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Mohamed Kallon

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Mohamed Kallon
Personal information
Full name Mohamed Kallon
Date of birth (1979-10-06) 6 October 1979 (age 44)
Place of birth Kenema, Sierra Leone
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in) [1]
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994 Old Edwardians 13 (4)
1994–1995 Tadamon Sour 24 (15)
1995 Spånga 0 (0)
1995–1999 Inter Milan 0 (0)
1995–1997 → Lugano (loan) 18 (1)
1997 → Bologna (loan) 2 (0)
1997–1998 → Genoa (loan) 26 (10)
1998–1999 → Cagliari (loan) 26 (6)
1999–2000 Reggina 30 (11)
2000–2001 Vicenza 25 (8)
2001–2004 Inter Milan 44 (14)
2004–2007 Monaco 48 (13)
2005–2006 → Al-Ittihad (loan) 26 (12)
2008 AEK Athens 12 (4)
2008–2009 Al-Shabab 4 (1)
2009–2010 Kallon 11 (2)
2010 Shaanxi Chanba 21 (7)
2011 Chirag United Kerala F.C. 0 (0)
2012–2016 Kallon
International career‡
1995–2012 Sierra Leone 35 (14)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 September 2010
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 June 2012

Mohamed Kallon, MOR (born 6 October 1979) is a Sierra Leonean international manager and former footballer who played as a forward.[2] He is widely considered the most famous footballer from Sierra Leone.[2] He last played for the Sierra Leone club Kallon F.C., as well as making 35 appearances for the Sierra Leone national football team during his career.

Kallon is the younger brother of former Sierra Leonean international footballers Kemokai Kallon and Musa Kallon.

Early life

Kallon was born on 6 October 1979 in Kenema, Sierra Leone. Kallon is the younger brother to former Sierra Leone international footballers Kemokai Kallon and Musa Kallon. Mohamed Kallon attended primary school in Kenema and completed his secondary education at St. Edwards Secondary School in Freetown.

During his early international career for Sierra Leone, Kallon was given the nickname Small Kallon by Sierra Leonean football fans because he was the youngest of the three Kallon brothers in the Sierra Leone national team.

Club career

Early career

After he completed his form three levels of education (grade 9 in the U.S.) from St. Edwards Secondary School in Freetown in 1994, Kallon signed with the local club, Old Edwardians of the Sierra Leone National Premier League at the age of 15. During the 1994–95 season, he struck fifteen goals in 24 league games for Old Edwardians and became the youngest player to ever play and score in Sierra Leone National Premier League.

After the 1994–95 season, Kallon left Old Edwardians and signed for Lebanese club Tadamon Sour. He spent one season with Spånga IS in Stockholm, Sweden. He was then signed by Inter Milan.[3] He then loaned to Swiss club AC Lugano, Serie A club Bologna F.C. 1909 and Cagliari, and Serie B clubs Genoa He also farmed to Reggina and Vicenza in a co-ownership deal[4] for an undisclosed fee and 9,000 billion lire respectively (€4,648,112).[5] He played with Cristiano Zanetti at Cagliari, whom he later worked with again at Inter Milan.

Inter Milan

2001–02

After the abolition of the non-EU quota for each team halfway through the 2000–01 season,[6] Kallon returned to Italian giants Inter Milan before the start of the 2001–02 season.,[7] for a reported 8,500 billion lire transfer fee (€4,389,884).[8] With Christian Vieri, Ronaldo, Álvaro Recoba, Adriano, Hakan Şükür and Nicola Ventola also in the side, Kallon was originally a 3rd or 4th choice striker. But injuries to Ronaldo and Recoba meant that Kallon played 29 Serie A matches, scoring 9 goals and becoming the team's 2nd highest scorer of the 2001–02 Serie A season, behind Vieri, as the club narrowly missed out on the league title, finishing in third place, also reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.

2002–03

He only played 9 times (scoring 5 goals) in Serie A in 2002–03 season due to injuries in August[9] and February, as the team managed a second-place finish in the league.[10] Kallon returned to the side in May after Gabriel Batistuta was injured in April. He also played both legs of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League semi-final against A.C. Milan as Batistuta was unable to register. He played in both games as a second-half substitute, for Álvaro Recoba and Hernán Crespo respectively.

2003–04

Kallon tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone after the Serie A match against Udinese Calcio on 27 September 2003[11] and was banned from football for eight months. Kallon then struggled to get into the starting eleven during the 2003–04 season, primarily due to the rise of young Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins and the return of Brazilian ace Adriano.[12]

AS Monaco

2004–05

He signed a 4-year contract with Monégasque club AS Monaco before the start of the 2004–05 season, as the UEFA Champions League runners-up had lost Dado Pršo and Fernando Morientes.[13] He was impressive during his first season at Monaco, but quickly fell out with French manager Didier Deschamps, and was relegated to the bench in March 2005.

2005-06 (Al-Ittihad)

He went on loan to Saudi club Al-Ittihad during the start of the 2005–06 season,[14] and helped the team win the AFC Champions League 2005 where he was top scorer in the competition before returning to AS Monaco. He also played at the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship with Al-Ittihad.

2006–08

He played 14 Ligue 1 games in his last season for Monaco. He played his last match in Ligue 1 on 11 August 2007 against FC Lorient, the 2nd match of the season, before he was released by Monaco. He underwent a trial with Birmingham in September 2007,[15] after previously being linked with Derby County in July.[16] However, Kallon failed to qualify for a work permit in England, as Sierra Leone ranked 79th in the FIFA World Rankings in September 1997, but the requirement was above 70th for non-EU internationals. In November 2007, he signed a pre-contract with Al Hilal,[17] but this later collapsed.[18]

AEK FC

Kallon signed a 6-month contract with Greek giants AEK F.C. on 29 January 2008.[19] He played for the capital club in the UEFA Cup 2007–08 round of 32 against Getafe CF, but AEK lost 1–4 on aggregate, with no goals from Kallon. He also played in the Super League Greece playoffs to determine qualification to European competition. He scored once in his 3 appearances, and AEK finished second to qualify for the following year's UEFA Cup.[20]

Greek fans remember him especially for an excellent goal against PAOK in a 4-0 win, when he scored with a chip shot outside the box.

Al-Shabab

He moved to Al-Shabab of the United Arab Emirates in 2008. He was released after picking up a serious injury in an international match.

Kallon FC

In October 2009, he signed for his own club Kallon FC.[21]

Shaanxi Zhongjian Chanba

On 1 March 2010, he joined the Chinese championship, signing a one-year deal with Shaanxi Zhongjian Chanba.[22][23] Kallon made his CSL debut against Dalian Shide on 28 March and scored a penalty kick in 50th minute.[24] He decided to leave after his contract was finished in December to be closer to his family.[25]

He returned to Kallon F.C. ahead of the 2012 CAF Confederation Cup,[26] and scored the winning goal that got them to the second round.

On 26 June 2014, was named the head coach of Sierra Leone u-17 side.[27]

On 22 March 2016 he announced his retirement as a player, having last played in 2014.[28]

International career

Kallon became the youngest player to ever play for the Leone Stars when he made his senior international debut for Sierra Leone at the age of fifteen in April 1995 against Congo in the 1996 African Cup of Nations qualifier in Freetown, in which he scored the winner. At the age of 16, Kallon was the youngest player at the 1996 African Nations cup in South Africa. He scored one of his country's two goals as Sierra Leone defeated Burkina Faso 2–1 in their opening group match at the 1996 African Nations Cup, played at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Since then, he is the key member of Leone Stars and active at 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cup qualification. His most recent cap is on 9 February 2011 against Nigeria in a friendly. Kallon was the captain of the Sierra Leone national team but quit his captaincy after the team failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 African Cup of Nations.[29]

Club owner

Kallon is the founder and owner of the Sierra Leonean football club Kallon F.C.,[30] currently playing in the Sierra Leone National Premier League. Kallon is one of the top clubs in the Sierra Leone National Premier League and play their home games at the National Stadium in Freetown. Previously known as Sierra Fisheries, Kallon acquired the club in 2002 for $30,000.[30]

Kallon FC won the Sierra Leonean FA Cup, and the Sierra Leone League title in 2006, and qualifying for the African Champions League.

Personal life

Mohamed Kallon is a devout Muslim and a member of the Mandingo ethnic group. Kallon is married to his childhood girlfriend M'mah Mansaray. The couple celebrated their wedding at the Freetown Central Mosque in Freetown on 15 June 2002.[31] Kallon is the younger brother of former Sierra Leonean international footballers Kemokai Kallon and Musa Kallon[1].

Mohamed Kallon Children's Foundation

Apart from the Kalleone Group of Company, comprising a musical recording studio, radio station, newspaper, sportshops, old Skool night club, pharmacy and FC Kallon, Mohamed Kallon is also about to launch his charity foundation, the MKCF, Mohamed Kallon Children's Foundation, which will cater for the needs of hundreds of Sierra Leone's street children.[32] Recently Mohamed Kallon told SierraEye Magazine that as a boy himself who grew up in the streets of Freetown he is moved by the state of Sierra Leone Street Children and want to do all he can to help them. The foundation has made headways recently meeting with the president and working together with the United Nations and other NGOs to provide help for several Sierra Leonean children and also aiding the HIV/AIDS sensitisation programme in Sierra Leone. x The setting up of MKCF by Kallon gained massive media coverage and even the BBC reported on it.[33]

Career statistics

Club

[34]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sierra Leone League FA Cup League Cup Africa Total
1992–93 Old Edwardians National Premier League 0 0
1993–94 27 12
Lebanon League FA Cup League Cup Asia Total
1994–95 Tadamon Sour Premier League 24 15
Switzerland League Schweizer Cup League Cup Europe Total
1995–96 Lugano Super League 1 0
1996–97 17 1
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
1997–98 Bologna Serie A 2 0
1997–98 Genoa Serie B 26 10
1998–99 Cagliari Serie A 26 6
1999–2000 Reggina Serie A 30 11
2000–01 Vicenza Serie A 24 8
2001–02 Inter Milan Serie A 28 9
2002–03 9 5
2003–04 5 0
France League Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue Europe Total
2004–05 Monaco Ligue 1 34 11
Saudi Arabia League Crown Prince Cup League Cup Asia Total
2005–06 Al-Ittihad Jeddah Professional League 26 12
France League Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue Europe Total
2006–07 Monaco Ligue 1 12 2
2007–08 2 0
Greece League Greek Cup League Cup Europe Total
2008 AEK Athens Super League 8 2
United Arab Emirates League President's Cup Etisalat Cup Asia Total
2008–09 Al Shabab UAE Pro-League 4 1
Sierra Leone League FA Cup League Cup Africa Total
2009–10 Kallon Premier League 11 2
China PR League FA Cup League Cup Asia Total
2010 Shaanxi Chanba Super League 21 7
Country Sierra Leone 38 14
Lebanon 24 15
Switzerland 18 1
Italy 150 49
France 48 13
Saudi Arabia 26 12
Greece 8 2
United Arab Emirates 4 1
China PR 21 7
Total 337 114

International

[34]

Sierra Leone national team
Year Apps Goals
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000 3 0
2001 4 0
2002
2003 2 0
2004
2005
2006 1 0
2007 2 0
2008 5 1
2011 1 0
Total
International appearances and goals
# Date Venue Opponent Result Goal Competition
1. 22 April 1995 Brazzaville, Republic of Congo  Congo 2–0 1 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification[35]
3 June 1995 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Niger 5–1 1 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification
15 January 1996 Bloemfontein, South Africa  Burkina Faso 2–1 1 1996 African Cup of Nations[36]
18 January 1996 Bloemfontein, South Africa  Algeria 0–2 0 1996 African Cup of Nations
16 June 1996 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Burundi 0–1 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 November 1996 Rabat, Morocco  Morocco 0–4 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 January 1997 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Gabon 1–0 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 April 1997 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Ghana 1–1 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
26 April 1997 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Morocco 0–1 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
17 August 1997 Obuasi, Ghana  Ghana 2–0 1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
22 April 2000 Freetown, Sierra Leone  São Tomé and Príncipe 4–0 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
17 June 2000 Lagos, Nigeria  Nigeria 0–2 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 July 2000 Accra, Ghana  Ghana 0–5 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
29 October 2000 Rome, Italy  Italy 0–0 0 Unofficial Friendly (for Foreigner of Italy)[37]
25 February 2001 Paynesville, Liberia  Liberia 0–1 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
10 March 2001 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Sudan 0–2 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
21 April 2001 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Nigeria 1–0 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
14 July 2001 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Liberia 0–1 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 June 2003 Casablanca, Morocco  Morocco 0–1 0 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification[citation needed]
22 June 2003 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Equatorial Guinea 2–0 1 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification[38]
12 October 2003 Brazzaville, Republic of Congo  Congo 0–1 0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
15 June 2005 Freetown, Sierra Leone Guinea Guinea B 2–0 1 Unofficial Friendly[39]
24 March 2007 Lomé, Togo  Togo 1–3 1 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification[40]
7 May 2007 London, United Kingdom England Leyton Orient 4–2 1 Unofficial Friendly[41]
17 October 2007 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Guinea-Bissau 1–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
17 November 2007 Bissau, Guinea-Bissau  Guinea-Bissau 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
1 June 2008 Malabo, Equatorial Guinea  Equatorial Guinea 0–2 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
14 June 2008 Freetown, Sierra Leone  South Africa 1–0 1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
21 June 2008 Atteridgeville, South Africa  South Africa 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 September 2008 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Equatorial Guinea 2–1 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 October 2008 Abuja, Nigeria  Nigeria 1–4 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 February 2011 Lagos, Nigeria  Nigeria 1–2 0 friendly

Honours

Al-Ittihad

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ a b c "President Koroma Decorates Sierra Leone Football Legend". sierraexpressmedia.com. Sierra Express Media. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  3. ^ "MOHAMMED KALLON" (in Italian). Internazionale. Archived from the original on 3 July 2001. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Doppio colpo del Vicenza: presi Kallon e Tomas". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 20 June 2000. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  5. ^ FC Internazionale Milano SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2001, PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A. (in Italian)
  6. ^ "Italians bar non-EU imports". UEFA.com. 17 July 2002. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  7. ^ "JOINT CONTRACTS: KALLON AND ZANETTI BACK TO INTER". Internazionale. 28 June 2001. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  8. ^ "Campbell sceglie l' Inter". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 29 June 2001. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  9. ^ "SECOND DEGREE TENDON INJURY FOR KALLON". Internazionale. 19 August 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  10. ^ "INTER CHIEF OF MEDICAL STAFF ANALYSES INJURIES TO DALMAT, KALLON AND MORFEO". Internazionale. 27 February 2003. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  11. ^ "Kallon fails drugs test". BBC. 22 October 2003. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  12. ^ (in Italian) Biography from inter.it Archived 3 July 2001 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "KALLON Monégasque" (in French). AS Monaco FC. 21 July 2004. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  14. ^ "Mohamed Kallon prêté à AL ITTHIAD" (in French). AS Monaco FC. 29 July 2005. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  15. ^ "Blues choose not to sign Kallon". BBC. 12 September 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  16. ^ "Kallon confirms Derby approach". BBC. 10 July 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  17. ^ "Kallon signs for Saudi's Al Hilal". BBC. 17 November 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  18. ^ "Kallon's Saudi deal collapses". BBC. 28 November 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  19. ^ "AEK FC signs Mohamed Kallon". AEK FC. 29 January 2008. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  20. ^ (in French) Profile on AS Monaco's website[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "Kallon returns home". BBC. 18 October 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
  22. ^ "新季中超最大牌外援诞生 前国米中锋正式加盟陕西". sina. 1 March 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  23. ^ "Sierra Leone's Mohammed Kallon moves to China". BBC. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  24. ^ 西北狼后防送礼卡隆中超首秀进球 陕西1比1平大连(in Chinese)
  25. ^ "Mohammed Kallon set to leave China". BBC. 24 December 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  26. ^ "Ghana legend's club pull out of Confederation Cup". BBC. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  27. ^ "Mohamed Kallon takes charge of Sierra Leone Under-17s". BBC Sport. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  28. ^ "Mohamed Kallon: Former Sierra Leone captain retires". BBC Sport. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  29. ^ "Kallon quits Leone Stars captaincy". BBC. 16 October 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  30. ^ a b "Kallon buys own club". BBC. 20 August 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  31. ^ "Kallon celebrates his marriage". BBC. 19 June 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  32. ^ Kallon Group Foundation[permanent dead link]
  33. ^ "Kallon offers hope". 2 July 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  34. ^ a b Mohamed Kallon at National-Football-Teams.com
  35. ^ RSSSF - African Nations Cup 1996
  36. ^ RSSSF - African Nations Cup 1996 - Final Tournament Details
  37. ^ RSSSF - International Matches 2000 - Other
  38. ^ RSSSF - African Nations Cup 2004
  39. ^ "Sierra Leone win Peace Trophy". BBC. 15 June 2005. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  40. ^ "Togo's Hawks fly high in Group 9". BBC. 25 March 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  41. ^ "Sierra Leone defeat Leyton Orient". BBC. 7 May 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2009.

External links

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