Mamadou Sakho is a French footballer who plays as a central defender for Premier League club Liverpool and the French national team. He is known for his leadership credentials, his tireless engine, hard-working attitude, and his tackling ability. He has also been praised for his "physical and tactical qualities".
Sakho is both a French youth international and senior international. He has earned caps and captained all youth levels. Before earning his first call-up to the senior team, Sakho was playing on the under-21 team serving as the captain.
On 5 August 2010, Sakho was called up to the senior team for the first time by new manager Laurent Blanc for the team's friendly match against Norway on 11 August 2010. He didn't make his international debut in the match, but was subsequently called up by Blanc for national team matches in September and October 2010. On 17 November 2010, Sakho made his senior international debut against England in a 2–1 win at Wembley Stadium.
On 19 November 2013, in the second leg of their 2014 World Cup qualifying play-off against Ukraine, Sakho scored his first and second international goals, giving Les Bleus a 3–2 aggregate win to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.