Bonaventure Kalou facts for kids
Kalou playing for Feyenoord in 2002
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bonaventure Kalou | ||
| Date of birth | 12 January 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Oumé, Ivory Coast | ||
| Height | 1.82m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–1997 | ASEC Mimosas | 35 | (6) |
| 1997–2003 | Feyenoord | 149 | (35) |
| 2003–2005 | Auxerre | 63 | (19) |
| 2005–2007 | Paris Saint-Germain | 55 | (11) |
| 2007 | Lens | 4 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Al-Jazira Club | ||
| 2008–2010 | Heerenveen | 23 | (2) |
| Total | 329 | (73) | |
| National team | |||
| 1998–2006 | Ivory Coast | 51 | (12) |
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Bonaventure Kalou (born on January 12, 1978) is a former professional footballer from the Ivory Coast. He played as an attacking midfielder, which means he was a player who helped both defend and attack, often setting up goals for his teammates. After his football career, he became the elected mayor of Vavoua.
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Club Career Highlights
Born in Oumé, Bonaventure Kalou began his football journey with ASEC Mimosas in his home country. He then moved to the Netherlands to play for Feyenoord. He played for Feyenoord in Rotterdam for six seasons, becoming a regular player. He mostly played as a winger, running down the sides of the field, but he could also play as a striker, scoring goals.
Moving to France
After his time at Feyenoord, Bonaventure decided to try playing in another European league. He moved to France to join AJ Auxerre in Ligue 1. At Auxerre, he became even better as a striker and an attacking midfielder. He scored many goals, similar to his time at Feyenoord.
While playing for Auxerre, Kalou scored the winning goal in the last moments of the 2005 Coupe de France final. His team beat Paris Saint-Germain, which would later become his next club.
Playing for Paris Saint-Germain
In the 2005–06 season, Bonaventure Kalou moved to Paris Saint-Germain, another big club in France. He scored one of PSG's goals when they won the 2006 Coupe de France Final. This was his second time in a row scoring in the final of this competition!
After PSG faced some tough times, he signed with another French team, RC Lens. However, Lens was surprisingly moved down to a lower league at the end of that season.
Return to the Netherlands
In 2008, Kalou went back to the Netherlands to play for SC Heerenveen. With Heerenveen, he won the Dutch Cup in 2009. Heerenveen beat FC Twente in the final, and Kalou scored a goal in that match.
In February 2011, Bonaventure Kalou announced that he was retiring from professional football. He later played for an amateur club in France for a short time.
International Football
Bonaventure Kalou also played for his country, the Ivory Coast. He played in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship when he was younger. He was also part of the team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In their last match of that World Cup, he scored the winning goal against Serbia and Montenegro.
Life After Football
Political Career
In 2018, Bonaventure Kalou decided to enter politics. He successfully ran as an independent candidate and was elected as the Mayor of Vavoua, a city in the Ivory Coast.
Family Life
Bonaventure has a younger brother named Salomon Kalou. Salomon also became a professional footballer and played for Feyenoord, just like Bonaventure. For a while, people thought the brothers might play against each other in a World Cup match. However, Salomon also ended up playing for the Ivory Coast.
Bonaventure Kalou holds citizenship for both the Ivory Coast and the Netherlands.
Achievements and Awards
Feyenoord
- Eredivisie: 1998–99
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 1999
- UEFA Cup: 2001–02
Auxerre
- Coupe de France: 2004–05
Paris Saint-Germain
- Coupe de France: 2005–06
Heerenveen
- KNVB Cup: 2008–09
Ivory Coast
- Africa Cup of Nations runner-up:2006
Individual
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2004–05
See also
In Spanish: Bonaventure Kalou para niños
