Abdoulaye Diaby

At 198cm and 101kg, Abdoulaye Diaby is built for the physical side of central defending. Born in Bamako, he came up through Djoliba AC before Royal Antwerp brought him to Belgium in 2018. He was pushed into the senior squad a year later but never made a first-team appearance, instead sent on loan to K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen, where he found his only goal in nine league outings.

A free transfer took him to Újpest FC in Hungary in June 2021, and it was there that he became a regular, making 45 league appearances and scoring five goals across two seasons. That form led to a move to FC St. Gallen in the Swiss Super League in June 2023, where he made 41 league appearances and scored once before his contract ran out. He then joined Grasshopper Club Zürich on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal with an option for a further season.

Diaby's clearest achievement, though, came with Mali's youth sides. After caps at U17 level, he moved up to the U20s and was part of the squad that won the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, scoring his penalty in the shootout that beat Nigeria in the final. He made his senior international debut for Mali in 2024 and has since earned caps for the national team, including a place in the squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.