Kalusha Bwalya facts for kids

Kalusha Bwalya (born on August 16, 1963) is a famous Zambian former professional footballer. He is known as one of the greatest players in Zambian football history. He played as a forward and winger.

Kalusha is one of Zambia's most-capped players and is among their top goal scorers. In 1988, he was named African Footballer of the Year. He was also nominated for the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year award, finishing as the 12th-best player in the world. This was special because he was the first player nominated after playing the whole year for a club outside Europe.

His older brother, Benjamin Bwalya, and younger brother, Joel Bwalya, also played professional football for Zambia. His cousin, Robert Earnshaw, played for Cardiff City and the Welsh national team.

Kalusha's journey as a player, coach, and president of the Football Association of Zambia is partly shown in the documentary film "Eighteam".

In March 2016, Kalusha lost the election for president of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to Andrew Kamanga. In August 2018, the world football governing body FIFA banned Kalusha for two years from all football activities. This was because he was found to have broken FIFA's rules about keeping information private and accepting gifts.

Playing for Clubs in Europe and Mexico

Kalusha Bwalya started his career in Europe with Cercle Brugge in Belgium. In his first season, he was the top scorer for his club. Fans even voted him their favorite player twice!

His great performance caught the eye of PSV Eindhoven, a big Dutch club. He joined them and helped them win the championship twice, in 1990–91 and 1991–92. He played alongside famous players like Romario and Eric Gerets.

In 1994, Kalusha moved to Club América in Mexico. He loved playing at their home stadium, the legendary Azteca. He spent almost eight years playing in Mexico, which he remembers as some of the best years of his life.

Playing for the Zambian National Team

Kalusha Bwalya was a key player for the Zambia national team. He played in 87 international matches and scored 39 goals between 1983 and 2004.

Olympic Games Success

One of his most memorable achievements was at the 1988 Olympic Games. He scored an amazing hat-trick (three goals in one game) against Italy, helping Zambia win 4–0. This was a huge surprise and showed that African teams could beat strong European teams.

Overcoming Tragedy

Kalusha was the captain of the national team during the qualifying matches for the 1994 World Cup. Sadly, on April 28, 1993, the entire team and its staff were killed when their plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Gabon. Kalusha was not on that flight because he was playing for PSV Eindhoven and was scheduled to fly directly to Senegal to meet the team.

After this terrible event, Kalusha took on the important role of helping to rebuild the national team. He led the team to the Runners-Up spot at the 1994 CAF African Nations Cup in Tunisia, where they finished second to Nigeria. This was a very emotional time for Zambian football.

At the next Africa Cup in South Africa in 1996, the national team finished in third place. Kalusha won the Golden Boot Award as the top scorer of the tournament.

Player-Coach Role

Kalusha also served as a player-coach for Zambia during the 2006 World Cup qualification matches. In September 2004, at 41 years old, he came off the bench to score a winning goal against Liberia. This made him one of the oldest international goal scorers in world football history. Even though Zambia did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Kalusha coached the team at the 2006 African Cup of Nations. He later resigned from his coaching role after the tournament.

AFCON Victory as President

Kalusha's dream of winning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy came true in 2012. As the President of the Zambian FA, he joined the players and lifted the cup in Gabon, the very country where his former teammates had tragically passed away. This emotional victory is also featured in the documentary "Eighteam".

Football Administration Career

Kalusha Bwalya has been very involved in football administration. He served as a committee member for both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football. From 2008 to 2016, he was the president of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ). Before that, he was the vice president.

In 2008, he was elected to the CAF Executive Committee. He continues to contribute to international football, having been part of FIFA's Technical Study Group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and an ambassador for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Achievements and Awards

Kalusha Bwalya has won many awards and titles throughout his career:

Club Honours

• Mufulira Wanderers
  • Zambian Challenge Cup: 1984
• PSV
  • Eredivisie (Dutch League Championship): 1990–91, 1991–92
  • KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup): 1989–90
  • Dutch Supercup: 1992

Individual Awards

• Pop Poll d'Echte Cercle Brugge K.S.V. Player of the Year: 1986–87, 1987–88
• African Footballer of the Year: 1988
• Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 1986, 1996
• Africa Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 1996

See also

In Spanish: Kalusha Bwalya para niños