Last Updated on September 30, 2026 by Laurinda Jocias
Cheikh Tidiane Sabaly is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Vancouver Whitecaps FC and represents the Senegal national team. Born on March 4, 1999, in Kolda, Senegal, Sabaly grew up in the Saré Kémo area of Kolda before his football ability eventually took him to Génération Foot, FC Metz and Major League Soccer.
Family has played a major role throughout Sabaly’s journey. He grew up as one of seven children and has spoken warmly about being surrounded by his brothers and sisters while growing up in southern Senegal. His father, Momar Sabaly, supported his ambitions from childhood, while his mother, who died in 2012, remains an important emotional influence in his life. One of his older brothers, Amadou Sabaly, has also spoken publicly about Cheikh’s early football years.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Girlfriend or Wife
As of now, there is no reliable public confirmation identifying Cheikh Sabaly’s girlfriend or wife.
Sabaly has given numerous interviews during his years with FC Metz, the Senegal national team and Vancouver Whitecaps, but those conversations have generally concentrated on football, his childhood in Kolda and his family background rather than romantic relationships.
He has not publicly introduced a wife or girlfriend through an official club interview or another dependable mainstream source. His current relationship status should therefore be considered private.
Any names associated romantically with Sabaly through unofficial websites or social-media speculation should not be presented as confirmed without direct evidence from the player or a reliable publication.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Children
As of now, there is no reliable public confirmation that Cheikh Sabaly has children.
Official player profiles and interviews discussing his family do not identify him as a father, and Sabaly has not publicly announced having a son or daughter through a dependable source.
Because he generally keeps his private relationships away from football coverage, it is important not to make assumptions about children without public confirmation.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Parents
Cheikh Sabaly was raised in Kolda in southern Senegal by parents who strongly encouraged his football ambitions.
Sabaly has directly credited both his father and mother with believing in him when he began pursuing the sport seriously. He recalled that his parents supported, helped and encouraged him from the moment he started playing in football boots at around 13 years old.
He later said that their belief gave him considerable strength and that he owed much of his professional journey to the support he received at home.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Father: Momar Sabaly
Cheikh Sabaly’s father is Momar Sabaly.
Senegalese reporting identifies Momar as a retired employee of the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, commonly known as ISRA, Senegal’s agricultural research institute.
Momar remained in Senegal after Cheikh moved abroad to pursue professional football. Sabaly has said that his father continues to live in Senegal and that he visits him whenever possible.
His father has also spoken publicly with pride about his son’s career. During the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations period, Momar said that Cheikh had become a source of pride not only for the family but also for Senegal.
Momar was able to observe Cheikh’s football talent from an early age. He recalled that his son had already distinguished himself in school competitions before joining a major academy.
When Génération Foot conducted talent identification activities in Kolda, Sabaly earned the opportunity to continue testing in Dakar. His father remembered the move as unsurprising because of the ability Cheikh had already demonstrated as a young player.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Mother
Cheikh Sabaly’s mother played an important role during the earliest years of his life and football development, although her name has not been reliably disclosed in the strongest public sources available.
Sabaly has revealed that his mother died in 2012, when he was still a young teenager and before he joined Génération Foot.
The loss deeply affected him. Years later, while discussing his childhood with FC Metz, Sabaly explained that his mother remained part of his life despite her death.
He said that he continued to think about her regularly and that succeeding in football was one way of trying to make her proud.
Her death came shortly before a decisive period in Sabaly’s development. He began attracting greater attention in local football and eventually left Kolda for Génération Foot’s academy near Dakar.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Siblings
Cheikh Sabaly comes from a large family. Senegalese reporting describes him as one of seven children, while Sabaly himself has said that he grew up surrounded by brothers and sisters.
Football was part of life among the siblings. Sabaly recalled frequently playing matches with his brothers and neighborhood friends during his childhood in Kolda.
Most of his siblings have remained private and have not been identified by name in authoritative sports coverage. However, one older brother, Amadou Sabaly, has spoken publicly about Cheikh’s early career.
Amadou Sabaly
Amadou Sabaly is Cheikh Sabaly’s older brother. Senegalese media identifies him as a teacher.
Amadou also has a particularly interesting connection with Cheikh’s early football story because the brothers played together during Cheikh’s time with ASC Kémo.
Amadou recalled that Cheikh quickly stood out when he entered the club’s youth team. Despite being younger than many of the players around him, his performances immediately attracted attention.
According to Amadou, Cheikh repeatedly created scoring opportunities for him during those early matches. When those chances did not result in goals, the younger Sabaly began taking responsibility himself and showed the goalscoring ability that would later become an important part of his professional game.
Amadou remembered Cheikh scoring twice in one match before producing another impressive goal in the following game.
Those memories offer a rare glimpse into the brothers playing football together before Cheikh entered an elite academy environment.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Other Brothers and Sisters
Sabaly has additional brothers and sisters, but their names and personal backgrounds have not been widely documented.
Available reporting describes a family of seven children, meaning Cheikh grew up in a relatively large household in Kolda.
Because most of his siblings are private individuals, it would be inappropriate to identify people with the Sabaly surname as relatives without reliable confirmation.
What is firmly established is that football was something Cheikh shared with his brothers during childhood and that his wider family continued following his progress after he moved abroad.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Childhood With His Family in Kolda
Sabaly grew up in Kolda, in Senegal’s southern Casamance region, specifically around the Saré Kémo neighborhood.
Football was present from his earliest memories. He played informal matches with his brothers, friends and older children in the neighborhood, often on the sandy pitches common in the area.
Sabaly continued playing while attending school and participated in school competitions, where his ability increasingly became noticeable.
His father later remembered that Cheikh performed particularly well in school tournaments during his primary and early secondary education.
Although Sabaly loved football from an early age, he did not receive his first proper football boots until around 13. His pathway was therefore very different from that of players who enter elite academies during early childhood.
How His Parents Supported His Football Dream
Sabaly has repeatedly emphasized that his parents believed in his ambition even before professional football became realistic.
Their encouragement became especially important as he progressed from neighborhood football into organized competition and eventually faced the possibility of leaving Kolda.
Moving from southern Senegal to the Dakar area to join Génération Foot was a major transition for a young teenager. It required leaving the environment in which he had grown up with his father, siblings and friends.
Sabaly later explained that entering Génération Foot was the point at which he began realizing that football could become his profession.
The academy’s well-established relationship with FC Metz also gave him a visible pathway to European football.
The Death of Cheikh Sabaly’s Mother
The death of Sabaly’s mother in 2012 remains one of the most significant personal experiences he has discussed publicly.
Sabaly was still very young and had not yet reached the elite academy system when she died.
Rather than speaking about the loss frequently in public, he has described carrying her memory with him throughout his career.
When FC Metz asked about his childhood in 2023, Sabaly made clear that he still considered his mother an important presence in his life and wanted his achievements to make her proud.
His progression from Kolda to Génération Foot and eventually European professional football therefore happened while he continued carrying the memory of one of the parents who had first encouraged him.
Cheikh Sabaly and His Father Today
Sabaly has maintained a connection with his father despite spending much of his professional career thousands of kilometres from Senegal.
During his years in France, he explained that Momar continued living in Senegal and that he returned to see him whenever his schedule allowed.
Sabaly has similarly spoken about using his holidays to travel home and reconnect with family and friends.
The distance between Senegal and his European clubs was one of the sacrifices involved in his career, but returning home remained important to him.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Family and Génération Foot
Joining Génération Foot was one of the defining moments of Sabaly’s life.
After showing his ability in Kolda, he successfully came through the academy’s talent-identification process and moved to its residential setup at Déni Biram Ndao.
The move eventually provided him with a route to FC Metz, following the same development partnership that had previously helped other Senegalese players reach European football.
Sabaly joined Metz in 2018 and gradually established himself after loan spells with Pau and Quevilly-Rouen.
The professional career that followed fulfilled the dream his parents had encouraged when he was still playing football in Kolda.
His Family Followed His Rise With Senegal
Sabaly’s emergence as a Senegal international added another source of pride for his family.
He made his senior international debut in 2023 and later scored one of the most memorable goals of his career against England at Wembley in June 2025.
His progress continued when he formed part of Senegal’s squad that won the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
During that tournament, reporting from Kolda highlighted the excitement surrounding his performances among relatives, friends and people from his childhood neighborhood.
His father publicly expressed pride in seeing a boy who had grown up playing in Saré Kémo become a Senegal international competing on one of football’s biggest stages.
Cheikh Sabaly’s Move to Vancouver
Sabaly began another major chapter of his career in February 2026 when Vancouver Whitecaps FC acquired him permanently from FC Metz.
The transfer represented his first club experience outside Senegal and Europe.
Vancouver signed him through the 2028-29 MLS season, with a club option for 2029-30.
The move to Canada increased the distance between Sabaly and his relatives in Senegal, continuing a career in which professional opportunities have repeatedly required him to live far from home.
His connection with his family, however, had already remained strong through many years in France.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cheikh Sabaly’s Family
Who are Cheikh Sabaly’s parents?
Cheikh Sabaly’s father is Momar Sabaly. His mother’s name has not been reliably disclosed publicly. Both parents strongly supported his football ambitions during childhood.
Who is Cheikh Sabaly’s father?
Cheikh Sabaly’s father is Momar Sabaly, a retired employee of Senegal’s Institute of Agricultural Research. He lives in Senegal and has publicly spoken about his pride in his son’s football career.
Who is Cheikh Sabaly’s mother?
Sabaly’s mother has not been reliably identified by name in authoritative public sources. She died in 2012 when Cheikh was still a young teenager.
Does Cheikh Sabaly have siblings?
Yes. Sabaly grew up with brothers and sisters and has been described in Senegalese reporting as one of seven children.
Who is Amadou Sabaly?
Amadou Sabaly is Cheikh Sabaly’s older brother. He is a teacher and played football alongside Cheikh during the younger Sabaly’s early years with ASC Kémo.
How many brothers and sisters does Cheikh Sabaly have?
Public reporting describes Sabaly as coming from a family of seven children. However, the exact breakdown between brothers and sisters and the names of most of his siblings have not been reliably published.
Who is Cheikh Sabaly’s girlfriend?
As of now, no girlfriend has been reliably identified publicly. Sabaly has kept his romantic relationships private.
Is Cheikh Sabaly married?
As of now, there is no reliable public confirmation that Cheikh Sabaly is married.
Does Cheikh Sabaly have children?
As of now, there is no reliable public confirmation that Cheikh Sabaly has children.
Where is Cheikh Sabaly’s family from?
Sabaly was born and raised in Kolda in southern Senegal, with his childhood particularly associated with the Saré Kémo neighborhood.
What happened to Cheikh Sabaly’s mother?
Sabaly has publicly said that his mother died in 2012. He continues to speak of her with affection and has said that he wants his achievements to make her proud.
Laurinda Jocias is a football writer covering English women’s football, including the Women’s Super League. Her work focuses on players, clubs, and the continued development of the women’s game in the UK.
