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Mohamed Kallon

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Mohamed Kallon
Personal information
Date of birth (1979-10-06) 6 October 1979 (age 45)[1]
Place of birth Kenema, Sierra Leone
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994 Old Edwardians 14 (4)
1994–1995 Tadamon Sour 24 (15)
1995 Spånga 0 (0)
1995–1999 Inter Milan 0 (0)
1995–1997 → Lugano (loan) 18 (1)
1997 → Bologna (loan) 2 (0)
1997–1998 → Genoa (loan) 26 (10)
1998–1999 → Cagliari (loan) 26 (6)
1999–2000 Reggina 30 (11)
2000–2001 Vicenza 25 (8)
2001–2004 Inter Milan 45 (14)
2004–2007 Monaco 49 (12)
2005–2006 → Al-Ittihad (loan) 26 (12)
2008 AEK Athens 11 (3)
2008–2009 Al-Shabab 4 (1)
2009–2010 Kallon 11 (2)
2010 Shaanxi Baorong Chanba 21 (7)
2011 Viva Kerala 0 (0)
2012–2014 Kallon
Total 337 (114)
International career
1995–2012 Sierra Leone 39 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mohamed Kallon MOR (born 6 October 1979) is a Sierra Leonean football manager and former player who played as a striker.[3] He played for Inter Milan from 2001 to 2004, competing for spots with players such as Christian Vieri, Ronaldo, Álvaro Recoba, Adriano, Hakan Şükür and Nicola Ventola. He is widely considered the most famous footballer from Sierra Leone.[3]

Before playing for Inter, Kallon had one-year stints at Serie B club Genoa, and the Serie A clubs Bologna, Cagliari, Reggina and Vicenza. After leaving Inter in 2004, Kallon played at Monaco for three years. He subsequently had short stints in Greece, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and China.

He made 39 appearances for the Sierra Leone national team during his career. Kallon is the younger brother of former Sierra Leonean international footballers Kemokai Kallon and Musa Kallon.

Early life

[edit]

Kallon was born on 6 October 1979 in Kenema, Sierra Leone. Kallon is the younger brother to former Sierra Leone international footballers Kemokai Kallon and Musa Kallon. Mohamed Kallon attended primary school in Kenema and completed his secondary education at St. Edwards Secondary School in Freetown.

During his early international career for Sierra Leone, Kallon was given the nickname Small Kallon by Sierra Leonean football fans because he was the youngest of the three Kallon brothers in the Sierra Leone national team.

Club career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

After he completed his form three levels of education (grade 9 in the U.S.) from St. Edwards Secondary School in Freetown in 1994, Kallon signed with the local club, Old Edwardians of the Sierra Leone National Premier League at the age of 15. During the 1994–95 season, he struck fifteen goals in 24 league games for Old Edwardians and became the youngest player to ever play and score in Sierra Leone National Premier League.

After the 1994–95 season, Kallon left Old Edwardians and signed for Lebanese club Tadamon Sour. Mohamed Kallon is indeed spotted by Ali Abdullah, while playing a game with friends, on a beach in Freetown. Son of a Lebanese diplomat living in Sierra Leone - Lebanon then already had many businessmen in West Africa - Abdullah praised Kallon's qualities to several relatives, and managed to obtain several trials for him in Lebanon.

Eager to discover foreign countries, and pushed by his father, Mohamed Kallon accepts the offer and travels with Ali Abdullah, only 15 years old. First on the side of Ajman, where the test turns out to be inconclusive, before finally catching the eye of the staff of Tadamon Sour, the club from the city of Tire. Kallon will thus spend the 1994-1995 season there, scoring 15 goals in 24 games, despite six difficult first months, due in particular to the cold Lebanese winter.

He spent one season with Spånga in Stockholm, Sweden. He was then signed by Inter Milan.[4] He was then loaned to Swiss Super League club AC Lugano, Serie A club Bologna and Cagliari, as well as Serie B club Genoa. He was farmed to Reggina and Vicenza in a co-ownership deal[5] for an undisclosed fee and 9,000 billion lire respectively (€4,648,112).[6] He played with Cristiano Zanetti at Cagliari, whom he later worked with again at Inter Milan.

Inter Milan

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2001–02

[edit]

After the abolition of the non-EU quota for each team halfway through the 2000–01 season,[7] Kallon returned to Italian club Inter Milan before the start of the 2001–02 season.,[8] for a reported 8,500 billion lire transfer fee (€4,389,884).[9] With Christian Vieri, Ronaldo, Álvaro Recoba, Adriano, Hakan Şükür and Nicola Ventola also in the side, Kallon was originally a third or fourth choice striker. But injuries to Ronaldo and Recoba meant that Kallon played 29 Serie A matches, scoring nine goals and becoming the team's second highest scorer of the 2001–02 Serie A season, behind Vieri, as the club narrowly missed out on the league title, finishing in third place, also reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.

2002–03

[edit]

He played nine times scoring five goals in Serie A in 2002–03 season due to injuries in August[10] and February, as the team managed a second-place finish in the league.[11] Kallon returned to the side in May after Gabriel Batistuta was injured in April. He also played both legs of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League semi-final against AC Milan as Batistuta was unable to register. He played in both games as a second-half substitute, for Álvaro Recoba and Hernán Crespo respectively.

2003–04

[edit]

Kallon tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone after the Serie A match against Udinese on 27 September 2003[12] and was banned from football for eight months. Kallon then struggled to get into the starting eleven during the 2003–04 season, primarily due to the rise of young Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins and the return of Brazilian ace Adriano.[13]

Monaco

[edit]

Kallon signed a four-year contract with Monégasque club Monaco before the start of the 2004–05 season, as the UEFA Champions League runners-up had lost Dado Pršo and Fernando Morientes.[14] He was impressive during his first season at Monaco, but quickly fell out with French manager Didier Deschamps, and was relegated to the bench in March 2005.

He moved on loan to Saudi club Al-Ittihad on 29 July 2005.[15] He helped the team win the 2005 AFC Champions League, leading the competition with six goals scored, including goals in each legs of the semi-final and final respectively. He also played at the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship with Al-Ittihad, before returning to Monaco in 2006.

He played 12 Ligue 1 matches in his last full season with Monaco during the 2006–07 campaign. He played his last match in league play on 11 August 2007 against Lorient, the second match of the season, before he was released by Monaco. He underwent a trial with Birmingham City in September 2007,[16] after previously being linked with Derby County in July.[17] However, Kallon failed to qualify for a work permit in England, as Sierra Leone ranked 79th in the FIFA World Rankings in September 1997, but the requirement was above 70th for non-EU internationals. In November 2007, he signed a pre-contract with Al Hilal,[18] but this later collapsed.[19]

AEK Athens

[edit]

Kallon signed a six-month contract with Greek club AEK Athens on 29 January 2008.[20] He played for the capital club in the UEFA Cup 2007–08 round of 32 against Getafe, but AEK lost 4–1 on aggregate, with no goals from Kallon. He also played in the Super League Greece playoffs to determine qualification to European competition. He scored once in his three appearances, and AEK finished second to qualify for the following year's UEFA Cup.[21]

Greek fans remember him especially for an excellent goal against PAOK in a 4–0 win, when he scored with a chip shot outside the box.

Al-Shabab

[edit]

He moved to Al-Shabab of the United Arab Emirates in 2008. He was released after picking up a serious injury in an international match.

Kallon

[edit]

In October 2009, he signed for his own club Kallon.[22]

Later career

[edit]

On 1 March 2010, he joined the Chinese championship, signing a one-year deal with Shaanxi Baorong Chanba.[23][24] Kallon made his CSL debut against Dalian Shide on 28 March and scored a penalty kick in 50th minute.[25] He decided to leave after his contract was finished in December to be closer to his family.[26] In 2011, he moved to India and signed with I-League club Chirag United Kerala.[27][28]

He returned to Kallon ahead of the 2012 CAF Confederation Cup,[29] and scored the winning goal that got them to the second round.

On 26 June 2014, was named the head coach of Sierra Leone u-17 side.[30]

On 22 March 2016, he announced his retirement as a player, having last played in 2014.[31]

International career

[edit]

Kallon became the youngest player to ever play for the Leone Stars when he made his senior international debut for Sierra Leone at the age of fifteen in April 1995 against Congo in the 1996 African Cup of Nations qualifier in Freetown, in which he scored the winner. At the age of 16, Kallon was the youngest player at the 1996 African Nations cup in South Africa. He scored one of his country's two goals as Sierra Leone defeated Burkina Faso 2–1 in their opening group match at the 1996 African Nations Cup, played at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Since then, he is the key member of Leone Stars and active at 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cup qualification. His most recent cap is on 9 February 2011 against Nigeria in a friendly. Kallon was the captain of the Sierra Leone national team but quit his captaincy after the team failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 African Cup of Nations.[32]

Club owner

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Kallon is the founder and owner of the Sierra Leonean club Kallon,[33] currently playing in the Sierra Leone National Premier League. Kallon is one of the top clubs in the Sierra Leone National Premier League and play their home games at the National Stadium in Freetown. Previously known as Sierra Fisheries, Kallon acquired the club in 2002 for $30,000.[33]

Kallon won the Sierra Leonean FA Cup, the Sierra Leone League title in 2006 and qualified for the African Champions League.

Personal life

[edit]

Mohamed Kallon is a devout Muslim and a member of the Mandingo ethnic group. Kallon is married to his childhood girlfriend M'mah Mansaray. The couple celebrated their wedding at the Freetown Central Mosque in Freetown on 15 June 2002.[34] Kallon is the younger brother of former Sierra Leonean international footballers Kemokai Kallon and Musa Kallon.[35]

Mohamed Kallon Children's Foundation

[edit]

Apart from the Kalleone Group of Company, comprising a musical recording studio, radio station, newspaper, sportshops, old Skool night club, pharmacy and FC Kallon, Mohamed Kallon is also about to launch his charity foundation, the MKCF, Mohamed Kallon Children's Foundation, which will cater for the needs of hundreds of Sierra Leone's street children.[36] Recently Mohamed Kallon told SierraEye Magazine that as a boy himself who grew up in the streets of Freetown he is moved by the state of Sierra Leone Street Children and want to do all he can to help them. The foundation has made headways recently meeting with the president and working together with the United Nations and other NGOs to provide help for several Sierra Leonean children and also aiding the HIV/AIDS sensitisation programme in Sierra Leone. x The setting up of MKCF by Kallon gained massive media coverage and even the BBC reported on it.[37]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[38]
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Old Edwardians 1992–93 Sierra Leone National
Premier League 		0 0 0 0
1993–94 Sierra Leone National
Premier League 		27 12 27 12
Total 27 12 27 12
Tadamon Sour 1994–95 Lebanese Premier League 24 15
Lugano (loan) 1995–96 Swiss Super League 1 0 1 0
1996–97 Swiss Super League 17 1 17 1
Total 18 1 18 1
Bologna (loan) 1997–98 Serie A 2 0 4 2 – – 6 2
Genoa (loan) 1997–98 Serie B 26 10 – – 26 10
Cagliari (loan) 1998–99 Serie A 26 6 – – 26 6
Reggina 1999–2000 Serie A 30 11 7 3 – – 37 14
Vicenza 2000–01 Serie A 24 8 0 0 – – 24 8
Inter Milan 2001–02 Serie A 28 9 0 0 – 11 6 39 15
2002–03 Serie A 9 4 2 0 – 4 0 15 4
2003–04 Serie A 5 0 0 0 – 2 0 7 0
Total 42 13 2 0 0 0 17 6 61 19
Monaco 2004–05 Ligue 1 35 10 2 0 0 0 7 1 44 11
2006–07 Ligue 1 12 2 0 0 0 0 – 12 2
2007–08 Ligue 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 – 2 0
Total 49 12 2 0 0 0 7 1 58 13
Al-Ittihad (loan) 2005–06 Saudi Premier League 26 12 6 6 32 18
AEK Athens 2007–08 Super League Greece 11 3 0 0 – 2 0 13 3
Al Shabab 2008–09 UAE Pro-League 4 1
Kallon 2009–10 Sierra Leone National
Premier League 		11 2
Shaanxi Baorong Chanba 2010 Chinese Super League 21 7
Total 337 114

International

[edit]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[38]
National team Year Apps Goals
Sierra Leone 1995 4 2
1996 5 1
1997 4 1
2000 3 0
2001 4 0
2003 3 1
2006 1 0
2007 3 0
2008 6 2
2011 2 0
2012 4 0
Total 39 7
International appearances and goals
# Date Venue Opponent Result Goal Competition
1. 22 April 1995 Brazzaville, Republic of Congo  Congo 2–0 1 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification[39]
3 June 1995 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Niger 5–1 1 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification
15 January 1996 Bloemfontein, South Africa  Burkina Faso 2–1 1 1996 African Cup of Nations[40]
18 January 1996 Bloemfontein, South Africa  Algeria 0–2 0 1996 African Cup of Nations
16 June 1996 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Burundi 0–1 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 November 1996 Rabat, Morocco  Morocco 0–4 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 January 1997 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Gabon 1–0 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 April 1997 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Ghana 1–1 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
26 April 1997 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Morocco 0–1 0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
17 August 1997 Obuasi, Ghana  Ghana 2–0 1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
22 April 2000 Freetown, Sierra Leone  São Tomé and Príncipe 4–0 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
17 June 2000 Lagos, Nigeria  Nigeria 0–2 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 July 2000 Accra, Ghana  Ghana 0–5 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
25 February 2001 Paynesville, Liberia  Liberia 0–1 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
10 March 2001 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Sudan 0–2 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
21 April 2001 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Nigeria 1–0 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
14 July 2001 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Liberia 0–1 0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 June 2003 Casablanca, Morocco  Morocco 0–1 0 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification[citation needed]
22 June 2003 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Equatorial Guinea 2–0 1 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification[41]
12 October 2003 Brazzaville, Republic of Congo  Congo 0–1 0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
24 March 2007 Lomé, Togo  Togo 1–3 1 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification[42]
17 October 2007 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Guinea-Bissau 1–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
17 November 2007 Bissau, Guinea-Bissau  Guinea-Bissau 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
1 June 2008 Malabo, Equatorial Guinea  Equatorial Guinea 0–2 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
14 June 2008 Freetown, Sierra Leone  South Africa 1–0 1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
21 June 2008 Atteridgeville, South Africa  South Africa 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 September 2008 Freetown, Sierra Leone  Equatorial Guinea 2–1 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 October 2008 Abuja, Nigeria  Nigeria 1–4 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 February 2011 Lagos, Nigeria  Nigeria 1–2 0 Friendly
Scores and results list Sierra Leone's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kallon goal.
List of international goals scored by Mohamed Kallon
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 22 April 1995 Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat, Brazzaville, Congo  Congo 1–0 2–0 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification
2 3 June 1995 National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone  Niger 1–1 5–1 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification
3 15 January 1996 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa  Burkina Faso 2–1 2–1 1996 African Cup of Nations
4 17 August 1997 Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana  Ghana 2–0 2–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 22 June 2003 National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone  Equatorial Guinea 2–0 2–0 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification
6 30 April 2008 Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Paynesville, Liberia  Liberia 1–2 1–3 Friendly
7 14 June 2008 National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone  South Africa 1 (pen.)–0 1–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

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Al-Ittihad

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "FIFA Club World Championship Japan 2005 – Official Rosters". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 December 2005. Archived from the original on 19 December 2005.
  2. ^ "Mohamed KALLON - Ligue 1 - 2006 / 2007 - Effectif - AS Monaco FC". Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "President Koroma Decorates Sierra Leone Football Legend". sierraexpressmedia.com. Sierra Express Media. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  4. ^ "MOHAMMED KALLON" (in Italian). Internazionale. Archived from the original on 3 July 2001. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Doppio colpo del Vicenza: presi Kallon e Tomas". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 20 June 2000. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  6. ^ FC Internazionale Milano SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2001, PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A. Archived 11 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)
  7. ^ "Italians bar non-EU imports". UEFA.com. 17 July 2002. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  8. ^ "JOINT CONTRACTS: KALLON AND ZANETTI BACK TO INTER". Internazionale. 28 June 2001. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  9. ^ "Campbell sceglie l' Inter". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 29 June 2001. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  10. ^ "SECOND DEGREE TENDON INJURY FOR KALLON". Internazionale. 19 August 2002. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  11. ^ "INTER CHIEF OF MEDICAL STAFF ANALYSES INJURIES TO DALMAT, KALLON AND MORFEO". Internazionale. 27 February 2003. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  12. ^ "Kallon fails drugs test". BBC. 22 October 2003. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  13. ^ (in Italian) Biography from inter.it Archived 3 July 2001 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "KALLON Monégasque" (in French). AS Monaco FC. 21 July 2004. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  15. ^ "Mohamed Kallon prêté à AL ITTHIAD" (in French). AS Monaco FC. 29 July 2005. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
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  19. ^ "Kallon's Saudi deal collapses". BBC. 28 November 2007. Archived from the original on 30 November 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  20. ^ "AEK FC signs Mohamed Kallon". AEK FC. 29 January 2008. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
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  23. ^ "新季中超最大牌外援诞生 前国米中锋正式加盟陕西". sina. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  24. ^ "Sierra Leone's Mohammed Kallon moves to China". BBC. 2 March 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  25. ^ 西北狼后防送礼卡隆中超首秀进球 陕西1比1平大连 Archived 17 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine(in Chinese)
  26. ^ "Mohammed Kallon set to leave China". BBC. 24 December 2010. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  27. ^ Karouri, Khaled (28 August 2011). "Que devient Mohamed Kallon?" [What becomes of Mohamed Kallon?] (in French). Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Mohamed Kallon – Career Statistics – Titles Won – Football Database". footballdatabase.eu. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  29. ^ "Ghana legend's club pull out of Confederation Cup". BBC. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  30. ^ "Mohamed Kallon takes charge of Sierra Leone Under-17s". BBC Sport. 26 June 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  31. ^ "Mohamed Kallon: Former Sierra Leone captain retires". BBC Sport. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  32. ^ "Kallon quits Leone Stars captaincy". BBC. 16 October 2008. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  33. ^ a b "Kallon buys own club". BBC. 20 August 2002. Archived from the original on 23 May 2004. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  34. ^ "Kallon celebrates his marriage". BBC. 19 June 2002. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  35. ^ "World Cup Coach Appoints Technical Director". Sierra Express Media. 3 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013.
  36. ^ Kallon Group Foundation[permanent dead link‍]
  37. ^ "Kallon offers hope". 2 July 2009. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  38. ^ a b Mohamed Kallon at National-Football-Teams.com
  39. ^ "RSSSF - African Nations Cup 1996". Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  40. ^ "RSSSF - African Nations Cup 1996 - Final Tournament Details". Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  41. ^ "RSSSF - African Nations Cup 2004". Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  42. ^ "Togo's Hawks fly high in Group 9". BBC. 25 March 2007. Archived from the original on 6 September 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
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