[2] People play football widely, with formal fields in almost every town of any size, and pickup games among children common in a country with few luxuries.

At independence, the new government reorganised the sport leagues, combining a number of the larger teams with nearby clubs.

At Saint-Étienne, Keita won the African Footballer of the Year in 1970, the first Malian to win the award, and later played in Spain, Portugal, and the United States.

In a path blazed by Keita, the country has produced several other notable players for French teams, including Jean Tigana, and Frédéric "Fredi" Kanouté, named 2007 African Footballer of the Year, but latterly elected to play for Mali instead.

Other notable players currently on European squads include, Drissa Diakité (SC Bastia), Modibo Maïga (West Ham United), Adama Coulibaly (Valenciennes FC), Cheick Diabaté (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), and Yacouba Sylla (Stade Rennais F.C.).