# Salomon Kalou
**Salomon Kalou** (full name Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou, born 1985 in Oumé, Côte d'Ivoire) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a left winger and forward, best known for six trophy-laden seasons at Chelsea from 2006 to 2012 and for winning the 2015 [Africa Cup of Nations](https://www.edgepedia.org/africa-cup-of-nations) with [Ivory Coast](https://www.edgepedia.org/ivory-coast).[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/salomon-kalou/profil/spieler/7971) • [2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html) He retired on 1 August 2024.[3](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/salomon-kalou/10086)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985, Oumé, Côte d'Ivoire; 1.84 m; left winger, right-footed[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/salomon-kalou/profil/spieler/7971) |
| Clubs | ASEC Mimosas, Feyenoord (loan Excelsior) 2003–2006; Chelsea 2006–2012; Lille 2012–2014; Hertha Berlin 2014–2020; Botafogo 2020[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html) |
| Chelsea record | 254 appearances, 60 goals, 44 assists; club record for substitute appearances[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html) • [4](https://thechels.uk/eplindex-the-rise-and-rise-of-salomon-kalou) |
| Chelsea honors | Champions League (2012), one Premier League title, four FA Cups, one League Cup, one Community Shield[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html) |
| Ivory Coast | 84 caps, 22 goals; World Cups 2010 and 2014; 2015 Africa Cup of Nations winner[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/06/24/futbol/1593021830_543681.html) • [6](https://www.salomon-kalou.net/kalou-ivory-coast-major-honours-unveiled/) |
| Later career | Lille: 80 matches, 34 goals; Hertha Berlin: 173 matches, 53 goals[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/06/24/futbol/1593021830_543681.html) |
| Retirement | 1 August 2024[3](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/salomon-kalou/10086) |
## Early career in the Netherlands
Kalou began at ASEC Mimosas in his home country, debuting for the first team in 2003, and his performances as a left-sided winger drew attention from European clubs.[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html) From 2003 to 2006 he played for [Feyenoord](https://www.edgepedia.org/feyenoord) in the Dutch Eredivisie, with a brief loan spell at [Excelsior](https://www.edgepedia.org/excelsior), and although he won no trophies there his three seasons in the Netherlands were strong enough to prompt a move to a higher-profile league.[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html) It was [Ruud Gullit](https://www.edgepedia.org/ruud-gullit) who had given him his big break at Feyenoord.[7](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/cup-final-past-player-interview--salomon-kalou-on--incomparable-)
## Chelsea, 2006–2012
Chelsea signed Kalou from Feyenoord for around £9m in the summer of 2006, when he was a 20-year-old added by [José Mourinho](https://www.edgepedia.org/jose-mourinho) to a squad already containing [Didier Drogba](https://www.edgepedia.org/didier-drogba) and [Andriy Shevchenko](https://www.edgepedia.org/andriy-shevchenko).[8](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/31/salomon-kalou-lille-chelsea) • [7](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/cup-final-past-player-interview--salomon-kalou-on--incomparable-) With established strikers ahead of him, many of his early contributions came off the bench. In his first season the most crucial was a late equalizer against Tottenham in the sixth round of the FA Cup, a volley four minutes from time that made it 3-3 and preserved Chelsea's long unbeaten home record against Spurs; he then set up Michael Ballack's extra-time winner in the semi-final against Blackburn.[7](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/cup-final-past-player-interview--salomon-kalou-on--incomparable-)
Across six seasons he made 254 appearances, scoring 60 goals with 44 assists, and the club won the Champions League, one league title, four FA Cups, a League Cup and a Community Shield.[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html) He started 147 matches and came off the bench 107 times, and he holds Chelsea's all-time record for substitute appearances.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/31/salomon-kalou-lille-chelsea) • [4b](https://thechels.uk/eplindex-the-rise-and-rise-of-salomon-kalou) In FA Cup competition he played 28 games for Chelsea and lost only two, a penalty shoot-out defeat to Everton and a 1-0 upset at Barnsley.[7](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/cup-final-past-player-interview--salomon-kalou-on--incomparable-)
His final season was the most turbulent. Unfancied by head coach [André Villas-Boas](https://www.edgepedia.org/andre-villas-boas), he played only 10 times before [Roberto Di Matteo](https://www.edgepedia.org/roberto-di-matteo) replaced Villas-Boas in early March 2012 and restored him to the squad. Kalou started both finals that ended the season, the [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) final at Wembley and the Champions League final in Munich, and Chelsea won both; they were his last two games for the club.[7](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/cup-final-past-player-interview--salomon-kalou-on--incomparable-) Reflecting on his role, he described himself as "more like a foot soldier" who played in all the big games, including the 2008 final lost to Manchester United in Moscow and the semi-final against Barcelona.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/31/salomon-kalou-lille-chelsea)
## Lille and Hertha Berlin
After leaving Chelsea in 2012, Kalou joined Lille in [Ligue 1](https://www.edgepedia.org/ligue-1), where he became a central figure leading the line rather than a squad player, averaging close to a goal every other game at the club.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/31/salomon-kalou-lille-chelsea) He made 80 appearances for Lille, scoring 34 goals with 11 assists.[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/06/24/futbol/1593021830_543681.html)
In 2014 Hertha Berlin signed him for €1.8 million, and in March 2017 he extended a contract due to expire that June, with the new deal reported to run until 2020.[9](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/mar/16/kt.pdf) His Berlin years included two hat-tricks in away and home wins: three goals in a 3-1 victory at Hannover in November 2015 that lifted Hertha to fourth place in the [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga), and a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over [Borussia Mönchengladbach](https://www.edgepedia.org/borussia-monchengladbach) at the Olympiastadion in November 2016.[10](https://as.com/futbol/2015/11/06/internacional/1446845673_907609.html) • [11](https://as.com/futbol/2016/11/04/internacional/1478282102_652809.html) He finished with 173 Hertha appearances and 53 goals.[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/06/24/futbol/1593021830_543681.html)
In May 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Kalou live-streamed video showing himself shaking hands with teammates and interrupting a teammate's medical check-up in breach of the club's hygiene and distancing rules. He left Hertha that summer and signed for Botafogo in Brazil, the fifth country of his playing career.[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html) • [7](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/cup-final-past-player-interview--salomon-kalou-on--incomparable-)
## Ivory Coast
Kalou was one of the pillars who took Ivory Coast to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and he also played at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/06/24/futbol/1593021830_543681.html) • [2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html) At the 2010 World Cup he scored as a substitute in the 3-0 group-stage win over [North Korea](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-korea), though Ivory Coast went out at the group stage.[6](https://www.salomon-kalou.net/kalou-ivory-coast-major-honours-unveiled/) His only major trophy with the national team came at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.[6](https://www.salomon-kalou.net/kalou-ivory-coast-major-honours-unveiled/) In total he earned 84 caps, scoring 22 goals with 6 assists.[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/06/24/futbol/1593021830_543681.html)
## References
1. [Salomon Kalou – Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.us/salomon-kalou/profil/spieler/7971)
2. [¿Qué fue de Salomon Kalou, exjugador del Chelsea? AS (2020)](https://as.com/us/us/2020/08/17/futbol/1597670612_871033.html)
3. [Salomon Kalou – stats and ratings, Sofascore](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/salomon-kalou/10086)
4. [epl index - the rise and rise of salomon kalou – opta analysis](https://thechels.uk/eplindex-the-rise-and-rise-of-salomon-kalou)
5. [Salomon Kalou piensa dejar la Bundesliga para jugar en la MLS, AS (2020)](https://as.com/us/us/2020/06/24/futbol/1593021830_543681.html)
6. [Kalou: Ivory Coast major honours unveiled, salomon-kalou.net](https://www.salomon-kalou.net/kalou-ivory-coast-major-honours-unveiled/)
7. [Cup Final long read: Salomon Kalou on 'incomparable' Wembley FA Cup experiences, Chelsea FC](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/cup-final-past-player-interview--salomon-kalou-on--incomparable-)
8. [Former Chelsea foot soldier Salomon Kalou relishes front-line duty at Lille, The Guardian (2013)](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/31/salomon-kalou-lille-chelsea)
9. [Kuwait Times, 16 March 2017](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/mar/16/kt.pdf)
10. [Kalou asienta al Hertha en la parte alta de la Bundesliga, AS (2015)](https://as.com/futbol/2015/11/06/internacional/1446845673_907609.html)
11. [El Hertha confirma su estado de gracia con un triplete de Kalou, AS (2016)](https://as.com/futbol/2016/11/04/internacional/1478282102_652809.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Africa › West African footballers › Ghanaian and Ivorian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license