| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1974-12-30)30 December 1974 (age 50) | ||
| Place of birth | Dakar, Senegal | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1990 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| 1991–1992 | Red Star | ||
| 1992–1994 | RFC Liège | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1995 | RFC Liège | 26 | (5) |
| 1995–1997 | Lommel | 48 | (2) |
| 1997–2001 | Club Brugge | 71 | (13) |
| 2000 | →Auxerre (loan) | 21 | (1) |
| 2001–2003 | Auxerre | 61 | (9) |
| 2003–2004 | Internazionale | 0 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Bolton Wanderers | 13 | (1) |
| 2005 | →Derby County (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2007 | Coventry City | 6 | (0) |
| 2008 | Gent | 17 | (0) |
| 2008 | Germinal Beerschot | 10 | (0) |
| 2011 | KSV Temse | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 277 | (31) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000–2008 | Senegal | 37 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Khalilou Fadiga (born 30 December 1974) is a Senegalese former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder.
He started his youth career at the Paris-based clubsParis Saint Germain andRed Star before going toFC Liège in the Belgian League. He made his senior debut atFC Liège in the 1994–1995 season before playing for Lommel (KVSK United) and Club Brugge. After a loan spell with Auxerre in 2000, he signed permanently for the club in 2001.
In the summer of 2003, he was signed by Inter. At Inter, doctors discovered that he had heart problems and he never appeared for the team. He opted not to retire. After leaving Inter, he had brief stints at Bolton, Derby County, Coventry City, Gent, Germinal Beerschot and KSV Temse.
He earned 37 caps for the Senegal national team. He was part of the Senegal team that defeated reigning champions France in the opening fixture of the2002 World Cup and made it to the quarter-finals. He was also part of the team that finished runner-up in the2002 African Cup of Nations.
Fadiga moved to France when he was six years old. Fadiga began his career atParis Saint-Germain in France but failed to make an impression, and so was transferred to fellow Parisian club,Red Star, before moving to Belgian clubRFC Liège.
It was in Belgium that he found the profile that was to launch his international career. After one season he moved fromFC Liège to Lommel, which is nowKVSK United. He played two seasons at Lommel before he was spotted byClub Brugge.
Fadiga quickly became a fan favorite. He scored nine goals in 67 appearances. In September 2000, the midfielder returned to France when he signed forAuxerre.
In all, he played in 82 league games for the French club, scoring 10 goals, as well as appearing in theChampions League andUEFA Cup during season 2002–03. In his final season at Auxerre, he helped them win the2002–03 Coupe de France, playing in the final as they defeatedParis Saint-Germain.[1]
Fadiga moved toInternazionale in the summer of 2003, but the discovery of heart problems did not allow him to feature for the Italian club, apart from appearing in a few friendly games during the summer. He was released from theSan Siro side after just one season but decided against retirement despite his heart problems.
English clubBolton Wanderers signed Fadiga for the 2004–05 season after he passed a medical. However, before he made an appearance for Bolton, he collapsed prior to a match in October, and had to be fitted with adefibrillator due to an irregular heartbeat. Despite stating his desire to return to the game, medical specialists urged him to retire, warning that if during a game his chest was knocked the defibrillator could fail, leading to instant death. However, following a period of rest and passing a medical, Fadiga returned to the Bolton squad in early 2005 and played in five games.
At the start of the 2005–06 campaign, Fadiga was loaned toDerby County of theFootball League Championship, making four appearances. On his return to theReebok Stadium, he took part in ten games, two of them in theUEFA Cup, before eventually being released in May 2006.
Without a club at the start of the 2006–07 season, he went on trial withPortsmouth and played for their reserve team. He also had trials atWatford andHull City, before eventually signing a four-month contract withCoventry City on 23 February 2007. In April 2007, he suffered a serious achilles injury in the home game against Preston, and it ended his time at Coventry.
He returned to his wife's homeland, signing withAA Gent. After one year, he moved in June 2008 toGerminal Beerschot, but left Beerschot after short time in December 2008.[2] He signed forThird Division clubKSV Temse in 2011, before retiring from the game.
Fadiga is married to a Belgian woman and has two kids,Noah and Naoel. Noah followed in his footsteps in becoming a professional footballer. Fadiga also holdsBelgian nationality.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 February 2000 | National Stadium,Lagos, Nigeria |  Nigeria | 1–0 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | 2000 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 2 | 21 July 2001 | Sam Nujoma Stadium,Windhoek, Namibia |  Namibia | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 6 June 2002 | Suwon World Cup Stadium,Suwon, South Korea |  Uruguay | 1–0 | 3–3 | 2002 FIFA World Cup |
| 4 | 26 March 2005 | Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor,Dakar, Senegal |  Liberia | 1–0 | 6–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
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