For people with similar names, see Mohamed Sylla.
Momo Sylla
Full nameMohammed Sylla[1]
Birth date13 March 1977 (age 49)
Birth placeBouaké, Ivory Coast
Height1.83 m[2]
PositionWinger
Years 11995–1996
Years 21996–1999
Years 31997–1998
Years 41999–2000
Years 52000–2001
Years 62001–2005
Years 72005–2007
Years 82007
Clubs 1Créteil
Clubs 2Le Havre
Clubs 3→ Noisy-le-Sec (loan)
Clubs 4Le Mans
Clubs 5St Johnstone
Clubs 6Celtic
Clubs 7Leicester City
Clubs 8Kilmarnock
Caps 142
Caps 266
Caps 347
Caps 436
Caps 535
Caps 647
Caps 734
Caps 811
Totalcaps318
Goals 17
Goals 211
Goals 316
Goals 414
Goals 55
Goals 63
Goals 70
Goals 80
Totalgoals56
Nationalyears 11999–2007
Nationalteam 1Guinea
Nationalcaps 156
Nationalgoals 122

Mohammed "Momo" Sylla (born 13 March 1977)[3] is a former professional footballer who played as a winger. Born in Ivory Coast, he played for the Guinea national team at international level.

Club career

Sylla started his football career at French Second Division club Créteil, on the outskirts of Paris, before moving on to Le Havre when he was 18.[4] He also played for Le Mans,[5][6] before moving to Scotland to sign for St Johnstone, where he was considered to be a fan favourite.[7] Sylla was also considered to be quite an aggressive player during his time at St. Johnstone, as he picked up 16 yellow cards.[4]

Celtic signed him for £650,000 in August 2001.[8] Sylla played in a variety of different positions while at Celtic, but was never a first-team regular.[9] Celtic won the league twice during Sylla's time at the club in 2001–02 and 2003–04.[10][11] Sylla contributed nine league appearances to the first of these titles and fourteen to the second.[12][13]

Celtic released Sylla in 2005 and he then signed for Leicester City at the beginning of the 2005–06 season.[14] He then had a short stint with Scottish Premier League club Kilmarnock in early 2007[15] and a trial with Nottingham Forest,[16] before retiring.

International career

Born in the Ivory Coast, Sylla played for the Guinea national team internationally making 56 appearances between 1999 and 2007.[3]

Personal life

Sylla is the youngest of six children. He has two brothers and three sisters. From age 10, he was brought up by his sisters in Paris, as his mother, Massiami Bamba, and father believed that opportunities would be better for him than they were in Africa.[4]

He is one of at least two Guinean football players commonly known as Mohammed Sylla. Another, Mohamed Lamine Sylla, played with Willem II, Martigues and Ayr United, amongst others.[17] The overlapping nature of the two players' careers has led to a degree of media confusion regarding the details of their transfers.

Honours

Celtic

Individual

References

  1. ^
  2. ^
  3. ^ 2805
  4. ^ "Sylla listens without prejudice". The Scotsman. 20 October 2002. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  5. ^ Profile Archived 8 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine at britishantasyfootball.com
  6. ^ Profile Archived 18 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine at lequipe.fr
  7. ^ "Fans cleared of Sylla race abuse charge; Celtic star Momo asks sheriff to free pair". Evening Times. 31 December 2002. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  8. ^ "Celtic sign trio on deadline day". BBC Sport. 2 August 2001. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  9. ^ "English duo are waiting on Sylla". BBC Sport. 2 March 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  10. ^ "Five-star Celtic claim title". BBC. 6 April 2002. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Celtic win Scottish title". BBC. 18 April 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  12. ^
  13. ^
  14. ^ "Sylla makes switch to Leicester". BBC. 1 June 2005. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Kilmarnock sign Leicester's Sylla". BBC. 11 January 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Forest look at Sylla". Sky Sports. 30 October 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  17. ^ Ayr United Match reports 1997-98 Archived 19 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Hand of David Ayr United Fans Site.