Cheick DIARRA

In the Summer of 2011, Stade Rennais recruited several young African strikers to bolster it’s U21/Reserve team, and saw them as a gamble for the future. Amongst these was Cheick Fantamady Diarra. This right-footed striker was one of the brightest prospects in Mali. Scouted by Rennes’ recruitment team at the Junior African Cup of Nations, Diarra signed his first professional contract for three seasons before flying off to the U20 World Cup, where he failed to get out of the 1st Round. At the end of 2011, Antonetti gave him a chance at Atletico Madrid. A year later, he scored his first Rennes goal at Ajaccio in a 4-2 win. On the last day of the transfer window in September 2013, he was loaned out to Istres. After a decent season, he was sent back out on loan, at Auxerre this time, in August 2014. He was subsequently released from his contract and signed permanently in Burgundy with Auxerre in February 2015.