LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

Words Kevin Darling   Photography Jake Gavin

This article was originally published in issue 12 of ARISE Magazine.

The first things I notice about Salomon Kalou, on visiting his home, are his biscuits. We’re not talking fancy cookies covered in Belgian chocolate. No, the sweet snacks in the Chelsea striker’s kitchen are of the supermarket own-brand, value variety. Surely the Côte d’Ivoire star, who signed for the Blues in a reported £9million transfer deal in 2006, and commands a five-figure, English Premier League weekly wage, should have fancier biscuits? “I don’t need loads of big stuff to be happy – that’s not my style. I live simply,” the 26-year-old explains in a laidback drawl.

After a quick tour of Kalou’s sparsely decorated five-bedroom Surrey home, it dawns on me that those biscuits sum him up rather neatly: successful, popular and tasty, but without a hint of flashiness. “What do I need such a big place for? I don’t have a wife or kids. I just like to chill, watch movies, play on my PlayStation,” says Kalou, who prefers to spend his earnings buying things for his family back home in Côte d’Ivoire.

SIMPLE PLEASURES

Near-neighbour and Chelsea captain John Terry may live in a mansion with a staircase that doubles up as a huge aquarium, but Kalou’s home decorations are modest: a photo of himself with his two nieces, a framed training shoe previously worn by sprinter Usain Bolt, a signed Thierry Henry shirt. He does have a fish tank, but it’s fish-tank sized. He points out Primo, his favourite fish.

Kalou’s failure to conform to the flash footballer stereotype is refreshing. Raised with 10 siblings in humble surroundings in the Ivoirian city of Oumé, Kalou began his football career playing barefoot in the streets, and he has stayed close to his roots. “I have a great life here, but I miss my home and my family. My sister moved to London a few months ago – I’m continually calling her to come over and cook me some African food,” he admits. “I don’t have that many friends – I find it hard to open up.”

Among those friends are his manager, Musa, an ex-footballer he has known since childhood. He also hangs out with Blues teammates such as Ghanaian star Michael Essien, Nigeria’s John Mikel Obi and fellow Ivoirian Didier Drogba. “I have a good relationship with the other Chelsea boys,” says Kalou, “but we Africans are closer. Sometimes it’s easier to get close to someone who shares the same values as you.”

Kalou returns to Côte d’Ivoire several times a year, especially since he and older brother Bonaventure, also a footballer, set up a charity there. The Kalou Foundation promotes sport for youngsters and works to improve services for those with kidney disease. He also goes back to visit his mum, Hélène, for whom he is proud to have recently bought a house and a car. His girlfriend Najah Wakil, a half-Puerto Rican, half-Somalian model, lives in New York – it’s a long-distance relationship. “She likes her job, and at the moment we’re happy doing it this way. She’s friends with the other Chelsea wives and girlfriends; when she comes over for games they all hang out together,” he says.

MIX IT UP

Kalou was first spotted as a 12-year-old by the youth academy of Abidjan football club Asec Mimosas – other Ivoirian stars it unearthed include the Touré brothers, Yaya and Kolo, as well as Emmanuel Eboué and Didier Zokora. Kalou’s pacy, direct style caught the eye
of Dutch team Feyenoord. He moved there in 2003 and proved a huge hit, scoring 35 goals in 67 league games. Kalou says the pinnacle of his career so far is appearing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where he scored in Côte d’Ivoire’s 3-0 win against North Korea.

But the ambitious forward believes there is more to come, even though his Chelsea future is uncertain since the arrival of £50million striker Fernando Torres, and he’s recently been linked with moves to Benfica and Galatasaray. “Chelsea hasn’t seen the best of me yet; I’m not in the team regularly enough to improve myself. I’m living my dream, but there is still a long way to go,” says Kalou.

He gives us a demonstration of his silky skills in the garden before taking us up to the attic – finally, a room that looks like it belongs to a footballer. A shiny set of mixing decks, Kalou’s newest toy, overlooks a small dancing area. “If I have parties, they happen in here,” he grins, before excitedly making a beeline for the turntables. What Kalou lacks in technical expertise, he makes up for in enthusiasm. Jay-Z’s Empire State Of Mind booms out, is clumsily blended into another track for a few seconds, then restarts. Kalou carries on dancing anyway until visitors arrive. It’s his sister and other family members, here to cook his dinner. We leave him looking happy, with the aroma of fufu and plantain gradually filling the house. For Kalou, it’s the smell of home. Though maybe it’ll be cookies for dessert.

About brandworldtv.com

This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.