Mahamadou Diarra is an experienced Malian international footballer who plays for the Spanish and European giants Real Madrid. Diarra plays in the defensive midfield position for both club and country and is a hard, anchorman in midfield.

Diarra had previously played for the Greek side OFI Crete and Dutch club Vitesse before he joined French powerhouse Lyon in 2002. He stayed there for four highly successful seasons and was often compared to Claude Makelele.

He was signed by Real Madrid for a staggering 26 million euro in the summer of 2006 and helped Real Madrid win the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 Sanish league titles.

Diarra is an established international player for Mali and has featured 22 times for them so far.