Sory Kaba (born 28 July 1995) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Al-Dhafra, and the Guinea national team.
Club career
Born in Conakry, Kaba moved to Spain at early age and joined Alcobendas' youth setup in September 2012. He made his senior debut during the 2013–14 season, helping in their promotion to Tercera División.
On 29 January 2016, Kaba joined Elche, being assigned to the reserves also in the fourth tier. On 13 May of the following year he made his first team debut, coming on as a second-half substitute for Álex Fernández in a 1–0 Segunda División home loss against Mirandés.
Kaba scored his first professional goal on 28 May 2017, netting the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw against Reus. On 29 July, after suffering relegation, he extended his contract for three years and was definitely promoted to the first team.
On 31 January 2019, the last day of the 2018–19 winter transfer window, Kaba signed with Ligue 1 side Dijon having agreed a 4+1⁄2-year contract. The club paid a €4 million transfer fee to Elche triggering a release clause.
On 5 July 2019, Danish Superliga club Midtjylland announced that they had signed Kaba on a five-year contract. On 31 August 2021, Kaba moved to Belgian First Division A club OH Leuven on loan for the 2021–22 season. OH Leuven secured an option to sign him permanently. On 1 June it was confirmed that Kaba was returning to Midtjylland, as the Belgian club had decided not to exercise the option to buy the striker.
On 31 January 2023, the last day of the winter transfer window, Kaba joined EFL Championship club Cardiff City on loan until the end of the season.
On 17 August 2023, Kaba officially joined La Liga club Las Palmas for a reported fee of over €2 million, signing a four-year contract with the club. On 30 August of the following year, he returned to former side Elche on a one-year loan deal.
International career
Kaba was first called up for the Guinea national team on 25 September 2017, for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Tunisia. He made his full international debut on 7 October, replacing Demba Camara in the 4–1 loss.
In January 2022, he was selected by selection Kaba Diawara to participate in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 22 September 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Elche | 2016–17 | Segunda División | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | 5 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | Tercera División | 34 | 13 | 5 | 2 | – | – | 39 | 15 | |||
| 2018–19 | Segunda División | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 8 | |||
| Total | 59 | 22 | 5 | 2 | – | – | 64 | 24 | ||||
| Dijon | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Midtjylland | 2019–20 | Danish Superliga | 30 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 32 | 8 | |
| 2020–21 | Danish Superliga | 27 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 1 | – | 42 | 14 | ||
| 2021–22 | Danish Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Danish Superliga | 16 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | – | 27 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24 | Danish Superliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | – | 8 | 1 | ||
| Total | 77 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 25 | 4 | – | 109 | 27 | |||
| OH Leuven (loan) | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 26 | 10 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 29 | 12 | ||
| Cardiff City (loan) | 2022–23 | Championship | 17 | 8 | – | – | – | 17 | 8 | |||
| Las Palmas | 2023–24 | La Liga | 17 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 20 | 2 | ||
| Elche (loan) | 2024–25 | Segunda División | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 208 | 61 | 19 | 8 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 253 | 73 | ||
International
- As of matches played on 10 October 2020
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guinea | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 14 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Guinea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kaba goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 June 2019 | Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt | Egypt | 1–1 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | 22 June 2019 | Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt | Madagascar | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 3 | 10 October 2020 | Estádio Municipal de Albufeira, Albufeira, Portugal | Cape Verde | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Honours
FC Midtjylland
