SALOMON KALOU’S older brother Bonaventure has claimed he was a more technically-gifted footballer than the former Chelsea forward.
Bonaventure started his career with Ivorian side ASEC Abidjan in 1996 and last played in 2010 for SC Heerenveen in Holland.
Bonaventure Kalou claimed he was better technically-gifted footballer than Salomon Credit: AFP
Ex-Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou Credit: AFP But maybe his biggest influence on the game was inspiring younger brother Salomon – or so he says.
Bonaventure, 44, said: “I was like his role model, the first player he was looking up to.
“When I started playing, he wanted to be like me. I was more like an attacking midfielder, while he was more like an attacker or winger.
“I saw him coming as a young boy and growing into a strong player , at Feyenoord and Chelsea, I think he learnt a lot from me.”
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Chelsea bidder Todd Boehly hires former Government advisor Danny Finkelstein He added: “He knows that I was more like a technical player, while he had bigger physical abilities, I had more skill.”
Bonaventure, a former playmaker, did have spells with Dutch giants Feyenoord and PSG during his 14-year career.
He won the French Cup in 2006 and the same accolade in Holland three years later.
But brother Salomon, 36, won the Premier League, four FA Cups and Champions League during his six-year spell at Chelsea, having signed in 2006.
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The attacker last played for Botafogo but is yet to retire despite being without a club since April 2021.
He played 93 times for Ivory Coast, scoring 27, as his brother spoke ahead of their nation’s trip to Wembley to play England.
When not talking football, Bonaventure is a mayor for Vavoua, a city in the west-central region of the Ivory Coast.
He said: “I believe that being a mayor is not about politics, but about helping people. I tried to do that while I was playing.
“Salomon and I were blessed and we tried to give back what destiny gave to us.
“For me, being a mayor is about helping people and giving my best.”
Salomon and Didier Drogba in 2010 Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Bonaventure Kalou in 2004 Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
