Cheikhou Kouyaté is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Senegal national team as a defensive midfielder or centre-back.

Kouyaté moved to Belgium from Senegal in 2006 after being granted a youth contract with RWDM Brussels. He appeared in ten games before joining Anderlecht at the age of 19, where he played 206 games and won the Belgian First Division A four times. He joined West Ham United of the Premier League in June 2014, then four years later, he moved to Crystal Palace for an estimated £9.5 million.

Kouyaté was a member of Senegal’s Olympic team in 2012. He has been part of two FIFA World Cups and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, including Senegal’s 2021 title.