Koné endured a difficult start to PSV's 2007–08 season: due to a date mix-up, he returned late to pre-season training following a holiday in his country, thus missing out on valuable time to prepare for the new campaign.

[7] He made his Liga debut on 16 September as a second-half substitute for Frédéric Kanouté in a 4–1 win against Recreativo de Huelva – he won a penalty in the game, but fellow striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov failed to convert.

[9][10] On 2 October, he netted his first UEFA Champions League goal for the club in a 4–2 group stage win against Slavia Prague after just ten minutes on the pitch.

[16] Koné subsequently fell out of favour at Sevilla[17] and, after much transfer speculation,[18][19][20] in February 2010 he joined Bundesliga club Hannover 96 on loan until the end of the season.

[23] Koné was rested for the final three games of the season due to a minor injury, and also because he was "scoring too many goals", as if he reached 18 he would have to return to Sevilla automatically,[24] something he did not desire.

Koné played for the Mama Ouattara-led Ivory Coast under-20 team in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he starred alongside Lierse teammate Adolphe Tohoua.

He scored three goals in the tournament – once against Mexico in a 2–1 win, and twice in the 2–2 draw against the Republic of Ireland – in an eventual round-of-16 exit, and the official FIFA website declared him to be a "crucial pivot for the attacking thrust" of the Ivorian team, and described him as a player possessing "physical strength, aerial ability and good ball control".

He replaced Abdul Kader Keïta in the 77th minute of the first game, a 1–2 loss against Argentina, and started in the other two – going scoreless in the process – as the national team did not make it to the knockout stages.

[49][50][51] After spending four years in the international wilderness due to injuries and loss of form, Koné was recalled to the Ivorian squad in 2012 and was named in the squad for the 2013 African Cup of Nations due to his club form at Wigan, with boss Roberto Martínez commenting on his player's international return, "Arouna had a long period when he wasn't involved with the national team, and that was hard because he loves representing his country.

[54] Koné attributes his peroxide blonde hair to former basketball player Dennis Rodman, and states that his footballing heroes were Liberian legend George Weah and Brazilian superstar Ronaldo.