Sidi Yaya Keita (born 20 March 1985) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Born in Bamako, Keita moved to France at 18, signing for RC Strasbourg and spending his first year with the reserves, proceeding to be relatively used by the first team in the following two Ligue 1 seasons.
On 25 August 2007, he scored his first goal as a professional, in a 2–1 loss at former club Strasbourg, but the campaign eventually ended in relegation.
On 31 August 2009, Keita was loaned to Xerez CD in Spain, as the Andalusians were having their first La Liga experience.
[2][3] He made his first appearance on 27 September in a 0–0 away draw against RCD Espanyol,[4] and quickly won the battle for first-choice holding midfielder over legendary club player Vicente Moreno, but they eventually dropped down a division.