Mamadou Sakho (born 13 February 1990) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Erovnuli Liga club Torpedo Kutaisi.

In July 2021, he joined Montpellier on a free transfer; he left the club in November 2023, following a physical altercation with manager Michel Der Zakarian.

[citation needed] Sakho struggled to adapt during his first year at the Camp des Loges, the headquarters of the club's youth academy, often refusing to accept orders handed out by the trainers, such as when to go to bed.

Following guidance from his parents and, particularly, under-13 Paris Saint-Germain coach Christian Mas, Sakho curbed his bad behavior and began to focus on his studies and football.

A day after his 17th birthday, manager Paul Le Guen called the youngster up for the club's UEFA Cup Round of 32 first leg match against AEK Athens on 14 February 2007.

Despite Sakho and the club putting up a strong fight, Ben Arfa scored two goals in a span of three minutes as Les Parisiens suffered a 3–2 defeat.

[13] On 29 March, Sakho started and play the full 90 minutes in the Paris Saint-Germain's 2–1 victory over Lens in the 2008 Coupe de la Ligue Final.

On 30 January 2009, due to his positive play and clubs from abroad constantly inquiring for his services, Paris Saint-Germain awarded Sakho a contract extension until the June 2012.

Midway through the season, Sakho was embroiled in controversy when he allegedly slapped a Le Parisien newspaper journalist at the Camp des Loges, the club's training center.

[20] In Europe, Sakho captained the team in their 5–4 aggregate victory over Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League playoff round.

However, after unconvincing performances in draws with Lyon, Caen, and Bordeaux, which resulted in the club losing its grip on first place, the captain was benched by Ancelotti and stripped of the captaincy.

Ancelotti based Sakho's benching on the increased competition in the squad as the Italian preferred the central duo of Milan Biševac and Alex.

[41] Intermittent injuries limited Sakho to just 19 appearances, however he played a key role in Liverpool's surprise title challenge where they eventually finished as runners-up in the Premier League.

[42] After a poor beginning to the season, manager Brendan Rodgers switched to a 3-man defensive line in October – with Sakho playing a crucial part.

[43] Sakho returned to the Liverpool team for a 2–2 draw with Arsenal on 22 December 2014[44] and went on to help the Reds to five clean sheets in eight Premier League matches.

On 17 September 2015, Sakho made his first start of the season; a man-of-the-match performance in a Europa League away match against Bordeaux, captaining the side in a 1–1 draw.

He coped against in-form striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 1–1 away draw in the first leg,[50] and then scored a header as they mounted a late comeback to win the second 4–3.

[52] During Liverpool's pre-season tour of the United States, Sakho was sent home by manager Jürgen Klopp for not respecting the rules that had been put in place for the squad.

[53] As a result, Sakho was demoted from the senior squad and thus only played competitive football with the reserves in the Professional Development League that season.

[56] Sakho followed this up with well-received performances in Palace's 1–2 victory at Stamford Bridge over league leaders Chelsea and a 3–0 home win over Arsenal.

[58][59] In July 2021, Sakho signed for Ligue 1 club Montpellier on a free transfer, after his Crystal Palace contract expired.

[63] On 11 June 2024, Georgian side Torpedo Kutaisi officially announced that they had reached an agreement for the signing of Sakho on a free transfer; as part of the deal, he would also serve in a managerial role within the club's youth academy.

Under Sakho's captaincy, the team reached the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and, later, the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup by virtue of their semi-final appearance in the UEFA-sanctioned tournament.

At the U-17 World Cup, which was held in South Korea, Sakho captained the team to a quarter-final appearance where they lost to Spain in a penalty shoot-out.

On 17 November 2010, Sakho made his senior international debut against England in a 2–1 win at Wembley Stadium, appearing as a substitute at the start of the second half for Philippe Mexès.

[80] He made his FIFA World Cup debut in the team's opening match, keeping a clean sheet in partnership with Raphaël Varane in a 3–0 win over Honduras.

[85][86] In April 2016, Richard Innes of the Daily Mirror described him as "a defensive maverick; a man who plays by his own rules", who practises an "often highly alternative approach" to defending.

[50] A tall and strong defender,[87] in 2013, Steve Hunter highlighted that Sakho's main traits are his tackling ability, work-rate, and leadership, although he also singled out the centre-back for his "physical and tactical qualities.

"[88] Despite not possessing a particularly good touch on the ball, which has led him to be criticised both by pundits and his teams' fans on occasion, he is also a highly competent passer, with Jack Lusby of Bleacher Report describing him as "Liverpool's best and most effective ball-playing centre-back" in 2015.

[43] On 23 April 2016, it was announced that Sakho was being investigated by UEFA for violating an anti-doping rule, after he was tested on 17 March following a Europa League game against Manchester United.