Born on 10th May 2002, Belgian-born midfielder Mandela Keita has established himself as a strong central defensive midfielder. Standing 5ft 11in tall (1.81m) and weighing 12st 3lb (78kg), Keita has also displayed his talents on the international stage, representing the Belgian U21 national team. He currently graces the football pitch sporting the number 16 jersey for Serie A club, Parma.
Keita's professional career began back in July 2016 when he joined Pro League club Oud-Heverlee Leuven in Belgium as a trainee. Over the course of four seasons between 2020 and 2024, Keita made 35 first team appearances for the club in league matches, with his debut season featuring just one said appearance.
In a temporary change of surroundings, Keita was loaned to Royal Antwerp, another Pro league team in Belgium, in January 2023. During his time with Royal Antwerp spanning two seasons, he added 31 league game appearances to his name. He returned briefly to his former club, Oud-Heverlee Leuven, before securing a permanent transfer to Royal Antwerp in August 2023 for a fee of around £4.3m.
Keita's spell at Antwerp barely lasted a year before another opportunity arose. This time, he transferred to Parma in the Serie A in Italy for a grander sum of around £10m in August 2024. His current season at Parma sees him having made two first team appearances in league matches so far.
While his club career continues on an upward trajectory, Mandela Keita has made impressive strides on the national Football front as well. He represented Belgium in the UEFA U21 Qualifiers in 2023 with two starts, added to his three starts in the following UEFA U21 Championship Qualifiers in 2024-2025. A testament to his potential and talent, it will be interesting to see where his career path will lead him in the future.
