Sikou Niakaté

Sikou Niakaté (born 10 July 1999) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Metz on loan from Guingamp.

Club career Niakaté made his professional debut for Valenciennes FC in a 1–0 Ligue 2 loss to Nîmes Olympique on 31 July 2017, making his appearance at the age of 18.

On 31 August 2018, the last day of the 2018 summer transfer window, Niakaté joined Ligue 1 side Guingamp on a five-year contract. He was immediately loaned back to Valenciennes for the remainder of the season.

On 12 August 2021, he joined Metz on a season-long loan with an option to buy.

International career Niakaté was called up to the France national under-17 football team in December 2015, becoming the first player in Évreux FC 27 history to do so. Niakaté was called up to the Mali national football team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Gabon.