Sékou Mara

Sékou Mara (born 30 July 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Southampton.

Bordeaux
Mara made his professional debut for Bordeaux in a 2–0 Coupe de France loss to Toulouse on 10 February 2021. He scored his first professional goal in a 1–0 Ligue 1 win over Rennes on 2 May 2021. By scoring this goal, he became the youngest player to score a league goal for Bordeaux in almost 14 years.

Southampton
On 21 July 2022, it was confirmed by Bordeaux that they had accepted an offer from Southampton for Mara, and that the deal was subject to a medical. On 25 July 2022, Southampton confirmed that Mara had signed a four-year deal with the club. On 13 August 2022, Mara made his first Premier League appearance in Southampton’s 2–2 draw with Leeds United after he replaced Jan Bednarek. On 11 January 2023, Mara scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 quarter final EFL Cup victory against Manchester City. On 8 April 2023, Mara scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–4 defeat against Manchester City.

On 13 April 2024, he came on as a substitute for Ché Adams in the 80th minute of a 3–2 victory against Watford. Shortly afterwards, Mara struck Ryan Porteous in an unpunished off-the-ball incident. On 16 April 2024, the Football Association gave Mara a three-match suspension for violent conduct.

International career
Mara is a youth international for France. He has played matches at under-16, under-17, under-20, and under-21 level.

Personal life
Mara's mother, Audrey Crespo-Mara, is a French journalist and television presenter, and his father, Aliou Mara, is a Senegalese entrepreneur.

Honours
Individual
 * Maurice Revello Tournament Golden Boot: 2022
 * Maurice Revello Tournament Silver Ball: 2022
 * Maurice Revello Tournament Best XI: 2022