Sylla started his football career at French Second Division club Créteil, on the outskirts of Paris, before moving on to Le Havre when he was 18.

[4] He also played for Le Mans,[5][6] before moving to Scotland to sign for St Johnstone, where he was considered to be a fan favourite.

[14] He then had a short stint with Scottish Premier League club Kilmarnock in early 2007[15] and a trial with Nottingham Forest,[16] before retiring.

Born in the Ivory Coast, Sylla played for the Guinea national team internationally making 56 appearances between 1999 and 2007.

From age 10, he was brought up by his sisters in Paris, as his mother, Massiami Bamba, and father believed that opportunities would be better for him than they were in Africa.