Salomon Kalou

Salomon Kalou

Personal information
Full name	Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Chelsea
Number	21
Youth career
	Mimosas
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2003	Mimosas
2003–2006	Feyenoord	67	(35)
2004	→ Excelsior (loan)	11	(4)
2006–	Chelsea	145	(35)
International career‡
2007–	Côte d'Ivoire	37	(13)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:10, 17 August 2011 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:10, 22 May 2011 (UTC)

Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou (born 5 August 1985) is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a striker for Chelsea in the Premier League. He is often used on the wings at Chelsea. He has a preference for playing on the left wing as this gives him opportunities to cut inside and take shots with his favoured right foot.

Club career

Ivory Coast and Netherlands

Kalou during his time with Feyenoord

Born in Oumé, Côte d'Ivoire, like his older brother Bonaventure, Kalou began his career in local club Mimosas before plying his trade in Europe. Auxerre coach Guy Roux wanted to sign him to unite him with his brother, former Feyenoord player, Bonaventure Kalou. However, Kalou signed for Feyenoord Rotterdam in 2003. In 2004 he was loaned to Feyenoord's "satellite club" Excelsior Rotterdam.

Then he returned to Feyenoord and played in the Dutch top flight for two seasons from 2004 to 2006. During his time at Feyenoord, Salomon scored 35 goals in 67 league appearances for the Rotterdam club, and also won an individual award when he won the Johan Cruijff Award in 2005 for being the most promising young talent of that season.

Chelsea

2006–07 season

Kalou moved to Chelsea on 30 May 2006, for an undisclosed fee, believed to be approximately £9,000,000. Under contract with Chelsea until 2009, Kalou was handed the number 21 jersey.

Former Chelsea manager José Mourinho praised the young Ivorian as being hardworking, versatile, eager to improve, and unafraid of the physical side of the game. Kalou admitted that he brought a camera with him to his first training session at Chelsea's training centre at Cobham because he could not believe that he was going to be rubbing shoulders with famous footballers like Michael Ballack, John Terry, and Didier Drogba. Describing the experience, Kalou said:

"This was the dream moment of my life and I did not want to wake up and find that it was not real."

Kalou with Mikel John Obi

According to Soccernet, Kalou revealed that he idolizes French forward and Arsenal record goalscorer Thierry Henry and tries to imitate Henry's moves in his free time. His admiration of Henry was a factor in his decision to play in the Premier League, as it was the league where Henry became a superstar.

At Chelsea, Kalou plays with compatriot, Côte d'Ivoire captain Didier Drogba. Kalou scored his first goals for Chelsea in a reserve game against Portsmouth bagging a hat trick and the match ball in a 5–0 thrashing. Kalou scored his first senior goal for Chelsea in a two-goal win over Blackburn Rovers in the third round of the Carling Cup.

Kalou scored his first Premier League goal in December 2006 in Chelsea's 3–2 victory over Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium. He scored his second Premier League goal against Blackburn in Chelsea's 3–0 win. He also scored a 93rd minute goal against Watford, putting Chelsea 1–0 up. He also scored a volleyed goal from 12 yards against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup Quarter-Final, which ended 3–3. Chelsea won the replay 1–2, before progressing to the final with a similar scoreline against Blackburn Rovers. Kalou also came on as a substitute in the FA Cup Final win over Manchester United for his second trophy in England, having earlier come on as a substitute for Chelsea in the league Cup Final victory over Arsenal.

2007–08 season

Kalou with Branislav Ivanović

Kalou continued his good form into the following season, scoring his first goal of the campaign against Manchester City in Chelsea's 6–0 at Stamford Bridge and the opening goal against Derby County in a 2–0 win. Salomon Kalou amassed the record number of offsides in a season with 107 in 30 games; betraying his lack of ability in reading the game.

The 2007–08 Carling Cup quarter final saw Kalou take up the right wing position of two wing players (the other being Scott Sinclair) of a 4–3–2–1 formation. Kalou made lots of chances for himself and his team-mates; including a very precise left-footed cross, resulting in a Shevchenko headed goal. He thereafter scored goals against Newcastle United and Fulham contributing to Chelsea's success. He scored goals against West Ham United, Olympiacos and Derby County. His last minute cross into the penalty area led to John Arne Riise scoring the own goal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg at Anfield, which gave Chelsea a vital away goal. Kalou also scored with Chelsea's sixth penalty in the Champions League Final in Moscow, where Chelsea lost.

2008–09 season

Kalou did not feature much under Avram Grant's successor, Luiz Felipe Scolari except for in pre-season, because of his participation in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as part of the Ivory Coast U-23 team. However he came on off the bench against Manchester United on September 21 and scored a header after 80 minutes from a John Obi Mikel free kick. The goal ensured that Chelsea secured a point and kept their unbeaten home record. Kalou then scored two goals and assisted a Frank Lampard header on 18 October in Chelsea's 5–0 win at Middlesbrough. He again scored two goals against Middlesbrough, this time at Stamford Bridge on 28 January in Chelsea's 2–0 win and was a favourite under interim manager Guus Hiddink. On 25 April 2009, he scored the winner against West Ham United.

2009–10 season

Kalou and Chelsea began the season in winning form; beating Manchester United to lift the Community Shield, with Kalou scoring the winning penalty to celebrate his birthday during the same week. Kalou scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season against Queens Park Rangers at Stamford Bridge in the 3rd round of the League Cup, earning his team a deserved 1–0 victory. On 12 October 2009, Kalou signed a new 3 year contract extension with Chelsea, keeping him at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2012. He celebrated his new contract with an excellent brace against Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, helping Chelsea maintain their 100% record in the competition. Kalou continued his good form scoring a header in the 4–0 win against Bolton in the League Cup. He also netted in the Blues' League Cup loss to Blackburn Rovers, but it was his last goal for two months until he broke the duck against Cardiff City in the FA Cup on 13 February, 2010.

Kalou playing against Spartak Moscow in 2010.

During those two months without scoring, Kalou struggled for game-time and the goal against the Bluebirds was one he really needed. On 24 February he scored a good goal against Inter Milan in the Champions League second round first leg. His shot from outside the box was tame but an error from Inter 'keeper Julio Cesar allowed the ball to find the back of the net. Chelsea however lost the leg 2–1, but Kalou's goal was important as it was a much needed away goal for Chelsea. He finally netted a goal in the Premier League on 27 March in Chelsea's astounding 7–1 win over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. In Chelsea's 7–0 win over Stoke City on 25 April Kalou netted a hat-trick, though his second goal of the day has been the source of controversy, as it was very close to being a two-footed tackle. Kalou scored Chelsea's third of eight goals on the last day of the season against Wigan Athletic, after some clever teamwork with Frank Lampard.

2010–11 season

Kalou started the season well with scoring the only goal in the 3–1 defeat at Wembley Stadium against Manchester United. He appeared as a substitute in the 6–0 drubbing of Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium, to score 2 goals both assisted by fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba. Kalou played 84 minutes of Chelsea's 3–1 win at West Ham United, scoring Chelsea's second goal of the game. He continued his scoring run the following week scoring only 2 minutes into the game to grab Chelsea's first goal in a win against Blackpool. He also scored a goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the FA Cup fourth round game against Everton, Kalou scored a late leveler to keep chelsea in the cup with the game ending 1-1 at Goodison Park, and therefore resulting in a replay at Stamford Bridge. On 1 February, the day after Fernando Torres was signed from Liverpool, Kalou continued his fine scoring run, netting the second goal against Sunderland in a 4-2 victory for Chelsea at the Stadium of Light.

Through 31 appearances Kalou has scored 14 goals in all competitions. Despite his form, he has found it hard to gain a regular first team place since the addition of Fernando Torres in January. He recently admitted though that he will consider leaving Chelsea at the end of the season. But he was included in the starting lineup for their next game against West Brom, scoring a goal in Chelsea's 3-1 win on 16 April. Kalou started the next game as well, and scored again as Chelsea defeated Birmingham City 3-1. For Chelsea's crucial game against Tottenham Hotspur, Kalou was not included in the starting lineup as Carlo Ancelotti preferred a striking partnership of Drogba and Torres. But Kalou replaced Torres in the 63rd minute, and scored a goal in the 89th minute propelling Chelsea to a 2-1 win and within three points of leaders Manchester United. This brought him up to 10 Premier League goals, the first time he has hit double digit league goals for Chelsea.

International career

Failure to acquire Dutch citizenship

Kalou received much media attention regarding his possible naturalization as a Dutch citizen which, if granted, would allow him to play for the Netherlands national football team. Having never played for the Côte d'Ivoire team, he would be eligible for the Dutch team if he was naturalized. His brother Bonaventure had advised him to pursue foreign citizenship after frequently experiencing problems with the Côte d'Ivoire football authorities.

The Dutch national team head coach, Marco van Basten, regarded Kalou as a great talent, so an official application was quickly made. However the Minister of Immigration Rita Verdonk was opposed to considering Kalou for an accelerated naturalization process.

Van Basten, keen to show Kalou's worth to the Dutch team, obtained support from influential football figures, including Dutch legend Johan Cruyff. Despite general agreement among football pundits that Kalou would be valuable for the Dutch team, Verdonk rejected a request for reconsideration. Later Cruyff commented that the Dutch national team might have been more successful had Kalou obtained Dutch citizenship.

Kalou appealed the decision and took the matter to a court of law, gaining a victory on 9 December 2005 when the judge ordered Verdonk to reconsider whether or not Kalou could be considered for accelerated naturalization. Verdonk has decided to appeal, placing the matter before the Council of State. Kalou has since then publicly stated he has given up hope of ever attaining the Dutch nationality.

Centraal Beheer commercial

The process of Kalou's naturalization became the theme of a short-lived television commercial for Centraal Beheer. In the commercial of April 2006, Kalou is depicted as becoming a naturalized citizen, not of the Netherlands, but of their arch rival Germany, playing alongside Oliver Kahn and former Chelsea teammate Michael Ballack.

This was a reference to Angolan-born forward Nando Rafael, who, after failing to acquire Dutch citizenship while at Ajax, moved to German Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin, became a German citizen, and represented Germany at Under-21 level.

Kalou was not amused with this commercial, and with copyright law at his hands, the commercial was removed from Dutch television within a week.

Cote d'Ivoire

At the 2006 World Cup, the Netherlands and Côte d'Ivoire were drawn in the same group in the first round. If Kalou had become a Dutch citizen and was selected for the Netherlands, he could have played against his native country and possibly against his own brother. Kalou's failure to acquire Dutch citizenship was a factor in his decision to leave Feyenoord for Chelsea.

He had been named in the Côte d'Ivoire national squad on a number of occasions, however he rejected all call ups until 6 February 2007 when he finally made his Côte d'Ivoire debut in the friendly against Guinea, where the Elephants ran out 1–0 winners. He also featured in the Elephant's African Cup of Nations and scored a terrific goal to stun co-favourites Nigeria in the opening game.

After failing to obtain his Dutch passport, Kalou decided to play for the Côte d'Ivoire. His first international goal was scored on 21 March 2007 in a friendly against Mauritius. He played at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations with the team, scoring 3 goals in the process, and reached 4th place after losing to Ghana in the 3rd place play off.

Personal life

Kalou has two brothers and eight sisters from the same mother. His brother, Bonaventure Kalou, also plays professional football, and was last on the Dutch team Heerenveen. Salomon joined Feyenoord during the time his brother Bonaventure was playing for the club from Rotterdam.

In 2010 he set up The Kalou Foundation dedicated to providing facilities for social welfare and recreation of those who have need of such facilities by reason of youth, age, infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances and also for the relief of sickness worldwide.

Charity Work

Kalou is currently an Athlete Ambassador for Right To Play, the world's leading sport for development charity.

Club statistics

As of 9 July 2011

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Feyenoord	2003-04	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Excelsior Rotterdam	2003-04	11	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	4
Feyenoord	2004-05	31	20	2	3	0	0	7	4	40	27
	2005-06	36	15	2	0	0	0	2	0	40	15
Netherlands Total		80	39	4	3	0	0	9	4	93	46
Chelsea	2006-07	33	7	7	1	6	1	11	0	57	9
	2007-08	30	7	3	1	4	2	11	1	48	11
	2008-09	27	6	6	2	2	1	8	1	43	10
	2009-10	23	5	4	1	3	3	6	3	36	12
	2010-11	31	10	3	2	1	0	6	0	41	12
England Total		144	35	23	7	16	7	42	5	225	54
Career Total		224	74	27	10	16	7	51	9	318	100

International goals

Salomon Kalou: International goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	21 March 2007	Belle Vue, Mauritius	Mauritius	3–0	Won	Friendly
2	3 June 2007	Bouake, Cote d'Ivoire	Madagascar	5–0	Won	2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3	21 November 2007	Doha, Qatar	Qatar	6–1	Won	Friendly
4	12 January 2008	Kuwait City, Kuwait	Kuwait	2–0	Won	Friendly
5	21 January 2008	Sekondi, Ghana	Nigeria	1–0	Won	2008 Africa Cup of Nations
6	3 February 2008	Sekondi, Ghana	Guinea	5–0	Won	2008 Africa Cup of Nations
7	3 February 2008	Sekondi, Ghana	Guinea	5–0	Won	2008 Africa Cup of Nations
8	11 October 2008	Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire	Madagascar	3–0	Won	2010 World Cup Qualification
9	25 June 2010	Mbombela, South Africa	North Korea	3–0	Won	2010 World Cup
10	4 September 2010	Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Rwanda	3–0	Won	2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2009–10
• FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10
• Football League Cup: 2006–07
• FA Community Shield: 2009

Individual

• Dutch Football Talent of the Year (2005)
• CAF Young Player of the Year : Ivory Coast/Chelsea (2008)

External links

• Salomon Kalou official website
• Salomon Kalou at Soccerbase
• Ivorians in new bid to lure Kalou BBC Sport, 31 October 2006
• Premier League profile
• BBC Sport profile