 2014.[36] His first goal in competitive internationals came when he scored the opener in a 2–0 win overMalawi in anAfrica Cup of Nations qualification match played inBamako on 7 September 2014.[37][38]In December 2014 Sako was called up to the Mali squad for the finals of the2015 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Equatorial Guinea in January 2015. This was to be his first taste of a senior international tournament.
Sako started Mali's first two matches in group D of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. These both finished in 1–1 draws, againstCameroon on 20 January and againstIvory Coast on 24 January. Sako scored a left-foot half-volley against Ivory Coast that the BBC hailed as the goal of the tournament at that point. Sako was unable to start the final and decisive group game against Guinea due to an illness though he did appear from the bench for the final 15 minutes of the game. This too ended in a 1–1 stalemate, meaning that five of the six games in group D finished 1–1 and this led to the drawing of lots between Mali and Guinea to decide who qualified for the quarter finals and who went home. It was Guinea who emerged from the hat, meaning the Eagles exited the tournament unbeaten.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Châteauroux | 2005–06 | Ligue 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | Ligue 2 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Ligue 2 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| 2008–09 | Ligue 2 | 35 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 9 | ||
| Total | 68 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 68 | 10 | |||
| Saint-Étienne | 2009–10 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 2 | |
| 2010–11 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 42 | 7 | ||
| 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 39 | 5 | ||
| 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 106 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 116 | 13 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2012–13 | EFL Championship | 37 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 39 | 10 | |
| 2013–14 | EFL League One | 40 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 13 | |
| 2014–15 | EFL Championship | 41 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 43 | 15 | ||
| Total | 118 | 36 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 124 | 38 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2015–16 | Premier League | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 2 | |
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 19 | 6 | ||
| Total | 43 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | 50 | 8 | |||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2018–19 | EFL Championship | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | |
| Crystal Palace | 2018–19 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Pafos | 2019–20 | Cypriot First Division | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| Saint-Étienne | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
| Career total | 357 | 64 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 382 | 72 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 25 May 2014 | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir,Colombes, France |  Guinea | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly | [41] |
| 2. | 7 September 2014 | Stade du 26 Mars,Bamako, Mali |  Malawi | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [42] |
| 3. | 15 October 2014 | Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali |  Ethiopia | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [43] |
| 4. | 24 January 2015 | Estadio de Malabo,Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Ivory Coast | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations | [44] |
| 5. | 25 March 2015 | Stade Pierre Brisson,Beauvais, France |  Gabon | 3–3 | 3–4 | Friendly | [45] |
| 6. | 31 March 2015 | Stade Sébastien Charléty,Paris, France |  Ghana | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | [46] |
| 7. | 9 October 2015 | Stade de l'Aube,Troyes, France |  Burkina Faso | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | [47] |
| 8. | 2–0 | ||||||
| 9. | 17 November 2015 | Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali |  Botswana | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | [48] |
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Crystal Palace
Individual
Mali squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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