Souleymane Diamoutene Malian footballer, defender Date of Birth: 30.01.1983 Country: Mali

1. Early Life and Career in Mali
2. Move to Italy and Professional Debut
3. Serie A Debut and First Goal
4. Success at Lecce
5. Loan Spells to Roma and Bari
6. International Career

Early Life and Career in Mali

Souleymane Diamoutene is a Malian footballer who plays as a defender for Italian club Pescara. His professional career began in his native Mali with the club Djoliba.

Move to Italy and Professional Debut

In 2001, Diamoutene moved to Italy to join Udinese, where he played for the club's Primavera (youth) team. He subsequently transferred to third-tier club Lucchese after impressing in a friendly match against Pisa. With Lucchese, he made his professional debut in Serie C1.

Serie A Debut and First Goal

In 2003, Diamoutene moved to Perugia, where he debuted in Serie A. During his time at Perugia, he scored his first career goal in a Coppa Italia match against Chievo.

Success at Lecce

In 2004, Diamoutene joined Lecce, where he quickly became a regular starter. Despite being relegated to Serie B in the 2005/2006 season, he helped the club return to the top flight two seasons later. In the 2007/2008 season, Diamoutene was named to the second-tier's symbolic team of the year, becoming the only player to be included in all ballots.

Loan Spells to Roma and Bari

In January 2009, Diamoutene was loaned to Roma for €100,000, with an option to purchase the player for €3.15 million. He made his debut for Roma against Siena, replacing Juan. He also made his European debut three days later, starting in a Champions League match against Arsenal. In August, Diamoutene was sent on another loan to Bari, where he made three appearances.

International Career

Diamoutene began his international career as a member of the under-19 team, playing in the FIFA U-19 World Cup. He went on to represent the senior Malian national team in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.