Ikechukwu Kalu (born 18 April 1984) is a Nigerian former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a striker. His name, Ikechukwu, means "Power of God".

Football career

He started his career at Jasper United in Nigeria. He was signed by

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...

in summer 2002. After playing one season in Genoa,

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

signed him in summer 2003 in joint-ownership bid for €1 million, and saw

Luca Antonini Luca Antonini (; born 4 August 1982) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is best known for his five seasons with AC Milan, for which he played from 2008 until 2013. During that time, he made 111 appearanc ...

move to opposite direction in joint-ownership deal (for €2 million), and sent him on loan to

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

and

Chiasso Chiasso (; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Mendrisio (district), Mendrisio in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. As Extreme points of Switzerland, the southernmost of Switzerland's ...

. He scored 28 goals in 44 games in two season in Swiss second division, which saw Sampdoria recall him in summer 2007. He made his Serie A debut on 10 November 2007 against

Empoli Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno River, Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Ancient Ro ...

In June 2008, Sampdoria bought back Kalu from Milan for €250,000 and co-currently signed

Paolo Sammarco Paolo Sammarco (born 17 March 1983) is an Italian football coach and a former player who played as a midfielder. He is the caretaker head coach of Serie D club Ambrosiana. Club career Chievo A product of European giants A.C. Milan's youth syst ...

outright for another €2.5 million. Kalu then sold to the Swiss side

AC Bellinzona AC Bellinzona is a Swiss football club based in Bellinzona. It was founded in 1904, and won the Swiss Super League in 1948. After being folded in 2013 declaring bankruptcy, the team played the Ticino Group of 2.Liga, the sixth tier of the Sw ...

for €400,000.U.C. Sampdoria SpA ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2008
PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA
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References

External links

Nigerianplayers.com profilefootball.ch profileAC Bellinzona profile
* 1984 births Footballers from Kaduna Living people Igbo sportspeople Nigerian men's footballers Nigeria men's international footballers Men's association football forwards Jasper United F.C. players UC Sampdoria players Aurora Pro Patria 1919 players Pisa SC players FC Chiasso players AC Bellinzona players Kuopion Palloseura players FF Jaro players KF Teuta players

Ikechukwu Kalu Ikechukwu Kalu (born 18 April 1984) is a Nigerian former association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. His name, Ikechukwu, means "Power of God". Football career He started his career at Jasper United ...

Serie C players Swiss Challenge League players Serie A players Swiss Super League players Kategoria Superiore players

Nigerian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Expatriate men's footballers in Finland Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Finland Expatriate men's footballers in Albania Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Albania Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Thailand 21st-century Nigerian sportsmen {{Nigeria-footy-forward-stub