Nouha Dicko

Nouha Dicko (born 14 May 1992) is a professional footballer who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers, as a winger and striker. Born in France, he represents Mali at international level.

Dicko was born in Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, a commune in the suburbs of Paris. He grew up in the city with his family, who originate from Mali.

Early career

Dicko began playing football at the age of six with local club Jeanne d'Arc de Maisons-Alfort. At the age of 13 he was signed by Créteil-Lusitanos, staying at the club for three seasons before moving to Strasbourg in spring 2007.

Following his arrival, Dicko's progress was hindered by a number of injuries during his first season at the club, including an ankle injury that kept him out of action for four months. He made his debut for Strasbourg's reserve team in the 2009–10, impressing on a number of occasions despite the team's relegation to CFA 2. His first team debut came during the following season against Stade Plabennecois in a Championnat National match in September 2010.

Wigan Athletic

In 2011, Strasbourg released Dicko due to financial difficulties, and he was offered a trial with Premier League side Wigan Athletic, signing with the club a few weeks later. He made his senior debut for Wigan on 13 September 2011 in a League Cup match against Crystal Palace.

On 27 January 2012, he joined Blackpool on loan until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win against Doncaster Rovers, and went on to score four goals in 11 league appearances for the club. He came on as a substitute in Blackpool's 2–1 defeat in the 2012 Championship play-off final against West Ham United. He re-signed for Blackpool on a season-long loan on 17 August 2012. He was recalled from his loan on 3 January 2013.

On 28 March 2013 Dicko moved on loan again, entering his first spell with English Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He made only four substitute appearances, scoring once, as the club unsuccessfully fought to avoid relegation under Dean Saunders.

Dicko began the 2013–14 season by appearing as a substitute in Wigan's Community Shield defeat to league champions Manchester United. However, new Wigan manager Owen Coyle did not select him for any league games and Dicko's only playing time for the club came in the Europa League and League Cup.

In November 2013 he was loaned out to League One club Rotherham United until January 2014. He was recalled by new Wigan manager Uwe Rösler in late December.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 13 January 2014 Dicko moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee of £300,000, signing a two-and-a-half year contract. Dicko scored two goals on his second debut for the club, on 25 January 2014. On 18 April, he scored a hat-trick against Rotherham United in a 6–4 victory. He ended the 2013–14 season as the club's top scorer. He signed a new three-year contract with the club in June 2015, and was given squad number 9. He suffered knee ligament damage in September 2015, putting him out-of-action for nine months.

Although born and raised in France, Dicko is eligible to play for the Mali national football team through his parents, who both come from the Yélimané Cercle area. He was called up by Mali to their international squad in May 2014. He made his debut on 25 May 2014 in a friendly against Guinea, played in Colombes, France. In November 2014 he picked up an injury while on international duty.