Djiman Koukou

Djiman Waidi Koukou (born 14 November 1990) is a Beninese professional footballer who most recently played as a midfielder for French club Les Herbiers VF. He made 42 appearances for the Benin national team scoring once.

Club career Born in Porto-Novo, Koukou played for Requins de l'Atlantique FC and Soleil FC in his country. On 5 July 2009, he signed with Thonon Évian F.C. in France, going on to play two seasons in the third division.

After a successful year with US Créteil-Lusitanos, Koukou joined Portuguese club S.C. Beira-Mar in late June 2011, on a free transfer. He was immediately loaned to Segunda Liga team C.F. Os Belenenses, appearing in slightly more than half of the games during his only campaign.

Koukou failed to break into the first team with the Aveiro side, and returned to France in the summer of 2012. He trained with amateurs UMS Montélimar for several months, and eventually signed in February 2013.

In January 2013, Koukou went on trial with Chamois Niortais F.C. from Ligue 2. After training for 15 days, he was offered a contract until the end of the season by manager Pascal Gastien, and went on to compete with the team in three and a half second level seasons whilst playing 125 matches across all competitions.

In early July 2016, Koukou joined RC Lens – also of the French division two – on a two-year deal. He scored his first and only league goal for them on 28 November 2017, helping the hosts defeat AC Ajaccio 2–0.

Koukou moved to the Romanian Liga I on 28 September 2018, agreeing to a two-year contract at FC Astra Giurgiu. One year later, he returned to France and its third tier by signing with recently relegated Red Star FC.

International career Koukou made his debut for Benin in 2008, being selected for that year's Africa Cup of Nations. He earned his first cap on 7 September, in a 3–2 home win against Angola for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Career statistics Club