Cheikhou Kouyate played for a number of Premier League clubs and did so with a heart problem which has caused him to retire from football
Former West Ham United and Crystal Palace star Cheikhou Kouyate has been forced to retire from football due to a heart condition he kept secret. The Senegal international made 296 appearances over a decade in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest his last club in England back in 2024.
He was a free agent for just over year after taking a break before joining Turkish Super Lig side Amed SK in September 2025, but he was only there for a few months.
Kouyate, who has a dual citizenship with Belgium, began his career at FC Brussels u19s before playing for their senior team, Kortrijk and Anderlecht.
He got the opportunity to return to the latter as a coach and continue playing this summer, but he was advised to stop the with the 36-year-old now revealing what defect caused him to retire that he had been dealing with for his entire career.
Speaking to Senegalese channel Walf TV, he said: “I suffered from this heart problem since birth. I played with it. In England, it was monitored every six months. I had medical check-ups at West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest. Every time I had the tests, the problem reappeared.
“The doctors always pointed out the problem to me, but I took responsibility myself. I signed the insurance papers stating that anything that might happen to me would be my responsibility.
“Anderlecht called me [in the summer] to play there and also to start training as a coach. But after the medical examination, the doctor asked me to stop playing football.”
Kouyate had a number of minor injuries during his career but did not seemingly miss any action because of his heart issue. That was because of the very specific circumstances of how it came into play.
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He added: “The problem is at high altitude. If I play in the heat, it hurts terribly, during and after matches. It feels like a side stitch, for about five minutes, and then it goes away.
“When it happens, after the match, I get painful cramps. After 24 hours, it stops. I never said anything. I didn’t want to be forced to stop early. I never told my family, not even the national team doctors. They didn’t know about my problem.”
Kouyate’s versatility saw him deployed in midfield and defence which resulted in him scoring just 19 goals but pick up 13 assists.
He also played 92 times for Senegal and scored four times with his last appearance coming off the bench in a friendly win against Benin in March 2024.
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