in

Chelsea Champions League winner, 39, comes out of retirement to join second tier club… as player AND director


CHELSEA Champions League winner Salomon Kalou is set to play for a second-division club in the IVORY COAST.

Winger Kalou spent six years at Stamford Bridge, scoring 60 goals in 254 games.

Chelsea hero Salomon Kalou has come out of retirement for a surprise clubCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Chelsea hero Kalou is set to play for a second-division club in the Ivory Coast

He played in the Blues’ 2012 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich.

A £9million buy from Feyenoord in 2006, Kalou also won the 2010 Premier League title, four FA Cups and a League Cup with the west Londoners.

The 93-cap Ivory Coast international went on to play for Lille, Hertha Berlin and Brazilian club Botafogo.

He made a surprise move to Djibouti club Arta Solar 7 two years ago, where he lined up alongside ex-Arsenal midfielder Alex Song.

Read More on Football

Arta’s Ivorian chairman Tommy Tayoro Nyckoss took charge of home-country club SC Gagnoa earlier this month.

And the businessman convinced Kalou, 39, to join as both a director and a player. Gagnoa paraded him at a ceremony earlier this week.

The southern club was relegated from the Ivory Coast’s Ligue 1 last season.

They are based 40 miles from the Chelsea hero’s birthplace Oume, north-west of the African country’s capital Abidjan.

Most read in Football

Kalou said: “I am going to get a player’s licence, so that I can be part of coach Bernard Casoni’s squad.

“And maybe if SC Gagnoa play against ASEC Mimosas or Africa Sports in the Ivorian Cup, I will take part in the game.”

Chelsea boss Maresca aims cheeky dig at Erik ten Hag after Jadon Sancho makes dazzling debut after Man Utd transfer

Kalou began his career with ASEC before landing his move to Feyenoord in 2003.


Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk


Tagcloud:

Football hooligan who left England fan with broken jaw in horrific Euros attack caught using face recognition technology

Watch Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois have fiery final face-off as AJ ask for fans’ prayers ahead of Wembley showdown