Kalidou Koulibaly

At 32 years old, Kalidou Koulibaly has this physical status:

Kalidou Koulibaly (born 20 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays centre back for Napoli and Senegal's national team.

He is Napoli's vice-captain. Koulibaly began his career with Metz in 2010, before moving to Genk, Belgium, winning the Belgian Cup in his first season in 2012.

In 2014, he joined Napoli's Italian team, where he immediately lifted the Supercoppa Italiana trophy. Koulibaly was born in France to Senegalese parents and was eligible to represent both countries at international level, and he competed for France's national under-20 football team.

He made his senior debut with Senegal in 2015 and was a member of Senegal's 2018 Africa Cup of Nations team.

He was chosen to the team that defended Senegal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup the following year, and later led his team to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

Early life

Koulibaly was born in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France, on June 20, 1991, to Senegalese parents. His father worked in a textile mill in Senegal for seven days a week and never took weekends off for five years before deciding that he had enough funds to take his mother to France. "You see everyone as your brother" as he grew up in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, he said. We are black, white, Arab, African, Muslim, and Christian, yes, but we are all French. We're all hungry, so let's have a Turkish meal together. Or, tonight, let's all go to my house and eat Senegalese food. Yes, we have differences, but we are all equal. Growing up, Koulibaly claims that his upbringing was "strongly influenced by the multi-cultural character" of his family.

"All the kids were running around playing football with no shoes on," Koulibaly said, and I was really upset by this." My mom claims I begged her to go to the store and buy shoes for everybody so I could play football with them. But my mother insisted, "Kalidou, just take your shoes off." I threw off my shoes and went barefoot with my cousins in the end, and here's where my football story begins. "I was playing in the little park by our house every day when we returned to France." His football career began with SR Saint-Dié's local team. He rejoined FC Metz in his first spell, but when he was released at fifteen, he was let go "because he was too introverted and his talent was a little below our aspirations," according to the club's Academy Manager, Denis Schaeffer.

Personal life

In May 2019, it was announced that Koulibaly had been named as an honorary citizen of Naples. He was previously listed as an honorary citizen of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges in April 2015. He is so popular in Naples that an entrepreneur created a pizza after him and Koulibaly himself have expressed their love for the area.

He is a Muslim and claims that his name derives from Quranic. Koulibaly is also able to speak French and Italian, in addition to French.

Koulibaly spoke out against bigotry in Italian football during his time at Napoli. Koulibaly called on Italian football authorities to combat bigotry by issuing a lifetime ban from entering the stadium in October 2019. In January of this year, he had previously chastised the Italian football authorities for their inability to tackle bigotry.

He has been active in many projects to support homeless people in Naples and his motherland, as he was spending a holiday in Senegal, Koulibaly, assisting underprivileged children and coordinating the delivery of a ship carrying sanitary equipment and essential needs from the port of Naples.

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Club career

Koulibaly began his career with his hometown club, SR Saint-Dié's youth team; he spent two seasons with the club's team in the Championnat de France Amateur 2 before joining the youth academy of professional club Metz on July 1, 2009. While at Metz, Koulibaly helped the club's under-19 team win the 2009-10 Coupe Gambardella after losing 5–4 on penalties. He appeared in 15 matches for the club's amateur team in the Champions de France Amateur Championship, finishing with 107 points in 15 matches.

Koulibaly signed his first professional contract ahead of the 2011–11 season, committing to a one-year deal. Dominique Bijottat, the current boss, had him promoted to the senior team and later on. In a league match against Vannes on August 20, Koulibaly made his professional debut on August 20th. In a 1–0 victory, he served as a substitute. After losing the place from Nuno Frechaut, Koulibaly became the team's first team regular. FC Metz's first goal was scored on April 15, 2011, when the team defeated Clermont 3–3. Koulibaly signed a three-year contract extension with the club, extending his contract until 2014. He made nineteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions at the end of the 2010–11 season. Manager Bijotat reminisced about his first season with FC Metz, saying, "Kalidou Koulibaly is certainly the one who surprised the most people, while being the one who surprised me the least personally." Since it was already showing a good maturity, I knew it would come to him. He's always in the right mood and does not catch fire, so it's extremely important to the job he's doing. He also knows how to analyze his own matches, which leads him to a certain degree of regularity in his performances. On the other hand, we felt that Yeni Ngbakoto was the closest to the group, but it took longer. Between suspension and injury, he had a rough start. He took him longer to settle on the team. His game was not settled, but in this sector he has progressed in recent weeks and must still win in consistency."

However, Koulibaly missed the first five league matches of the season in the 2011-12 season due to international obligations. In a 2–2 draw against Stade Lavallois on September 9, 2011, his first appearance of the 2011–12 season came as a replacement in the 60th minutes. However, he served two matches after being suspended for unethical conduct against Guillaume Moullec, as FC Metz defeated 1–0 on September 30, 2011. Despite all this, Koulibaly returned to the first team and captained the team for the first time on December 2, 2011, defeating AS Monaco 2–0. He continued to play for his first team position until suspension and injuries, limiting his availability for the remainder of the 2011–12 season. Koulibaly made 23 appearances in all competitions, including 10 with his future international teammate Sadio Mané at the end of the 2011-12 season.

After agreeing to a four-year deal, Koulibaly joined Belgian club Genk on June 29th, 2012. He made his Genk debut in a UEFA Europa League play-off qualifying round on August 23rd, in which they were defeated by Swiss side Luzern 2–1 in the first leg of two. Since joining the club, he became the team's first team regular, playing mostly in the center-back position. Koulibaly committed a foul in the penalty box at the last minute of the match against OH Leuven on November 25, 2012, when Genk drew 1–1. In a 4–2 home loss to Anderlecht, in which he scored a free header from a corner, Koulibaly scored his first Racing Genk goal on December 23, 2012, to make amends for his mistake. After starting the whole game to beat Cercle Brugge, he later helped Genk win the 2012–13 Belgian Cup. Koulibaly made 46 appearances and scoring once in all competitions during the 2012–13 season.

Koulibaly made his first appearance in the center-back position in 2013, where he continued to form a friendship with Kara Mbodji. He scored two goals in two games between October 6th and October 31, 2013. After suffering a knee injury in a 2–0 loss against Lokeren on December 8, 2013, Koulibaly got off to every match since the start of the season until he sustained a knee injury. In a 1–0 loss against Zulte Waregem a month later, Koulibaly recovered from injury, starting the entire game. Koulibaly stayed in the first team for the remainder of the season. However, he skipped the remaining three league games of the season due to his impending transfer to Napoli. Despite this, Koulibaly continued to make 46 appearances and scored two times in all competitions.

On July 2, 2014, Koulibaly joined Napoli, a Serie A club, for a fee of around £6.5 million. When President Aurelio De Laurentiis visited Koulibaly for the first time, he expected him to be 1.92/1.93 meters tall, as he had read, and said he might have paid him less because he was smaller; Koulibaly replied that he would have given him his value on the pitch. He made his debut in a UEFA Champions League play-off round qualifier on August 19, where Napoli defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-1. Napoli went on to lose the second leg 3–1, effectively leaving them out of the tournament. Koulibaly made his Serie A debut against Genoa in the first game of the season, against Genoa, and Napoli lost 2–1. In a 3–3 draw with Palermo on September 24, he scored his first goal for the team. Koulibaly appeared in every match from the start of the season before being sent off for a second bookable offence in a 1–1 draw against Sampdoria on December 1, 2014.

Koulibaly scored the winning penalty in the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus in Doha, Qatar, on December 22nd. Napoli defeated Napoli by a margin of 22 points. Koulibaly found himself in and out of the starting eleven for the team during the 2014–15 season as coach Rafael Bentez preferred Ral Albiol and Miguel Britos in the central defence roles. Koulibaly made 39 appearances and scored one goal in all competitions in his first season at Napoli.

Koulibaly had been linked with a move to Southampton in the Premier League ahead of the 2015-16 season, but he eventually stayed at the club. Despite this, Koulibaly became a regular starter for Napoli under coach Maurizio Sarri, and saw a rise in his numbers for the team in the number of matches.

Koulibaly was abused by Lazio supporters during a 2–0 victory over Lazio on February 3, prompting referee Massimiliano Irrati to suspend the match temporally; Koulibaly later described it as "the first time he really experienced any bigole football." Lazio will be fined €50,000 by the league for these racial chantings, and they will play two home matches behind closed doors after the match. In a Napoli follow-up game against Carpi, Napoli supporters wore Koulibaly masks; he was instrumental in the game, as he encouraged Gonzalo Higuay to score the only goal of the game in a Napoli victory.

For the second time this season, Napoli managed to achieve this in matches between 20 and September 2015, achieving this in matches between 20 and 23 September 2015. In all competitions, Koulibaly made 42 appearances in the 2015-16 season.

Koulibaly continued to play as a regular starter for Napoli under new coach Maurizio Sarri in the 2016–17 season, winning four out of six league games. He signed a five-year deal with Napoli on September 19, 2016, keeping him at Napoli until 2021. In a 3–1 loss against A.S. Roma, Koulibaly scored his first goal of the season on October 15, 2016. Koulibaly continued to play every match of the season until he sustained a knee injury against Cagliari on December 11, 2016, resulting in his suspension for a month. In a 2–0 victory over Genoa on February 10, he returned to the starting lineup after two months away from Napoli's first squad due to both injury and international service. Koulibaly returned to his first team position for the team in the 2016-17 season. In a 4–1 victory over Fiorentina on May 20, he scored his second goal of the season. Koulibaly had made 38 appearances and scored two times in all competitions by the end of the 2016–17 season.

Koulibaly was instrumental in Napoli's victory in the first eight matches of the Serie A season in the 2017-18 season. He scored two goals for the team during his streak, including netting against Lazio and Cagliari on September and October 1, 2017 respectively, as he continued on. Between 16 December 2017 and February 2018, Koulibaly helped Napoli begin a ten-match winning streak in the league. He scored two goals for the team against Torino and Hellas Verona on December 16, 2017 and January 2018, respectively, during this stretch. Napoli's 2017-18 Serie A crown was a close match for the 2017-18 Serie A title. Koulibaly won by 90th-minutes over league leaders Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on April 22, 2018 to lift Napoli one point behind Juventus with a 1–0 win and a single point difference over Juventus. However, Koulibaly was suspended within ten minutes for a rash foul in their next match against Fiorentina, although Napoli lost 3–0. Napoli will go on to record 91 points, but finished the season 4 points behind league champions Juventus. Koulibaly had made 45 appearances and scored five times in all competitions, his highest-scoring season for the club.

Koulibaly signed a Napoli contract extension at the start of the 2018-19 season, keeping him at the club until 2023. He stayed to be a regular starter for Napoli under coach Carlo Ancelotti, and he praised playing under him. Koulibaly aided the team win thirteen games in the league to remain in the top spots and challenge for the league championship once more. He captained Napoli for the first time in his career, helping the team beat Cagliari 1–0 on December 16, 2018. However, as Napoli lost 1–0 to Inter Milan at the San Siro on December 26, 2018, Koulibaly was issued two yellow cards in a snap for a foul foul and for sarcastically applauding the referee and was sent off. According to Ancelotti, Koulibaly was the object of racist chanting from the Inter fans and his squad, who demanded that the game be postponed three times. "I'm sorry for the loss, and especially to have let my brothers down," Koulibaly posted on social media after the match. However, I am proud of the color of my skin. To be French, Senegalese, Neapolitan, and a man. Inter will continue to be banned by the league for these racial chanting, and the player was barred from playing two home matches behind closed doors.

In a 2–0 victory over Sassuolo Calcio in the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia, Koulibaly returned to the starting lineup after being suspended two games and keeping a clean sheet. He helped the team maintain five straight clean sheets in the league between January and February 2019, including matches against A.C. Milan, Sampdoria, and Parma. After reportedly being assaulted by an Arsenal fan during a Europa League match between the two teams, Koulibaly was involved in another racial hazard. In a 3–1 victory over Chievo two days later, he scored twice for the team on April 14, 2019. Napoli and Juventus were runners-up for the season last season, with Koulibaly winning the inaugural Serie A Best Defender award for the season. He had made 48 appearances and scored two goals in all competitions by the end of the 2018-19 season.

Koulibaly got off to a promising start against Juventus in the Coppa Italia Final on June 17, 2023; Napoli won the match 4–2 on penalties after a goalless draw. On several occasions, Koulibaly has expressed his desire to leave Napoli, but that this will only happen as a result of a managerial decision made by the club.

On July 16, 2022, Koulibaly signed for Chelsea in a four-year deal for a fee estimated to be in the region of £33 million. In a 1–0 away league victory over Everton on August 6, he made his Chelsea debut in a 1–0 away league victory. In his home debut on August 14, Koulibaly scored his first Chelsea goal in his first Chelsea goal against Tottenham Hotspur in a 2–2 home league draw.

International career

Koulibaly was born and raised in France by Senegalese parents and was therefore eligible for both countries. He played for the French under-20 team beginning in 2011 and spent six times during the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.

Despite the desire to call him for Les Bleus from Didier Deschamps, Koulibaly changed federations and joined the Senegal national football team in early September 2015. "I don't have any regrets because I want to write the story of Senegal's future," he said later. In an AFCON qualifier against Namibia on September 5, Koulibaly made his debut on September 5, 2015 defeating Namibia 2–0. He was a member of the Senegal team that competed in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

He was selected in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia in May 2018. Koulibaly attended all three matches as Senegal was knocked out in the tournament's group stage after being the first team to be disqualified due to fair play tiebreaker rules.

He was selected in Senegal's 23-man Squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of 2021 Africa Cup Nations in Cameroon, winning it and helping his National in Final scoring against Egypt (0-0, 4-2 after penalty shootout).

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