Salomon Kalou facts for kids
.jpg)
Kalou with Hertha BSC in 2019
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 August 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Oumé, Ivory Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward, winger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | ASEC Mimosas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Feyenoord | 67 | (35) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | → Excelsior (loan) | 11 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2012 | Chelsea | 156 | (36) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Lille | 67 | (30) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2020 | Hertha BSC | 151 | (48) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Botafogo | 25 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Arta/Solar7 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 479 | (154) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2017 | Ivory Coast | 93 | (27) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou (born 5 August 1985) is a former professional footballer from Ivory Coast. He played as a forward or winger.
Kalou began his career with a local club called ASEC Mimosas. In 2003, he moved to Feyenoord in the Netherlands. He became a very important player for Feyenoord. He scored 35 goals in 67 games between 2004 and 2006.
In 2006, he joined Chelsea in England. During his six years there, he won many big trophies. These included the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, and four FA Cups. After Chelsea, he played for Lille in France for two seasons. Then he moved to Hertha BSC in Germany. He played 172 games for Hertha and scored 53 goals. He also played for the Brazilian team Botafogo.
Salomon Kalou played for the Ivory Coast from 2007 to 2017. He played in 93 international games. He represented his country in two FIFA World Cups. He also played in six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He helped his team win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015. They also finished second in 2012.
Contents
Salomon Kalou's Club Journey
Starting Out in Football
Salomon Kalou was born in Oumé, Ivory Coast. Like his older brother, Bonaventure Kalou, he started his football journey at a local club. This club was called ASEC Mimosas.
In 2003, he moved to Europe and joined Feyenoord in the Netherlands. In 2004, he played on loan for Excelsior, another club linked to Feyenoord.
Kalou then returned to Feyenoord. He played in the top Dutch league, the Eredivisie, for two seasons. From 2004 to 2006, he scored 35 goals in 67 league games. In 2005, he won the Johan Cruijff Award. This award is given to the most promising young player of the season. Kalou and his teammate Dirk Kuyt were known as "K2" by fans. This was a fun nickname, like a famous pop band.
Playing for Chelsea
Joining the Blues
Kalou moved to Chelsea on 30 May 2006. The transfer fee was about £9 million. He signed a contract until 2009 and wore the number 21 shirt.
Chelsea's manager, José Mourinho, praised Kalou. He said Kalou was hardworking and eager to improve. Kalou was very excited to join Chelsea. He even brought a camera to his first training session. He couldn't believe he was playing with stars like Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba. He called it "the dream moment of my life."
At Chelsea, Kalou played alongside his countryman, Didier Drogba. Kalou scored his first goals for Chelsea in a reserve game. He scored three goals in a 5–0 win against Portsmouth. He made his official debut in the 2006 FA Community Shield. His first senior goal for Chelsea came in a League Cup match against Blackburn Rovers.
In December 2006, Kalou scored his first Premier League goal against Wigan Athletic. He also scored against Blackburn and Watford. He scored a great volley against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup. Chelsea won the FA Cup in 2007, and Kalou played as a substitute in the final. He also played in the League Cup Final win against Arsenal.
More Success at Chelsea
Kalou continued to play well in the 2007–08 season. He scored against Manchester City and Derby County. In the UEFA Champions League semi-final, his cross led to an own goal. This gave Chelsea an important away goal against Liverpool. Kalou also scored a penalty in the Champions League final. However, Chelsea lost to Manchester United in that game.
In the 2008–09 season, Kalou scored a header against Manchester United. This goal helped Chelsea get a point and keep their unbeaten home record. He scored two goals against Middlesbrough in a 5–0 win. He also scored two more goals against Middlesbrough later that season. On 25 April 2009, he scored the winning goal against West Ham. Chelsea won the FA Cup that year, beating Everton.
Winning Trophies
Chelsea won the 2009 FA Community Shield by beating Manchester United. Kalou scored the winning penalty. His first goal of the 2009–10 season was against Queens Park Rangers. On 12 October 2009, Kalou signed a new contract with Chelsea until 2012. He celebrated by scoring two goals against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League.
On 24 February 2010, he scored a goal against Internazionale in the Champions League. In Chelsea's 7–0 win over Stoke City, Kalou scored three goals. On the last day of the season, Kalou scored as Chelsea won the league title.
Final Seasons at Chelsea
Kalou started the 2010–11 season well. He scored the only goal in a 3–1 loss to Manchester United at Wembley. He also scored two goals as a substitute against Wigan. By April, he had scored 14 goals in all competitions. He scored against West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City. In a crucial game against Tottenham Hotspur, Kalou came on as a substitute. He scored a late goal to give Chelsea a 2–1 win. This brought his league goals to ten for the season.
In the 2011–12 season, Kalou played in Chelsea's second league game. He scored his first goal of the season against Racing Genk in the Champions League. He also scored in a League Cup win against Everton. His first Premier League goal of the season came against Newcastle.
After Roberto Di Matteo became interim manager, Kalou started playing more. He scored in the FA Cup against Leicester City. He also scored a very important away goal against Benfica in the Champions League quarter-final. This goal was his 58th for Chelsea. On 21 April, Kalou played his 250th game for Chelsea. He started in both the 2012 FA Cup Final and the Champions League final. Chelsea won both of these big games.
On 1 July 2012, Chelsea announced that Kalou's contract had ended. He had played 254 games for the club and scored 60 goals.
Moving to Lille
On 7 July 2012, Kalou joined Lille in France for free. He was given the number 8 jersey. He scored his first goal for Lille in his second game against Nancy. His first Champions League goal for Lille was against Bayern Munich.
In the 2013–14 season, Kalou played in all of Lille's games. He scored 16 goals, making him one of the top scorers in the league. He even scored three goals in one game against Ajaccio.
Time at Hertha BSC
On 31 August 2014, Kalou joined Bundesliga team Hertha BSC in Germany. The transfer fee was about €3 million.
In his first full season, he played 27 league games and scored six goals. He helped Hertha stay in the top league.
For the 2015–16 season, Kalou changed his shirt number to 8. This was the same number he wore at Lille and for the Ivory Coast.
He started the season scoring goals. He scored the winning penalty in a 1–0 win against Augsburg. He also scored against Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV. On 27 October, he scored two goals in a cup game against FSV Frankfurt. On 6 November, Kalou scored his first three goals in one game for Hertha against Hannover 96. He scored again against Darmstadt 98 and Mainz 05. By January 2016, Kalou had scored double-digit goals in the Premier League, Ligue 1, and the Bundesliga. He finished as Hertha's top scorer with 14 goals that year.
Kalou played in the Europa League and the German Cup. On 4 November, he scored three goals against Borussia Mönchengladbach in a 3–0 win. On 15 March 2017, Kalou signed a new contract with Hertha until 2019. He said he was happy in Berlin and wanted to achieve more with the team.
In May 2020, Kalou was released from training and playing duties. This happened after he filmed a live video from the team's cabin.
Later Career
On 9 July 2020, Kalou joined Botafogo in Brazil. He signed an 18-month contract. He made his debut on 2 September. Three days later, he scored his only goal for the team in a 2–2 draw against Corinthians. He played 27 games for Botafogo. The team finished last in the league. He left the club in April 2021.
On 14 June 2022, Kalou joined Arta/Solar7 in the Djibouti Premier League. On 3 April 2023, he was the team captain for the first time.
Playing for His Country
Dutch Citizenship Attempt
While playing for Feyenoord, Kalou tried to become a Dutch citizen. He wanted to play for the Netherlands national football team. The national team manager, Marco van Basten, and football legend Johan Cruyff supported him. This was interesting because the Netherlands was set to play Ivory Coast in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. If he became Dutch, he might play against his own brother.
However, his request was turned down. The government said he would soon move to a bigger club in another country. This decision meant Kalou could not play for the Netherlands in the World Cup.
Representing Ivory Coast
Since he couldn't get Dutch citizenship, Kalou decided to play for his home country. He was called up for the Ivory Coast several times in 2006 but said no. His first game for Ivory Coast was a 1–0 friendly win against Guinea on 6 February 2007. On 21 March, he scored his first goal in a 3–0 win against Mauritius.
Kalou played in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored the only goal against Nigeria. He also scored two more goals in a 5–0 win against Guinea. His team finished fourth in the tournament.
At the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Kalou scored the first goal in a 3–2 loss to Algeria. In June, he went to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He scored a goal in a 3–0 win against North Korea. However, Ivory Coast was eliminated from the tournament.
On 26 January 2012, Kalou scored in Ivory Coast's 2–0 win over Burkina Faso. This helped his team reach the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. In the final, he was substituted during a penalty shootout loss to Zambia.
Kalou also played at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Later that year, he scored in both games of a 4–2 win against Senegal. This helped Ivory Coast qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, he came on as a substitute in the final. He scored in the penalty shootout, helping Ivory Coast win the title against Ghana.
Salomon Kalou's Life Outside Football
Kalou has two brothers and eight sisters. His brother, Bonaventure Kalou, was also a professional footballer. Salomon joined Feyenoord when Bonaventure was already playing there.
In 2010, Kalou started "The Kalou Foundation." This foundation helps people in need. It provides facilities for social welfare and fun activities. It helps young people, older people, and those with disabilities. It also helps people facing financial hardship or difficult social situations. The foundation also works to help sick people around the world.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Excelsior (loan) | 2003–04 | Eerste Divisie | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | 17 | 4 | ||
| Feyenoord | 2003–04 | Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2004–05 | Eredivisie | 31 | 20 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 4 | — | 38 | 24 | |||
| 2005–06 | Eredivisie | 34 | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 15 | ||
| Total | 67 | 35 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 78 | 39 | |||
| Chelsea | 2006–07 | Premier League | 33 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 9 |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 30 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 1 | — | 48 | 11 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 27 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | 43 | 10 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 23 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 12 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 31 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 13 | |
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 12 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | — | 26 | 5 | ||
| Total | 156 | 36 | 28 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 49 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 254 | 60 | ||
| Lille | 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 37 | 16 | |
| 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 18 | |||
| 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 67 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | — | 80 | 34 | |||
| Hertha BSC | 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 28 | 6 | |||
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 32 | 14 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | 37 | 17 | ||||
| 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 26 | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 8 | |||
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 31 | 12 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 36 | 12 | |||
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 30 | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 8 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 151 | 48 | 16 | 5 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 172 | 53 | ||||
| Botafogo | 2020 | Série A | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 477 | 155 | 49 | 16 | 19 | 8 | 72 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 628 | 191 | ||
| Reference: | ||||||||||||||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory Coast | 2007 | 7 | 3 |
| 2008 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 11 | 6 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2014 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2015 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 93 | 27 | |
- Scores and results list Ivory Coast's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21 March 2007 | Stade Anjalay, Belle Vue, Mauritius |  Mauritius |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 3 June 2007 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Madagascar |
1–0 | 5–0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3. | 21 November 2007 | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Qatar |
5–0 | 6–1 | Friendly |
| – | 12 January 2008 | Mohammed Al-Hamad Stadium, Hawally, Kuwait |  Kuwait |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | 21 January 2008 | Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana |  Nigeria |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 5. | 3 February 2008 | Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana |  Guinea |
3–0 | 5–0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 6. | 4–0 | |||||
| 7. | 11 October 2008 | Stade Robert Champroux, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | Madagascar |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8. | 29 March 2009 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Malawi |
4–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9. | 24 January 2010 | Estádio Nacional do Chiazi, Cabinda, Angola |  Algeria |
1–0 | 2–3 | 2010 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 10. | 25 June 2010 | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela, South Africa |  North Korea |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
| 11. | 4 September 2010 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Rwanda |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 12. | 3 September 2011 | Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda | Rwanda |
1–0 | 5–0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 13. | 13 January 2012 | Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |  Tunisia |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 14. | 16 January 2012 | Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |  Libya |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 15. | 26 January 2012 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Burkina Faso |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 16. | 2 June 2012 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Tanzania |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17. | 9 June 2012 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, Morocco |  Morocco |
1–0 | 2–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 18. | 8 September 2012 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Senegal |
1–1 | 4–2 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 19. | 23 March 2013 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Gambia |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 20. | 12 October 2013 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | Senegal |
3–0 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 21. | 16 November 2013 | Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca, Morocco | Senegal |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22. | 15 October 2014 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  DR Congo |
2–3 | 3–4 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 23. | 3–3 | |||||
| 24. | 14 November 2014 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Sierra Leone |
2–1 | 5–1 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 25. | 5–1 | |||||
| 26. | 11 January 2015 | Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Nigeria |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 27. | 26 March 2015 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Angola |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
Honours and Awards
Chelsea
- Premier League: 2009–10
- FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12
- Football League Cup: 2006–07
- FA Community Shield: 2009
- UEFA Champions League: 2011–12
Ivory Coast
- Africa Cup of Nations: 2015
Individual Awards
- Johan Cruyff Trophy: 2005
- CAF Young Player of the Year: 2008
See also
In Spanish: Salomon Kalou para niños
