Cheick Diabate

Cheick Diabate of St Johnstone was born on 21 January 2002 (age 24).

Cheick Diabate, born on 21 January 2002 (age 24), is an English central defender whose senior career has been shaped above all by his spell at St Johnstone. At an imposing 6ft 4in (1.92m), he has the frame for the role, though his record in Perth also shows a defender capable of contributing at the other end.

St Johnstone is where his profile has properly formed. Across two league seasons, Diabate has made 41 league appearances and scored five league goals, a decent return for a centre-half in a side where defensive work tends to come before anything more decorative.

His most productive campaign came in 2025-26, when he played 34 league matches and scored four times. In 2026-27, he has added seven more league appearances and one league goal, remaining part of the St Johnstone back line.

Diabate’s career to date is a St Johnstone story: a tall central defender, still in his mid-twenties, with regular league football behind him and a clear body of work in Scotland.

📈 Key stats and insights

Cheick Diabate has made seven starts in seven Premiership appearances this season

Cheick Diabate has scored one goal in the 2026–27 Premiership

Cheick Diabate has collected three yellow cards and one red card in this Premiership campaign

Cheick Diabate averages a 6.88 rating this season with a season high of 7.48

Last updated 25 September 2026. Send feedback

Cheick Diabate stats

Check out all of the statistics about Cheick Diabate.

Central Defender
Primary Position: Defender
Position

Cheick Diabate

CD

1.92m (6ft 3in)
Height: 3
Squad Number: 84kg (13st 3lb)
Weight: 21 January 2002 (age 24)
Date of Birth: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Country of Birth: St Johnstone
Team

📊 Season stats

Team: St Johnstone
Premiership 2026 - 2027
Games: 7
Starting: 7
Substitute: -
Unused: -
Utilisation: 100%
Goals: 1
Yellows: 3
Reds: 1

In the 2026–27 Premiership Diabate has made seven appearances — all seven starts — and scored one goal; his regular selection at this early stage underlines a first-choice central-defender role, while three yellow cards and one red card point to a combative playing style with a disciplinary cost.

🔥 Recent form

Last 10 appearances for Cheick Diabate.

Season average rating: 6.88

Match: St. Johnstone 1-1 Falkirk
19 Sep 2026 (H)
Mins: 53
Goals: -
Rating: 5.7

Match: St. Johnstone 2-1 Hibernian
6 Sep 2026 (H)
Mins: 90
Goals: -
Rating: 6.9

Match: Dundee 1-1 St. Johnstone
2 Sep 2026 (A)
Mins: 90
Goals: -
Rating: 7.4

Match: Hearts 2-1 St. Johnstone
29 Aug 2026 (A)
Mins: 90
Goals: -
Rating: 6.5

Match: St. Johnstone 0-1 Celtic
9 Sep 2026 (H)
Mins: 90
Goals: -
Rating: 6.9

Match: St. Mirren 1-0 St. Johnstone
8 Aug 2026 (A)
Mins: 90
Goals: -
Rating: 7.1

Match: St. Johnstone 4-3 Kilmarnock
2 Aug 2026 (H)
Mins: 90
Goals: 1
Rating: 7.5

Match: St. Johnstone 1-1 East Fife
25 Jul 2026 (H)
Mins: 120
Goals: -
Rating: -

Match: Inverness CT 1-0 St. Johnstone
21 Jul 2026 (A)
Mins: 90
Goals: -
Rating: -

Match: St. Johnstone 3-0 Greenock Morton
18 Jul 2026 (H)
Mins: 90
Goals: -
Rating: -

Diabate averages a 6.88 season rating with a high of 7.48 and a low of 5.94 – the spread suggests match-to-match variability but an overall performance level close to 6.9 across his appearances this campaign.

📋 Career stats

Team: St Johnstone
Season 2026 - 2027
Country: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games: 7
Goals: 1

Team: St Johnstone
Season 2025 - 2026
Country: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games: 34
Goals: 4

Team: Exeter City
Season 2022 - 2023
Country: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games: 20
Goals: 1

Diabate joined Exeter City in July 2019, spent a loan spell at Bradford City from August 2024 until returning to Exeter in January 2025, and then moved to St Johnstone in July 2025; that sequence charts a progression from English league football into the Scottish Premiership by his mid-twenties.

💰 Transfers

Team: St Johnstone
7 July 2025
From: Exeter City
Type: Free Transfer

Team: Exeter City
5 January 2025
From: Bradford City
Type: Returned from loan

Team: Bradford City
30 August 2024
From: Exeter City
Type: Loan

Team: Exeter City
1 July 2019
Type: Signed

His transfer record features a loan to Bradford City in August 2024 with a return to Exeter in January 2025, followed by a free transfer to Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone in July 2025 — the moves comprise loan arrangements and a free transfer, with the St Johnstone move representing his first permanent switch into Scottish top-tier football.

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