A France-Senegalese professional footballer who is currently playing as a center-back for Premier League club Chelsea is named Kalidou Koulibaly.

Starting his football career from the French team Metz in 2010, before moving to Belgian club Genk in 2012, winning the Belgian Cup in his first season. In 2014, Koulibaly joined Italian club Napoli where he immediately won the Supercoppa Italiana in his first season and Coppa Italia in the 2019-20 season. In July 2022, he signed for Premier League club Chelsea on a four-year contract for a fee reported to be in the region of £33 million.

As Koulibaly was born in France to Senegalese parents, he was eligible to represent both nations at the international level, and initially played for the France national under-20 football team. He later made his senior debut with Senegal in 2015 and was a member of the Senegal squad that took part in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He was named to the side that represented Senegal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup the following year and subsequently helped his team to the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He and Senegal won the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, beating Egypt in the final.

Koulibaly is considered to be one of the best and most complete defenders in world football by the media, his ability, playing style, tall stature, and imposing physique have earned him the nicknames K2 and The Wall from his fans. Scroll more to know more about his biography, facts, career stats, awards, net worth, wife, children, birthday, family details, and more. 

Famous For

• Being a professional footballer who plays for the team, Napoli. 
• For his aerial prowess, anticipation, positioning, tackling, character, technique, and passing ability as a defender.

What is the Nationality of Kalidou Koulibaly?

Kalidou Koulibaly was born on 20 June 1991 in Saint-Die-des-Vosges, France, to Senegalese parents. By nationality, he is both French and Senegalese, and ethnicity-wise, he belongs to African. His race is black. His star sign is Gemini. His father worked in a textile mill in Senegal for seven days a week and never took weekends off for five years before he saved enough money to bring his mother to France whereas his mother worked as a cleaner. Details about his parents' names are unknown. He also has siblings named Seodou, his brother. As per his education, he attended Auriol Elementary School/ At the early age of eight, he began footballing with Saint-Die. After spending four years, he switched to Metz and then again returned to his previous club in 2006. In 2009, Koulibaly rejoined Metz. He is a Muslim by religion and he states that his name is derived from the Quran. 

Kalidou Koulibaly Club Career

Early Career

• Koulibaly started his career playing for his hometown club SR Saint-Die's youth team; he spent two seasons playing for the club's senior team in the Championnat de France Amateur 2, before joining the youth academy of professional club Metz on 1 July 2009.
• Koulibaly helped the club's under-19 team win the 2009-2010 Coupe Gambardella after the team defeated Sochaux 5-4 on penalties in the final at Metz. 
• Koulibaly also played for the club's amateur team in the Championnat de France Amateur appearing in 15 matches as Metz was crowned champions of the league finishing with 107 points.

Metz

• Koulibaly signed his first professional contract agreeing to a one-year deal with Metz. 
• Koulibaly was promoted to the senior team by new manager Dominique Bijotat and he made his professional debut on 20 August 2010 in a league match against Vannes. He appeared as a substitute in a 1-0 victory.
• On 15 April 2011, Koulibaly scored his first goal for FC Metz, as they drew 3-3 against Clermont and signed a three-year contract extension on 18th April 2011 with the club, keeping him until 2014.
• Koulibaly went on to make nineteen appearances and scored once in all competitions at the end of the 2010-2011 season. 
• At the start of the 2011-2012 season, Koulibaly missed the first five league matches of the season, due to international commitment.
• His first appearance of the 2011-2012 season came on 9th September 2011, coming as a substitute in the 60th minute, in a 2-2 draw against Stade Lavallois.
• Koulibaly served a two-match suspension after being sent off for unprofessional conduct on Guillaume Moullec, as FC Metz lost 1-0 on 30 September 2011 and returned to the first team and then captained the side for the first time on 2 December 2011, in a 2-0 win over AS Monaco.
• At the end of the 2011-12 season, Koulibaly went on to make twenty-three appearances in all competitions, including 10 alongside his future international teammate Sadio Mane.

Genk

• Koulibaly joined Belgian club Genk on 29 June 2012 after agreeing on a four-year contract.
• Koulibaly made his Genk debut in a UEFA Europa League play-off qualifying round, in which they were defeated by Swiss team Luzern 2-1 in the first leg of two on 23rd August 2012. 
• On 23 December 2012, Koulibaly scored his first Racing Genk goal in a 4-2 home defeat to Anderlecht. 
• Koulibaly later helped Genk win the 2012-13 Belgian Cup after starting the whole game to beat Cercle Brugge.
• At the end of the 2012-13 season, Koulibaly went on to make forty-six appearances and scored once in all competitions.
• Koulibaly then scored two goals in two matches between 6 October 2013 and 19 October 2013.
• On 19th January 2014, Koulibaly returned to the starting lineup from injury, starting the whole game in a 1-0 loss against Zulte Waregem.
• Despite this, Koulibaly went on to make forty-six appearances and scored two times in all competitions.

Napoli

• Koulibaly joined Serie A club S.S.C. Napoli on 2 July 2014 on a five-year contract, for a fee around the margin of £6.5 million and made his debut on 19 August 2014 in a UEFA Champions League play-off round qualifier, in which Napoli drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao.
• Koulibaly made his Serie A debut in the opening game of the season against Genoa, playing the whole match as Napoli won 2-1 where he scored his first goal for the side on 24 September in a 3-3 draw with Palermo.
• In the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus in Doha, Qatar, on 22 December, Koulibaly scored the winning penalty in the shootout to secure Napoli's victory.
• Koulibaly was linked with a move to Premier League side Southampton, but he eventually stayed at the club in the 2015-16 season. 
• During a 2-0 win over Lazio on 3 February 2016, Koulibaly was subjected to racist abuse from Lazio supporters, prompting referee Massimiliano Irrati to suspend the match temporally; Koulibaly later reflected on this as "the first time that he really experienced any racism in football".
• Koulibaly made forty-two appearances in the 2015-16 season in all competitions.
• Koulibaly continued to be a regular starter for Napoli under coach Maurizio Sarri and helped the side start the season well, earning four wins from their first six league matches in the 2016-2017 season. 
• Koulibaly signed a five-year contract with the club, keeping him at Napoli until 2021 on 19 September 2016. 
• After spending two months away from Napoli's first team, due to both injury and international commitment, Koulibaly made his return to the starting lineup, playing the full 90 minutes, in a 2-0 win over Genoa on 10th February 2017 and regained his first-team place for the side towards the end of the 2016-17 season.
• By the end of the 2016-17 season, Koulibaly had made thirty-eight appearances and scored two times in all competitions.
• Koulibaly played an integral role as Napoli won their first eight matches of the Serie A campaign in the 2017-18 season where he scored two goals for the side, netting against Lazio and Cagliari on 20 September and 1st October 2017 respectively. 
• Koulibaly continued to closely challenge for the 2017-18 Serie A title. 
• On 22 April 2018, Koulibaly scored a 90th-minute header against league leaders Juventus at the Allianz Stadium to seal a 1-0 win for the visitors and move Napoli within one point of Juventus with four games remaining.
• By the end of the 2017-18 season, Koulibaly had made forty-five appearances and scored five times in all competitions, his highest-scoring season for the club.
• At the start of the 2018-19 season, Koulibaly signed a contract extension with Napoli, keeping him at the club until 2023. 
• Koulibaly then captained Napoli for the first time in his career, helping the side beat Cagliari 1-0 on 16 December 2018.
• Koulibaly received two yellow cards in quick succession for a foul and for sarcastically applauding the referee and was sent off, as Napoli lost 1-0 to Inter Milan at the San Siro on 26 December 2018. 
• According to Ancelotti, Koulibaly was the target of racist chants from the Inter fans and his team asked for the match to be suspended three times. 
• Posting on social media after the match, Koulibaly wrote, "I'm sorry about the defeat and especially to have let my brothers down. But I'm proud of the color of my skin. To be French, Senegalese, Neapolitan, and a man."
• On 12 April 2019, Koulibaly was involved in another racial incident, after reportedly suffering racist abuse from an Arsenal fan during a Europa League match between the two teams.
• Two days later on 14 April 2019, Koulibaly scored twice for the side in a 3-1 win over Chievo.
• By the end of the 2018-19 season, Koulibaly had made forty-eight appearances and scored two goals in all competitions.
• On 24 November 2021, Koulibaly played his 300th match with Napoli in a 2-1 defeat against Spartak Moscow in the Europa League. During his 2019-20 season, he made 34 appearances for the club in all the competitions as Napoli won the Coppa Italia that season.
• During his 2020-21 season, Koulibaly made 37 appearances for the club, scoring once in all the competitions.
• During his 2021-22 season, Koulibaly made 34 appearances for the club, scoring 3 goals and providing 3 assists in all the competitions.
  
• On 16 July 2022, Koulibaly signed for Premier League club Chelsea on a four-year contract for a fee reported to be in the region of £33 million. 

Chelsea 

• Koulibaly made his Chelsea debut on 6 August 2022 in a 1-0 away league win over Everton.
• On 14 August 2022, Koulibaly scored his first Chelsea goal in his home debut, flashing home a powerful volley in a 2-2 home league draw against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

How was the International Career of Kalidou Koulibaly?

• Koulibaly played for the French under-20 team starting in 2011 and played six times during the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.
• In early September 2015, Koulibaly changed federations and joined the Senegal national football team, despite the interest to call him for Les Bleus from Didier Deschamps.
• Koulibaly made his debut on 5 September 2015 in an AFCON qualifier against Namibia in a 2-0 victory.
• Koulibaly was also a member of the Senegal squad that took part in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
• In May 2018, Koulibaly was named in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
• Koulibaly played all three matches, as Senegal was knocked out in the group stage of the tournament after becoming the first team in FIFA World Cup history to be eliminated due to fair play tiebreaker rules.
• In December 2021, Koulibaly was named in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. As captain, he became the first Senegalese to lift the trophy, following a victory in the final against Egypt, in which he scored the first penalty shootout in a 4-2 win after a goalless draw.
• In November 2022, Koulibaly was named in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Who is Kalidou Koulibaly married to? 

Koulibaly is a married man. He was happily married to his beautiful wife, Charline Oudenot. The couple dated each other since childhood and tied the knot at an early age. They are also the proud parents of two kids/children; a baby boy named Seni who was born on 16 January 2016 and a daughter Ness on 28 August 2019. He often posts adorable pictures with his son on his official Instagram account but has maintained his wife's identity in a low profile. As of now, the duo is enjoying their life a lot without any disturbances. His sexual orientation is straight and he is not gay. 

Source: @oasport.it

What is the Net Worth of Kalidou Koulibaly?

Koulibaly is a professional footballer. With his football career, he has accumulated a huge amount of money until now. His net worth as of 2022 is estimated to have $40 Million. His weekly wage is reported to be £300,000 and earns £15.6 million in a year. At present, his current market value is recorded at €35 million. He joined Napoli on a five-year contract, for a fee around the margin of £6.5 million. In July 2022, he signed for Premier League club Chelsea on a four-year contract for a fee reported to be in the region of £33 million. Besides this, he also earns a decent amount of money from sponsorship, salary from the national team, endorsement deals with various brands including Nike, and more. Details about his cars and houses are unknown at present. As of now, he is satisfied with his earnings.

How tall is Kalidou Koulibaly?

Koulibaly is a very handsome player and a smart man. His body build is athletic. He maintains his body a lot by doing frequent exercise. He has got a tall height of 1.87 m with a balanced body weight of 89 Kg. Whereas his other body measurements such as chest size, waist size, biceps size, dress size, and shoe size are unknown at present. His eye color is black and he has very short hair of black color. Overall, he has got a healthy body with a charming smile and an attractive attitude. 

Kalidou Koulibaly's Transfer History

• Koulibaly began his professional club career with French team Metz in 2010.
• Koulibaly joined Belgian club Genk on 29 June 2012 after agreeing on a four-year contract.
• Koulibaly joined Serie A club Napoli on 2 July 2014 on a five-year contract, for a fee of around £6.5 million.
• In July 2022, Koulibaly signed for Premier League club Chelsea on a four-year contract for a fee reported to be in the region of £33 million.

Awards and Achievements

Honors 

• Won the 2012-13 Belgian Cup with Genk.
• Won the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana with Napoli.
• Won the 2019-20 Coppa Italia with Napoli.
• Won the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.

Individual

• CAF Team of the Year: 2016 ), 2018, 2019
• Serie A Team of the Year: 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19
• Golden Lion (Senegal Player of the Year): 2017, 2018
• Serie A Best Defender: 2018-19
• Serie A Player of the Month: September 2021
• Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2019
• IFFHS CAF Men Team of The Year: 2020
• IFFHS CAF Men's Team of the Decade: 2011-2020