Cheick Tioté

Cheick Tioté was an Ivorian professional footballer renowned for his role as a defensive midfielder. Born on June 21, 1986, in Yamoussoukro, he began his football journey with youth club FC Bibo before making his professional debut in 2005 with Belgian First Division A team Anderlecht.

In 2008, after a loan spell at Roda JC, Tioté joined FC Twente in the Eredivisie, where he celebrated a league title in his second season. His career took a significant turn in August 2010 when he signed with Premier League club Newcastle United for a fee of three point five million pounds. Over six and a half seasons, he made 156 appearances for Newcastle, contributing one goal to the team's efforts.

In February 2017, Tioté transitioned to China League One, joining Beijing Enterprises Group. Tragically, his life was cut short when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a training session in June 2017, at the age of thirty.

On the international stage, Tioté represented the Ivory Coast national team 55 times between 2009 and 2015, scoring once. He was a key player in two FIFA World Cups and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, culminating in a victory in the 2015 edition of the latter.