Cheikhou Kouyate has retired from professional football and has revealed that he suffered from a heart problem throughout his career.
The former West Ham United midfielder told Walf TV: "I have suffered from this heart problem since birth. I played with it. In England, it was monitored every six months. I had medical check-ups at West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest. Every time I had the tests, the problem reappeared.
"The doctors always pointed out the problem to me, but I took responsibility myself. I signed the insurance papers stating that anything that might happen to me would be my responsibility."
Kouyate joined West Ham in 2014, where he starred for the club with his Senegalese teammate Diafra Sakho. He helped the Hammers give Upton Park a fantastic farewell and played 90 minutes in the last game at the ground: the 3-2 win over Manchester United.
The midfielder also scored the first-ever goal at the London Stadium. He netted a brace as the Hammers defeated NK Domzale 3-0 to win 4-2 on aggregate. Unfortunately, the Hammers would go on to lose to Astra Giurgiu in the next round of Europa League qualifying that season.
Cheikhou Kouyate was a good player for West Ham
He made 147 appearances in total for West Ham, scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists. Kouyate was a versatile option for the Hammers as he could play as a defensive and central midfielder as well as at the back. However, he left in 2018 to join Crystal Palace. There, he was reunited with ex-West Ham defender James Tomkins. At Palace, Kouyate would also play under Patrick Vieira, whom Sam Allardyce had previously compared the midfielder to.
Kouyate would also spend a season at Nottingham Forest before ending his career with Amedspor. After having a medical at his former club, Anderlecht, last summer, Kouyate was advised to retire because of his heart problem.
Since retiring, Kouyate has worked as an advisor for the Senegal national team. He played 92 times for his country and scored four goals with one assist. He also won the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with them. This was massive for the African side as they were runners-up in 2019.
At the World Cup over the summer, Senegal lost to Belgium in the round of 16. Kouyate also has Belgian citizenship from his time playing for Anderlecht. Kouyate represented his country at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Senegal is now managed by Kouyate's former Palace manager, Vieira. The former Arsenal midfielder played for France, but was born in Senegal's capital, Dakar. Vieira is so far undefeated as Senegal's manager, with wins against Comoros and Ethiopia, plus a draw with Mozambique. His focus is on qualifying them for the 2027 AFCON, which will take place in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
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