Salomon Kalou Biography

Name :
Salomon Kalou

Nationality :
Ivorian

Date of Birth :
05/08/1985
Oume, Ivory Coast

Height :
6' 1" (186cm)

Weight :
12st 5lbs (78.54kg)

Squad No :
21

Previous Clubs :
Feyenoord

Position :
Striker

Chelsea Career
Signed in the summer of 2006 from Dutch club Feyenoord, Salomon Kalou has passed the 200-appearances mark in rapid time.

The Ivorian arrived at Chelsea as understudy to Didier Drogba and Andriy Shevchenko, but quickly set about forging a reputation for himself as an impact sub.

In total he scored nine goals in his first season, including an important equaliser against Spurs in the FA Cup, a competition we would go on to win. He played a part in 58 of the 64 games, starting 25.

In 2007/08, Kalou flourished in a left-wing role, for spells keeping new signing Florent Malouda out of the side, but also scored goals when asked to play in a central striking role, reducing the impact of injuries to Drogba and Shevchenko.

Added to his 11 goals were nine assists in the Premier League, the highest number from any Chelsea player.

By the end of 2008/09, Kalou had played for his fourth Chelsea manager in three seasons.

It was the second season in succession that international commitments had taken their toll, after the month-long African Cup of Nations in January 2008 he was called up to his country's Olympic squad.

Upon his return to England, Kalou had to settle for a place on the bench, locked in a battle with the improving Malouda for a starting spot.

His first major contribution of the campaign was to head home a late equaliser against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, and he scored both goals in a 2-0 win against Middlesbrough, manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's last before the sack.

The arrival of Guus Hiddink, who knew him from Holland, saw Kalou restored to the line-up, but a dry spell in front of goal saw Malouda become the favoured choice, and though Salomon scored on the final day of the Premier League season at Sunderland, it was not enough to secure a place in the line-up at Wembley for the FA Cup Final against Everton.

The 2009/10 season saw another supporting role for the enigmatic Ivorian, who as always provided important goals and assists for his team.

In many ways it was a typical year for the Ivorian, where again he turned in a goals to games ratio of approaching one in three, but the campaign was littered with unforgettable moments from magic to mayhem and back again.

Things kicked off perfectly as he side-footed home the winning penalty in the Community Shield at Wembley, and though his season ended with more silverware at the national stadium, his afternoon will probably best be remembered for missing of an open goal in an incomprehensibly goalless first half of the FA Cup Final.

Eternally regarded at Stamford Bridge as being as effective from the bench as he is the start, Kalou began the season in reserve before an in-and-out spell where he contributed more key goals.

Recalled by Carlo Ancelotti for the Champions League trip to Inter he was the standout performer on the night, scoring what looked like a crucial away goal from outside the area, and having a blatant penalty turned away right on half-time.

Kalou's enterprising ethic was rewarded with a hat-trick against Stoke in April, his first in Chelsea colours, before netting in the demolition of Wigan on the Premier League's last day.

That provided a first Chelsea championship medal, and the Double came six days later despite his six-yard box indiscretion, where he hit the bar from mere feet away from the line.

Thirty-seven appearances that season shows how useful Carlo Ancelotti considers him, although the completion of 90 minutes just four times tells its own story.

At the beginning of 2010/11 Kalou set himself an ambitious 20-goal target and he set off quickly, but with Ancelotti tending to prefer Drogba, Malouda and Nicolas Anelka in attack, even before the arrival of Fernando Torres at the end of January, the 25-year-old may have to settle with another season spent as a squad player, and in April 2011 he became the most used sub in Chelsea history.

Pre-Chelsea
Salomon followed in the footsteps of his older brother Bonaventure, coming through the Academy at Dutch club Feyenoord, where he spent three seasons.

In 2003/4 he made two appearances for Feyenoord but played the bulk of the season on loan at another Rotterdam club, second division Excelsior, where he netted four goals in 11 appearances.

In the last two seasons at Feyenoord he found the net 35 times in 60 top flight starts and seven sub appearances. He has also scored four goals in seven Uefa Cup games.

The 20 goals he scored in 2004/05 was the second best total in the Dutch top division that season. He was selected as the winner of the Johan Cruyff Award for Young Talent playing in Holland.

International
Having initially shown interest in becoming a Dutch international, Kalou opted for the country of his birth and was part of the 2008 African Nations squad in Ghana, where he scored three times.

He scored a fine individual goal in that summer's Olympics in China, but lost out to Lionel Messi's Argentina, before another subdued African Nations in Angolain 2010.

At his first World Cup in South Africa, Salomon played in all three games for Ivory Coast and scored against North Korea, but was left to rue a difficult group stage draw that had paired them with Portugal and Brazil, meaning early elimination.