Kaleem Simon
Montserratian footballer (born 1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaleem Strawbrige-Simon (born 8 July 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for UAE First Division League club Dubai City. Born in England, he plays for the Montserrat national team.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kaleem Strawbrige-Simon | ||
| Date of birth | 8 July 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dubai City | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2013–2014 | UCD | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014 | UCD | 3 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Longford Town | 54 | (3) |
| 2017 | Bohemians | 15 | (0) |
| 2017 | Longford Town | 5 | (0) |
| 2018 | Cabinteely | 8 | (0) |
| 2019 | Athlone Town | 17 | (2) |
| 2019 | Warrenpoint Town | 0 | (0) |
| 2020 | Wexford | 8 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Welling United | 4 | (0) |
| 2021 | Drogheda United | 1 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Fleetwood United | ||
| 2023–2024 | Arabian Falcons | ||
| 2024–2025 | Gulf United | ||
| 2025– | Dubai City | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Montserrat | 18 | (3) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 February 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 8 September 2024 | |||
Club career
Simon came through the UCD academy as a student, and made his senior breakthrough as an 18 year old in July 2014. His debut came against Bradford City in a friendly match. He faced competition for places, and after making just three appearances for the club, he joined newly promoted side Longford Town in December 2014.[2] He spent two seasons there, and established himself as a key squad member, making 54 appearances in total and scoring three goals.
Following the club's relegation after the 2016 season, he sealed a move to Bohemians.[3] He spent the first half of the 2017 season in Phibsborough, where he made 15 league appearances, before returning to Longford in July. By December he had played a further five matches
Pat Devlin signed Kaleem for Cabinteely in February 2018, and he made his debut against Wexford on opening day of the First Division season. He never really found his form, and was offloaded once again in 2019. After 17 games with Athlone Town, he joined NIFL Premiership team Warrenpoint Town, where he failed to make a single appearance.[4]
Simon spent the first half of 2020 with Wexford,[5] but during the summer he secured a move across the water to non league outfit Welling United in the UK. He played 4 games for the club before being released a year later. Drogheda United signed him on a free transfer in August 2021,[6] but he only managed a single substitute appearance in 6 months with the County Louth side.
In September 2022, Simon signed for Fleetwood United in the UAE Second Division, the third tier of UAE football. The following season, he dropped down a division to the UAE Third Division League to sign for Arabian Falcons.[7]
International career
Born in England to an English father and Irish mother, Simon became eligible to play for Montserrat through his paternal grandmother.[8] Recruitment team of Montserrat Football Association contacted him in Instagram after noticing his eligibility and enquired if he would be interested in representing them. This led to his inclusion in Montserrat national team for World Cup qualifiers in March 2021.[9][10]
Simon made his international debut on 24 March 2021 in a 2–2 draw against Antigua and Barbuda.[11] He was also eligible to play for Republic of Ireland or Dominica prior to this match.[8]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 6 January 2023[12]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| UCD | 2014 | League of Ireland Premier Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[c] | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Longford Town | 2015 | League of Ireland Premier Division | 25 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 32 | 2 |
| 2016 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0[c] | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| Total | 54 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 3 | ||
| Bohemians | 2017 | League of Ireland Premier Division | 15 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| Longford Town | 2017 | League of Ireland First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Cabinteely | 2018 | League of Ireland First Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Athlone Town | 2019 | League of Ireland First Division | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| Warrenpoint Town | 2019–20 | NIFL Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Wexford | 2020 | League of Ireland First Division | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 2 | |
| Welling United | 2020–21 | National League South | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Drogheda United | 2021 | League of Ireland Premier Division | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Fleetwood United | 2022–23 | UAE Second Division League | — | — | ||||||||
| Career total | 115 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 130 | 7 | ||
- Appearances in the Leinster Senior Cup
International
- As of match played 8 September 2024[7]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montserrat | 2021 | 5 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 18 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Montserrat's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Simon goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 June 2022 | Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |  Haiti | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League |
| 2 | 17 November 2023 | Blakes Estate Stadium, Lookout, Montserrat |  Dominican Republic | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League |
| 3 | 9 June 2024 | Nicaragua National Football Stadium, Managua, Nicaragua |  Panama | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |