A touching story provided by Yahoo! Deportes (Espana)’s Ruben Uria on FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita was recently published.  We are pleased to provide a translated version of this story after the jump.

You can find the original here.

The K Factor

The second soul of Barça has a name and it’s called, Seydou Keita. Gregarious of guarantee, second guitar of luxury and a star back-stage actor, Keita belongs to an old species of football player on the verge of extinction. His natural habitat is the well being of the team, he adapts to all positions and he pulls out all the stops. If you are missing the silken feet of Iniesta, Keita fills in with a less virtuous but effective pass; if maestro Xavi is absent, Keita becomes a sapper; if Mascherano isn’t involved in the game, Keita whips out the broomstick; if Busquets doesn’t play, Keita is a fender; if Piqué doesn’t exert as a field marshal, Keita puts in character and tackles; and if there’s a goal missing, Keita is enough to reverberate and break open the game. Out of media exposure, Keita takes on his role in base of the cause-effect principle: “If I don’t run, Messi doesn’t score. And if Messi scores, Barça wins. And if Barça wins, we all win.” Guardiola doesn’t hide the fact that the Malian is his favourite person, and that a while ago he’s been devoted to his diesel engine and the charm of the “K factor” of Barça: “The image of this squad is Seydou Keita. He never complains, he’s a hard working man and a wonderful human being.”

Forged in the rock plants of Bamako, Seydou Keita comes from a family in love with the ball. His uncle, Kalif Keita, became Africa’s Ballon d’Or in 1970, and it was he who polished his flaws in a football academy for young talents, before signing for Marseille at only 17 years of age. “The day I left Mali was the most important day in my life, another Keita was born.” His cousin, Muhamad Sissoko, now at Juventus, also reached fortune and fame in Europe. After 3 years at OM, Keita was chosen as MVP of Nigeria’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, in front of Ronaldinho and Lampard, two stars in the making. In the end, his national team would be knocked out in the semis by Spain, in a squad lead by none other than Xavi Hernandez. His debut was with Marseille subbing Dugarry, then he spent time in Lorient, he shone in Lens, and was recruited by Monchi for the Sevilla squad, revealing himself to be an admirable box-to-box midfielder.

Intended for Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola demanded Keita’s signing to play at the Camp Nou. He adapted in record time and became an essential part in the Culé tactical puzzle, Keita shone by his extraordinary versatility. He carried out all and every role that Guardiola made him develop: defensive midfielder, stopper, double pivot, left wing, false 9 and improvised central defender. In all of these challenges, the K factor came out victorious and sacrificed for the team. Keita, the most beloved person in the Culé locker room, knows that it is good to be important for the squad, but that it is more important to be a good person. To his CV as a secondary actor, he adds to this his own humanity. First with his family: “Thanks to football I have been able to help my family a lot”. And then with suffering people: “We have to help people in need, make other people happy is helping oneself”.

Samoura, a 15 year old girl that was born in Bamako, wasn’t exactly happy. She had a traffic accident and her spine was shattered. After passing through surgery with success in Dexeus Hospital in Barcelona, and after a call from Gabriel Masturroll – founder of the wonderful charity Alex Foundation – Samoura received an unexpected visit. Keita came to the hospital and presented himself in her room with a flower bouquet and a gift. Making Samoura smile was his most beautiful goal. Every time someone asks Guardiola for Keita, Guardiola gets excited: “Throughout my career I haven’t met another person with the human quality of Seydou and I don’t think I’ll find it the future.” Bellows and all heart, Keita now honours his Muslim faith and confesses that his main goal is to “reach Heaven in another life, trying to spread goodness in this one.”  Because as Beethoven once said, “The only symbol of superiority that men know, is goodness”.

Special thanks to Daniel for translating and sending this to totalBarca to share with everyone.