Cheick Oumar Dabo

Cheick Oumar Dabo
Born	(1981-01-12) January 12, 1981 Bamako, Mali
Occupation	Professional footballer
Known for	Football career as a forward for clubs including Bucheon SK, JS Kabylie, Le Havre, and Mali national team

Cheick Oumar Dabo (born 12 January 1981 in Bamako) is a professional footballer from Mali.

Bucheon SK

In 2002, Dabo became part of Bucheon SK in South Korea. As one of the few African players in the K-League, he earned selection for the K-League All-Stars Soccer in both 2002 and 2003, contributing goals in each appearance. Although named again in 2004, he did not take the field. During these events, he competed against prominent figures such as Lee Dong-Gook and Lee Young-Pyo, who later advanced to the Premier League.

JS Kabylie

Dabo marked his debut for JS Kabylie by converting a penalty against Asante Kotoko. In the CAF Champions League 2006, he scored three times, including a brace against Egypt’s Al Ahly. The following year, during the CAF Champions League 2007, he found the net five times across encounters with clubs like OS Balantas, Mangasport, and Cotonsport Garoua. His goals and assists were instrumental in propelling JS Kabylie to the Quarterfinals stage. Between February and May, he earned player of the month honors in the Algerian Championnat National and was ultimately recognized as the league’s Most Valuable Player. Finishing as top scorer with 17 goals in 27 matches, Dabo became the first foreigner to achieve this feat in Algeria. On 1 July, it was announced that he would transfer to Le Havre in France's Ligue 2 after completing his final JSK appearance against ES Sahel in the Champions League. Soon thereafter, Dabo was appointed as JSK’s first-ever non-Algerian captain, scoring twice during his inaugural match leading the team versus FAR Rabat.

Le Havre

Dabo made his debut for Le Havre on 20 August 2007, coming on as a substitute against Nantes. He registered his first goal and provided an assist in the match against Ajaccio on 28 September. Despite Le Havre clinching the Ligue 2 title in the 2007/08 season—Dabo’s initial campaign—his involvement was limited to six appearances with a single goal. Following this period and two moderately successful loan spells, he was released by Le Havre in summer 2010 without further first-team opportunities.

Tours

Due to scarce playing time at Le Havre, Dabo joined Championnat National club Tours on loan starting 29 January 2008. He scored during his debut in a 4–2 victory over Cherbourg. His goal-scoring run over five matches helped Tours secure second place that season, earning promotion to Ligue 2. Although both sides expressed interest in a permanent deal, Le Havre’s president Jean-Pierre Louvel demanded a high transfer fee, which stalled negotiations.

Niort

On 29 August 2008, Dabo moved on loan to another third-tier side, Niort. He made his first appearance on 12 September in a thrilling 3–3 draw with Cherbourg. His campaign was disrupted by changes in playing position and injuries requiring ankle surgery. Ultimately, he scored twice during a season that ended with Niort’s relegation.

El Jadida

After netting three goals and providing one assist over three matches for Le Havre’s reserve team in the 2009–10 season, Dabo was overlooked for senior squad selection. Consequently, on 14 December 2009, he joined Difaa El Jadida on loan until season end. He debuted on 13 February in the African Champions League facing OS Balantas and scored twice in the return leg. Additionally, he scored on his league debut against FAR Rabat on 18 February. During his stint at DHJ, he accumulated eight goals across seventeen games—four each in league and Champions League competitions—contributing significantly to their third-place finish. Including reserve matches, his total reached eleven goals from twenty appearances that season.

Alahly Benghazi

In the summer of 2010, Dabo transferred to Al Ahly Benghazi, a club competing in the Libyan Premier League, following his departure from Le Havre. He marked his first appearance by netting a goal against Al Hilal on 18 August.

Clubs

His career included stints with Konate and Djoliba based in Bamako, Mali, as well as with Gençlerbirliği in Turkey's Süper Lig. He also played for Bucheon SK in South Korea's K-League. After concluding his time with Dubai Club in the UAE League during summer 2006, he signed with Kabylie competing in the Algerian Championnat National.

International career

Dabo was selected for the Mali squad participating in the 2002 African Nations Cup, which took place in Mali. He entered as a substitute during their 0–1 defeat to Nigeria. His impressive performances at Kabylie led to his inclusion in Mali’s lineup for African Nations Cup qualifying matches against Benin and Sierra Leone in June 2007, where he was a starter in both fixtures.

International goals

Scores list Mali's goals first.
Cheick Oumar Dabo: International Goals
Dabo recorded 7 goals representing Mali.

#	Date	Location	Opponent	Score	Outcome	Tournament
1	7 April 2001	Stade Modibo Keita, Bamako, Mali	Template:Fb	3–0	Victory	WAFU Qualifier
2	3 November 2001	Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali	Template:Fb	3–2	Win	Amilcar Cabral Cup
3	5 November 2001	Stade Amari Daou, Ségou, Mali	Template:Fb	2–0	Win	Amilcar Cabral Cup
4	11 November 2001	Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali	Template:Fb	2–1	Win	Amilcar Cabral Cup Third Place Match

Honors

• K-League All-Star selection: 2002, 2003
• Leading scorer of Algerian Championnat National: 2006/07
• Algerian Championnat National Most Valuable Player: 2006/07
• Champion of Ligue 2: 2007/08 (appeared in six matches)