Mouhamadou Habibou “Habib” Diallo is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab and the Senegal national team. He started his early career as a graduate of Generation Foot, then went on to play for Metz, Strasbourg, and now Al-Shabab. He is the proud winner of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Championships.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
| Full Name | MOUHAMADOU HABIBOU DIALLO |
| Date of Birth | JUNE 18, 1995 |
| Nationality | SENEGALESE |
| Birth Place | Thies, Senegal |
| Height | 1.86 m (6ft 1 in) |
| Current Team(s) | Al Shabab, SENEGAL |
| Position | FORWARD |
| Debut | 2010 |
| Networth | €3.5 million |
| Agent | Wasserman |
EARLY LIFE
Habib Diallo was born on the 18th day of June 1995 in the city of Thies, Senegal. The name “Habib”, which we all know, is just a nickname. The footballer is the second child of his parents. The city Thiès where Habibou Mouhamadou Diallo’s family came from is regarded as the third-largest city in Senegal, with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005.
Habib Diallo’s parents operated a lower-middle-class family home, they could not afford the luxuries of life for their kids such as fancy toys so Habib played with the one football he had all day round and that’s when it all started. The youngster, after a successful application, was invited for trials by Generation Foot, a Dakar (Senegal’s capital) club founded by Mady Touré in 2000. From there he was scouted for FC Metz.
CLUB CAREER
METZ
Diallo was promoted to the senior team at Metz in the year 2015. He played 17 games in his debut season with the club, scoring 9 times. Later, he appeared in 19 matches for Metz during the Ligue 1 season of 2016-17, scoring once. In January 2017, he was loaned out to Brest for the remainder of the season after going down the pecking order and not impressing new manager Frédéric Hantz. Diallo had a successful time in Brittany, playing 16 times and scoring 7 goals. He went back on loan to Brest in the summer of 2017 under the management of Jean-Marc Furlan. He spent the entire season there as Brest finished 5th and he scored 9 goals in 33 games in Ligue 2.
Diallo would go on to have a prolific season with Metz after returning from loan, winning the Ligue 2 title and scoring 26 league goals in 37 games in the process. Diallo was included in the year-end UNFP Ligue 2 Team of the Season squad alongside 6 of his Metz teammates.
Diallo then showed exuberant performance in Ligue 1, scoring 6 times in his first 8 matches. In the January window, he was subject to interest and a reported bid from Premier League club Chelsea, but the move did not materialize. By the time the Ligue 1 was suspended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Diallo had contributed 12 goals with Metz sitting in 15th position in the table.
STRASBOURG
On 5 October 2020, Diallo joined Strasbourg on a five-year contract. He made 104 league appearances in total, scoring 48 goals and providing 10 assists.
AL-SHABAB
On 14 August 2023, Diallo joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab for a club record €20 million. which makes him the club’s most-ever expensive signing. Diallo arrived in Saudi Arabia after attracting interest from several European clubs, including Brentford and AS Roma, on the back of a brilliant season that saw him score 20 goals in Ligue 1 in his previous season.
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
Diallo made his debut for Senegal on 17 November 2018 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Equatorial Guinea, as a 55th-minute substitute for M’Baye Niang. Diallo was part of Senegal’s squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations; the Lions of Teranga went on to win the tournament for the first time in their history.
He was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal Macky Sall following the nation’s victory at the tournament. The 28-year-old was also part of the Senegal team that won the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations and most recently scored for his country against Brazil in a historic 4-2 victory.
AWARDS ACHIEVEMENTS
METZ
Ligue 2: 2018–19
SENEGAL
Africa Cup of Nations: 2021
INDIVIDUAL
UNFP Ligue 2 Team of the Season: 2018–19
UNFP Ligue 2 Player of the Month: August 2018
ORDERS
Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion: 2022
PERSONAL LIFE
He follows the Muslim religion. He was the target of many English Premiere league clubs like Chelsea and Newcastle before he signed for Al-Shabab. Diallo’s father wanted him to solely pursue his education but Generation Foot managers convinced him that he would be able to do both there.
NET WORTH
The highest market value is €8.9 million also the net worth is approximately £3,588,000.
FAMILY
Ousseynou Diallo is known to be the proud dad of Habib. Habib Diallo grew up alongside his siblings, an elder brother, and some younger ones.
PARTNER
Diallo is possibly single and has not been previously engaged. There are no known past relationships that have been discovered.
HOUSES
His premises locations are private, but he follows a luxurious lifestyle and owns stylish cars.