Cheick Doucouré

Cheick Oumar Doucouré (born 8 January 2000) is a Malian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Crystal Palace.

Club career Lens Doucouré developed as a youth player at JMG Academy Bamako. He then spent the 2016–17 season with Real Bamako before moving the following season to Lens. Doucouré quickly cemented his place at Lens in the 2018–19 Ligue 2 campaign with him playing a total of 34 games across all competitions that season.

Crystal Palace On 11 July 2022, Doucouré was signed by English club Crystal Palace on a five-year contract. In his first season, he was named the club's Player of the Year.

On 25 November 2023, Doucouré sustained an Achilles injury in a 2–1 loss to Luton Town, likely ruling him out for the rest of the 2023–24 season. On 28 February 2024, he extended his contract with Palace until 2029.

2024-25 season Doucouré returned to the first team, making 14 appearances before suffering a knee injury in early January 2025. He underwent surgery and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

2025–26 season On 4 September 2025, Doucouré was omitted from Crystal Palace’s squad for the UEFA Conference League league phase to allow for several more months of injury rehabilitation.

International career In October 2018, Doucouré received his first call-up to the Mali national team. He made his debut for Mali in a 1–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification win over Gabon on 17 November 2018.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Crystal Palace FA Cup: 2024–25 UEFA Conference League: 2025–26 Individual Crystal Palace Player of the Season: 2022–23