Jawed Kalai
French footballer (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jawad Kalai (born 29 July 2000) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Championnat National club Versailles.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 July 2000[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Cambrai, France | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Versailles | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| CAS Escaudoeuvres | |||
| –2014 | Cambrai | ||
| 2014–2016 | Valenciennes | ||
| 2016–2018 | Cambrai | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | Cambrai | ||
| 2020–2021 | UR La Louvière | ||
| 2021–2024 | Valenciennes B | 29 | (8) |
| 2021–2024 | Valenciennes | 5 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | → Wasquehal (loan) | 20 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | SAS Épinal | 29 | (7) |
| 2025– | Versailles | 11 | (1) |
| 2025– | Versailles B | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:35, 3 January 2026 (UTC) | |||
Career
Kalai started his football career at CAS Escaudoeuvres,[2] before he joined Cambrai at the age of eight. Later, he moved to Valenciennes as an under-14 player.[3] Kalai stayed at Valenciennes for two years, before returning to Cambrai in 2016.[3] In January 2018, Kalai was promoted to Cambrai's first team, playing in the Régional 1.[3]
In July 2020, Kalai joined Belgian club UR La Louvière.[4] From the 2021–22 season, he returned to Valenciennes, where he started on the club's reserve team, playing in the Championnat National 3.[5] However, on 8 January 2022, Kalai got his professional debut for Valenciennes in Ligue 2 in a game against Guingamp, where he came on from the bench for the last minute.[6] On 1 September 2022, Kalai joined Wasquehal on loan until the end of the season.[7]
During the first six months of the 2023-24 season, Kalai made two appearances in Ligue 1 and one in the cup for Valenciennes. In search of more playing time, Kalai returned to his former club, Wasquehal, on a loan deal at the end of January 2024.[8] However, it was revealed the following day that the French Football Federation (FFF) had blocked the transfer for unknown reasons, meaning Kalai had to stay at Valenciennes.[9]
In July 2024, Kalai moved to Championnat National 2 club SAS Épinal.[10]
Personal life
Born in France, Kalai is of Moroccan descent.[11]