21 - Salomon Kalou

[rck2own]

Hvala za vse Salomon in veliko sreče

[The Blues]

SO LONG SALOMON KALOU
Posted on: Sun 01 Jul 2012

Chelsea Football Club today bids farewell to Salomon Kalou, who has come to the end of his contract, and we would like to express our thanks and best wishes to a player who has been a valuable member of the team during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Kalou signed in the summer of 2006 and leaves six years later with a fistful of winners' medals including ones for the Premier League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and, of course, the Champions League.

He arrived as a 20-year-old understudy to the established Didier Drogba and fellow-new-arrival Andriy Shevchenko and quickly gained a reputation as an impact substitute.

No player in Chelsea history has come off the bench to enter the action more often than Kalou's 107 occasions but it is a record he doesn't enjoy owning, so it will please him that he closed his time at the club as a clear first-choice starter under Roberto Di Matteo's stewardship.


Less able to offer the target-man capabilities of his international captain Drogba, Kalou brought to the pitch pace and dribbling abilities which allied to a diligent attitude to defensive running, meant he was most frequently used as wide attacker, able to operate on either flank.

He scored 60 goals during his six seasons, nine in his first year including an important equaliser against Spurs in an FA Cup quarter-final [pictured below]. He was an extra-time substitute in the Final as we beat Manchester United at the new Wembley, and had come on in the last few minutes of a Carling Cup Final victory over Arsenal at Cardiff earlier in the campaign. Jose Mourinho used the young player in 58 of the 64 games that season, starting him in 25.


In 2007/08, with Avram Grant taking over in the early weeks, Kalou enjoyed his most starts despite new competition for a place from Florent Malouda. He was also able to lessen the impact of injuries to Drogba and Shevchenko by scoring goals when given a rare chance in the central striking role.

Added to his 11 goals that season were nine assists in the Premier League, the highest number from any Chelsea player. Again in the season's closing big match against Manchester United, this time the Champions League Final in Moscow, Kalou was an extra-time substitute and converted a penalty in the unsuccessful shoot-out.

His most famous assist had played a big part in taking the Blues to the final of this European competition for the first time - crossing in the semi-final for a last-gasp John Arne Riise own-goal in front of the Kop at Anfield [below], commemorated in song by the Chelsea fans.


The Olympics delayed the start to the Ivorian's Chelsea campaign in 2008/09 and under Luiz Felipe Scolari and then Guus Hiddink, he fell behind an in-form Florent Malouda for a place in the team and missed out on the FA Cup Final win over Everton.

Carlo Ancelotti's two seasons in charge saw Kalou start less than any previous years yet he scored more goals. He netted the winning penalty in the Community Shield at Wembley, against familiar opposition from Old Trafford, and he finished the campaign in probably his best form in blue, netting a hat-trick in a big home win over Stoke and scoring one of the eight on the day the league title was captured against Wigan. Rightfully handed his first starting place in a Chelsea cup final a week later against Portsmouth, his afternoon will unfortunately most be remembered for missing an open goal, but he still ended the day a Double winner.

In the Champions League that year he was the standout performer away in Milan against Mourinho's Inter, scoring [below] and having a blatant penalty for a challenge on him turned down. Chelsea lost at home in the second leg.


Facing strong competition in 2010/11 from Drogba, Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and later Fernando Torres, Kalou netted 13 goals, including 10 in the league - both Chelsea best totals.

In his final season at the club, he appeared to fall out favour with Andre Villas-Boas after handling for a late penalty equaliser conceded in Valencia, but returned to the starting line-up for Di Matteo's first game in charge and didn't look back, scoring the winner in Lisbon in our Champions League quarter-final first leg [below] and making the starting line-up in the FA Cup Final against Liverpool, and in Germany versus Bayern Munich.


John Terry once described Kalou as the 'nicest man in the world' and it would be hard to find anyone who knew him at Chelsea who would disagree. Courteous and humorous, a good example of Kalou's personality was when he agreed to interview himself for Chelsea TV.

[youtube]CpQ0JW1B_hE[/youtube]


Maybe a lack of edge led to managers' reluctance to start him in more games, and he could be guilty of wayward finishing at times, but he provided international-standard depth to the attacking section of the squad and undoubtedly played his part in an era of very high achievement at Stamford Bridge, culminating in that never-to-be-forgotten night in Munich, an occasion in which the Ivorian closed the curtain on his Chelsea career in the most memorable manner.

Kalou made a total of 254 appearances for the club, including 147 starts, and scored 60 goals.

[didier]

Hvala za vse in srečno v nadaljnji karieri (mogoče v Schalkeju? ), Salomon

[rover]

Salomon Kalou je odšel v Lille in podpisal 4 letno pogodbo.
Vir - weaintgotnohistory

Res dobro izpeljan posel, da smo dobili Hazarda in tudi svaka čast Kalou da ni odšel k Največjim rivalom (Arsenalu ali Liverpoolu).
Še nekrat hvala za vse Kalounho.

[rover]

[youtube]og4zNlRdHmM&feature[/youtube]

[didi_drogba]

Kalou na svoji 2. uradni tekmi (prvi na novem stadionu Lilla) v svojem slogu ... najprej fali 100% šanso, potem pa je izenačil na 1-1 z lepim strelom z glavo. Trenutno teče 44. minuta v prvem polčasu ...

[rover]

Kalou še enkrat pokazal kako rad ima Chelsea in ni hotel na posojo k Arsenalu. Res lepa gesta Kalouja.

Former Blue turned down loan move to Arsenal this January