Samuel Kalu

Samuel Kalu Ojim (born 26 August 1997) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as winger. He is currently a free agent.

Samuel Kalu

Kalu with Bordeaux in 2020
Personal information
Full name	Samuel Kalu Ojim[1]
Date of birth	(1997-08-26) 26 August 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Aba, Abia State, Nigeria
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
0000–2016	GBS Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2017	AS Trenčín	32	(4)
2017–2018	Gent	48	(10)
2018–2022	Bordeaux	72	(9)
2022–2024	Watford	13	(0)
2023–2024	→ Lausanne-Sport (loan)	21	(3)
International career‡
2018–	Nigeria	16	(2)
Medal record Africa Cup of Nations 2019 Egypt
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 27 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 November 2019

Club career

Kalu started his football career at GBS Academy in Jos, Nigeria.

AS Trenčín

On 9 December 2015, Kalu agreed to sign a two-year contract with Slovak side AS Trenčín,^[3] a partner club with GBS Academy at the time. He made his professional debut for Trenčín against Slovan Bratislava on 27 February 2016.^[4]

Gent

On 4 January 2017, after his impressive displays in the Slovak League with Trenčín, Kalu was transferred to Belgium top division club KAA Gent.^[5]

Bordeaux

On 6 August 2018, Kalu signed for Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, signing a five-year contract.^[6] He was handed the number 10 jersey on arrival.

On 15 August 2021, Kalu collapsed in a game against Marseille. He was able to get up and walk off the pitch with his teammates’ help while holding an ice pack against his head. Eight minutes later, he was substituted off for Rémi Oudin.^[7]

Watford

On 26 January 2022, Kalu joined Premier League club Watford on a three-and-a-half-year deal until 2025.^[8]

FC Lausanne-Sport

On 7 September 2023, Kalu joined Swiss Super League club FC Lausanne-Sport on a season long loan from Watford.^[9]

International career

On 13 October 2018, he scored his first international goal with the Nigeria senior national team against Libya. He scored the final goal in a 4–0 victory.

Kalu collapsed whilst participating in a team training session during the AFCON 2019 held in Egypt. Though rumours had it that he suffered a heart attack, this was later debunked as he collapsed as a result of severe dehydration. He was later released from the hospital to link up with the rest of the squad in Alexandria.

Personal life

Kalu's mother was released on 5 March 2019, having been kidnapped six days previously.^[10]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 3 February 2024^[11]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
AS Trenčín	2015–16	Slovak Super Liga	13	3	4	1	—		—		17	4
	2016–17	Slovak Super Liga	19	1	3	1	—		5[a]	1	27	3
	Total		32	4	7	2	—		5	1	44	7
Gent	2016–17	Belgian First Division A	16	3	0	0	—		3[b]	1	19	4
	2017–18	Belgian First Division A	32	7	2	0	—		2[b]	0	36	7
	Total		48	10	2	0	—		5	1	55	11
Bordeaux	2018–19	Ligue 1	21	3	1	0	3	1	7[b]	0	32	4
	2019–20	Ligue 1	20	1	0	0	2	0	—		22	1
	2020–21	Ligue 1	20	4	0	0	0	0	—		20	4
	2021–22	Ligue 1	11	1	1	0	0	0	—		12	1
	Total		72	9	2	0	5	1	7	0	86	10
Watford	2021–22	Premier League	4	0	0	0	0	0	—		4	0
	2022–23	Championship	9	0	0	0	0	0	—		9	0
	Total		13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	0
FC Lausanne-Sport	2023–24	Swiss Super League	15	3	0	0	0	0	—		15	3
	Total		15	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	3
Career total			178	23	11	2	5	1	17	2	211	31

1. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League and one in UEFA Europa League
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of matches played on 13 November 2019^[12]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Nigeria	2018	6	1
	2019	7	1
Total		13	2

Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kalu goal.

List of international goals scored by Samuel Kalu^[12]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	13 October 2018	Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, Nigeria	Libya	4–0	4–0	2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2	13 November 2019	Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria	Benin	2–1	2–1	2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification