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Samuel Kalu

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Samuel Kalu
Kalu with Bordeaux in 2020
Personal information
Full name Samuel Kalu Ojim[1]
Date of birth (1997-08-26) 26 August 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Aba, Abia State, Nigeria
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
0000–2016 GBS Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 AS Trenčín 32 (4)
2017–2018 Gent 48 (10)
2018–2022 Bordeaux 72 (9)
2022–2024 Watford 13 (0)
2023–2024 → Lausanne-Sport (loan) 21 (3)
International career‡
2018– Nigeria 16 (2)
Medal record
Africa Cup of Nations
Third place 2019 Egypt
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 November 2019

Samuel Kalu Ojim (born 26 August 1997) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as winger. He is currently a free agent.

Club career

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Kalu started his football career at GBS Academy in Jos, Nigeria.

AS Trenčín

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On 9 December 2015, Kalu agreed to sign a two-year contract with Slovak side AS Trenčín,[3] a partner club with GBS Academy at the time. He made his professional debut for Trenčín against Slovan Bratislava on 27 February 2016.[4]

Gent

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On 4 January 2017, after his impressive displays in the Slovak League with Trenčín, Kalu was transferred to Belgium top division club KAA Gent.[5]

Bordeaux

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On 6 August 2018, Kalu signed for Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, signing a five-year contract.[6] He was handed the number 10 jersey on arrival.

On 15 August 2021, Kalu collapsed in a game against Marseille. He was able to get up and walk off the pitch with his teammates’ help while holding an ice pack against his head. Eight minutes later, he was substituted off for Rémi Oudin.[7]

Watford

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On 26 January 2022, Kalu joined Premier League club Watford on a three-and-a-half-year deal until 2025.[8]

FC Lausanne-Sport

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On 7 September 2023, Kalu joined Swiss Super League club FC Lausanne-Sport on a season long loan from Watford.[9]

International career

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On 13 October 2018, he scored his first international goal with the Nigeria senior national team against Libya. He scored the final goal in a 4–0 victory.

Kalu collapsed whilst participating in a team training session during the AFCON 2019 held in Egypt. Though rumours had it that he suffered a heart attack, this was later debunked as he collapsed as a result of severe dehydration. He was later released from the hospital to link up with the rest of the squad in Alexandria.

Personal life

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Kalu's mother was released on 5 March 2019, having been kidnapped six days previously.[10]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 3 February 2024[11]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
AS Trenčín 2015–16 Slovak Super Liga 13 3 4 1 — — 17 4
2016–17 Slovak Super Liga 19 1 3 1 — 5[a] 1 27 3
Total 32 4 7 2 — 5 1 44 7
Gent 2016–17 Belgian First Division A 16 3 0 0 — 3[b] 1 19 4
2017–18 Belgian First Division A 32 7 2 0 — 2[b] 0 36 7
Total 48 10 2 0 — 5 1 55 11
Bordeaux 2018–19 Ligue 1 21 3 1 0 3 1 7[b] 0 32 4
2019–20 Ligue 1 20 1 0 0 2 0 — 22 1
2020–21 Ligue 1 20 4 0 0 0 0 — 20 4
2021–22 Ligue 1 11 1 1 0 0 0 — 12 1
Total 72 9 2 0 5 1 7 0 86 10
Watford 2021–22 Premier League 4 0 0 0 0 0 — 4 0
2022–23 Championship 9 0 0 0 0 0 — 9 0
Total 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
FC Lausanne-Sport 2023–24 Swiss Super League 15 3 0 0 0 0 — 15 3
Total 15 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 3
Career total 178 23 11 2 5 1 17 2 211 31
  1. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League and one in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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As of matches played on 13 November 2019[12]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Nigeria 2018 6 1
2019 7 1
Total 13 2
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kalu goal.
List of international goals scored by Samuel Kalu[12]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 13 October 2018 Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, Nigeria  Libya 4–0 4–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2 13 November 2019 Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria  Benin 2–1 2–1 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

References

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  1. ^ "Updated squad lists for 2021/22 Premier League". Premier League. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Samuel Kalu". Watford F.C. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  3. ^ KALU A UDEH PODPÍSALI DVOJROČNÉ KONTRAKTY 09.12.2015, astrencin.sk
  4. ^ Futbalnet / Únia ligových klubov / Fortuna liga / AS Trenčín - ŠK Slovan Bratislava futbal 27.02.2016, futbalnet.sk
  5. ^ "Samuel Kalu signs three and a half year deal with Gent". Goal. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Samuel Kalu is Girondin!" (in French). 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Bordeaux's Samuel Kalu collapses, returns to game before substituted off". 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Official: Hornets Sign Kalu". www.watfordfc.com. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Official: Lausanne Loan For Kalu". www.watfordfc.com. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  10. ^ Okeleji, Oluwashina (5 March 2019). "Nigeria winger Kalu's mother released by kidnappers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  11. ^ Samuel Kalu at Soccerway
  12. ^ a b Samuel Kalu at National-Football-Teams.com
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