Samuel Kalu
Nigerian footballer (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Kalu Ojim (born 26 August 1997) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as winger for Bulgarian First League club Botev Plovdiv.
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Kalu with Bordeaux in 2020 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samuel Kalu Ojim[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 26 August 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Aba, Abia State, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Botev Plovdiv | ||
| Number | 90 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –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) |
| 2025– | Botev Plovdiv | 12 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018– | Nigeria | 16 | (2) |
Medal record | |||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 February 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 November 2019 | |||
Club career
Kalu started his football career at GBS Academy in Jos, Nigeria.
AS Trenčín
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
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
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
On 26 January 2022, Kalu joined Premier League club Watford on a three-and-a-half-year deal until 2025.[8]
FC Lausanne-Sport
On 7 September 2023, Kalu joined Swiss Super League club FC Lausanne-Sport on a season long loan from Watford.[9]
International career
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
Kalu's mother was released on 5 March 2019, having been kidnapped six days previously.[10]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 3 February 2024[11]
| 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 | ||
- Four appearances in UEFA Champions League and one in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of matches played on 13 November 2019[12]
| 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.
| 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 |