Bakary Sako (born 26 April 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for French Championnat National 2 club FC 93.

[6] During the 2008–09 season Sako became an integral part of the team, helping the club narrowly avoid relegation on the final day.

[citation needed] On 9 July 2009, Sako departed Châteauroux for Ligue 1 club Saint-Étienne, where he signed a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

[citation needed] On 29 August 2012, Sako signed for Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee that was reported to be £2.2 million.

[13] Sako was the subject of transfer speculation during Summer 2013 with interest from Fulham in June 2013 but the London club did not meet a reported £4 million asking price.

[8] Owing to his uncertain future, the player did not play in Wolves' final match of the transfer window as he "didn't feel he was in the right frame of mind".

[14][15] In October 2013, Forest again attempted to set up a deal but Wolves pulled out of negotiations citing that "the terms surrounding the offer were unrealistic".

Out of contract with the club, he voiced his desire to play in the Premier League,[19] while head coach Kenny Jackett stated that he expected Sako to depart.

[36] His first goal in competitive internationals came when he scored the opener in a 2–0 win over Malawi in an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match played in Bamako on 7 September 2014.

[37][38] In December 2014 Sako was called up to the Mali squad for the finals of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Equatorial Guinea in January 2015.

This too ended in a 1–1 stalemate, meaning that five of the six games in group D finished 1–1 and this led to the drawing of lots between Mali and Guinea to decide who qualified for the quarter finals and who went home.