Kalidou Koulibaly (born 20 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Professional League club Al Hilal and the Senegal national team.
He is considered one of the best and most complete defenders in the world, his defensive prowess, strength, and speed have earned him the nicknames "K2" and "The Wall" from his fans.
Koulibaly began his professional club career with French team Metz in 2010, before moving to Belgian club Genk in 2012, winning the Belgian Cup in his first season. He joined Italian team Napoli in 2014, where he won the Supercoppa Italiana title; he also won the Coppa Italia in 2020.
As Koulibaly was born in France to Senegalese parents, he was eligible to represent both nations at international level, and initially played for the France national under-20 team. He later made his senior debut with Senegal in 2015, and was a member of the Senegal squad that took part at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He was named to the side that represented Senegal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup the following year, and subsequently helped his team to the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Koulibaly and Senegal won the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, beating Egypt in the final.
Africa Cup of Nations 2021 Senegal | Italian Coppa Italia 2019-2020 Napoli | Italian Supercoppa Italiana 2014 Napoli |
FIFA World Cup Player Of The Match 2022-11-29 |
1999-2003 |
2009-2010 |
2010-2012 |
2012-2014 |
2014-2022 |
2022-2023 |
2014-2023 |
2022-2026 |
2023-2026 |
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