Sikou Niakaté is a centre-back born in Montreuil, France, in 1999. He developed through several French academies, including Paris Saint-Germain and Valenciennes, and played for Valenciennes, Guingamp and Metz before joining Braga, first on loan in 2022 and permanently in 2023. He represented France at youth level before choosing Mali and debuting for the senior team in 2023.