Shoot! would like to wish Senegal international and West Ham United star Cheikhou Kouyaté many happy returns as he celebrates his 27th birthday today!

The midfielder, who has 30 international caps for his country, has scored three goals in 20 appearances in all competitions for The Hammers so far this season – his third campaign in English football.

Kouyaté; who will be missed by West Ham manager Slaven Bilic from January 14, 2017, due to Senegal’s participation at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, has helped the London outfit record back-to-back 1-0 Premier League victories over Burnley and Hull City respectively, helping the club climb five points adrift of the relegation zone heading into Christmas.

The 27-year-old, who stands tall at 6′ 2″, joined West Ham on a four-year contract back in June 2014 following his summer switch from Anderlecht.

After making his competitive debut against Tottenham two months later, then Hammers boss Sam Allardyce compared Kouyaté’s presence to that of former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira. High praise!

So, in honour of Kouyaté’s latest milestone, Shoot! have dug out six facts you may not know about the Senegalese star…

2012 Olympian

Kouyaté was part of the Senegal squad that competed at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The West Ham United player helped his country reach the quarter-finals, before losing 4-2 (AET) to the hands of Mexico in the last-eight.

Their Olympic campaign included a 1-1 draw against Great Britain in Group A at Old Trafford, where Craig Bellamy secured a point for the hosts.

Brussels Starlet

Kouyaté began his footballing career in 1996 in his hometown with ASC Yego Dakar, before being scouted by RWDM Brussels in September 2006.

Come the New Year, the Belgian club signed the midfielder and handed his first-team debut on January 19, 2007, aged just 17.

However, Kouyaté played the full 90 minutes in a humiliating 7-2 thrashing.

Wage War

Two years later, Kouyaté left Brussels after just 10 first-team appearances because the club did not pay him three months’ worth of wages.

As a result, the player agreed a transfer to Belgian rivals Anderlecht on a free transfer in 2008.

Four-Time League Champion

During his five seasons at Anderlecht; Kouyaté lifted four Jupiler Pro League titles (2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14), plus three Belgian Super Cups (2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14).

The Senegal international scored six goals in over 200 appearances for Anderlecht between 2008 and 2014.

London Stadium Folklore

Two years after joining the Hammers, Kouyaté wrote his name into the West Ham United record books after scoring the club’s first ever goal at their new London Stadium.

On August 4, 2016, the defensive midfielder opened the scoring against NK Domzale in their UEFA Europa League qualifier in the eighth minute.

First career brace

As well as netting the Londoner’s first goal at the commonly known Olympic Stadium, Kouyaté doubled the home side’s advantage in the 25th minute, therefore completing his first-ever career brace.

West Ham went on to win the match 3-0, thanks to a further strike from summer signing Sofiane Feghouli.

However, Slaven Bilic’s men failed to reach the group stages of this season’s UEFA Europa League after being knocked out by Astra Giurgiu in the following qualifying round.