Baker Kalbouneh

Baker Kamal Mohmmad Walid Kalbouneh (Arabic: بَكْر كَمَال مُحَمَّد وَلِيد كَلْبُونَة; born 14 August 2003) is a Jordanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Jordanian Pro League side Al-Faisaly and the Jordan U-23 national team.

Baker Kalbouneh

Personal information
Birth name	Baker Kamal Mohmmad Walid Kalbouneh
Date of birth	(2003-08-14) August 14, 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth	Amman, Jordan
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Al-Faisaly
Number	9
Youth career
2012–2015	Al-Wehdat
2017–2019	Jordan Knights
–2021	Al-Jazeera
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2022–2024	Al-Jazeera
2024–	Al-Faisaly
International career‡
2021	Jordan U-18	3	(0)
2022–2023	Jordan U-20	8	(4)
2023–	Jordan U-23	5	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 April 2024

Club career

Early life and career

Kalbouneh began his career at Al-Wehdat when he was 10 years old.^[1] He left the club and departed to the United Kingdom to study English, and then traveled to Australia to study another year of English.^[2] Upon his return to Jordan, then joined the Jordan Knights academy.^[3] He later joined Al-Jazeera's youth ranks until late 2021.

Al-Jazeera

Kalbouneh signed his first professional contract with Al-Jazeera on 1 January 2022. He was a contributor to their squad for the 2022 Jordanian Pro League season.^[4] He was linked with Al-Wehdat by the end of the season, as he sought to play at a higher level than the Jordanian First Division League upon Al-Jazeera's relegation.^[5] However, he stayed for the 2023 Jordanian First Division League season, where he ended as the top scorer of the league and promoting the club in the process.^[6]

Al-Faisaly

On 8 January 2024, Kalbouneh signed with Jordanian club Al-Faisaly during the 2023-24 Jordanian Pro League season, signing with the club for a season and a half.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]}

His previous club, Al-Jazeera, demanded to Al-Faisaly to pay 20 thousand dinars as a sponsorship for the player, for a period of 4 years.^[14]

International career

Kalbouneh was called up to various Jordanian youth national teams during his career. During the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup, Kalbouneh found himself sent off after five seconds into the match, after a head-high tackle was made to Tajikistan U-20 player Mekhrubon Karimov.^[15] He was subsequently suspended for two matches by the AFC as a result of the red card.^[16]

On 19 March 2024, Kalboueh was called up to the Jordan national under-23 football team for the 2024 WAFF U-23 Championship.^[17][18][19] He also participated in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.^[20]

Personal life

In addition to being a footballer, Kalbouneh is noted for being an author and screenwriter.^[21][22]