Malian football player Salif Keita, who had worn the colors of AS Saint-Etienne and whose life had inspired the film “Le Ballon d’Or”, died on Saturday September 2. He was 76 years old.
The world of football is in mourning. Malian player Salif Keita, who had worn the colors of AS Saint-Étienne and Olympique de Marseille, died on Saturday September 2 in Bamako, at the age of 76. The life of the center-forward inspired the feature film Le Ballon d’Or, released in theaters in 1994.
In Le Ballon d’Or, directed by Cheik Doukouré, Salif Keita plays the character of Karim, coach of little Bandian, future football star. The Malian sportsman was also a technical advisor on this film in which the actress Agnès Soral is particularly famous.
First African Ballon d’Or in 1970, Salif Keita was an icon in Saint-Etienne, where he was nicknamed “The Black Panther”. During his time with the Greens between 1967 and 1972, he scored 140 goals in 185 games, winning three French league titles and two French Cups. Salif Keita had also worn the Mali team jersey thirteen times.