Pierre Kazeye Rommel Kalulu Kyatengwa (; born 5 June 2000) is a French professional

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 plays as a defender for club

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

and the

France national team France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Having played for most of his youth career as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

, he began to play in central defense as his career progressed to the senior level.

Early life

Kalulu was born in the

8th arrondissement of Lyon The 8th arrondissement of Lyon() is one of the 9 arrondissements of Lyon. Geography Quarters * Le Bachut * Monplaisir Ville * Monplaisir La Plaine, usually known as La Plaine * Mermoz Nord * Mermoz Sud * Les États-Unis * Le Transvaal * Laënn ...

, France, and is

Congolese Congolese or Kongolese may refer to: African peoples * Congolese people (disambiguation) * Kongo people, a Bantu ethnic group who live along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Pointe-Noire (Republic of Congo) to Luanda, Angola, primarily defined by ...

by descent. His father was born in Kabimba,

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

, and his mother in

Likasi Likasi (formerly official names: Jadotville (French language, French) and Jadotstad (Dutch language, Dutch)) is a Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, city in Haut-Katanga Province, in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. ...

, Congo-Léopoldville. He acquired

French nationality French nationality law is historically based on the principles of ''jus soli'' (Latin for "right of soil") and ''jus sanguinis'', (Latin for "right of blood") according to Ernest Renan's definition, in opposition to the German definition of nat ...

on 26 December 2000 through the collective effect of his parents'

naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

Club career

Lyon

Kalulu moved from his youth club Saint-Priest to the youth academy of

Olympique Lyon Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a French professional association football, football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. With origins dating back to 1899, they were founded in 1950 and p ...

in the summer of 2010. In Lyon, he passed through the different youth departments from 2010 to 2018, and was elevated to their reserve team in June 2018. Ahead of the home game against

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

played on 5 March 2020, Kalulu received his first ever call-up to the senior team. However, he remained on the bench for the entire game.

AC Milan

In the summer of 2020, Kalulu moved to Italy to join

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 ...

, and signed a contract until 2025. On 10 December, he made his professional debut, playing the entire

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

game against

Sparta Prague Athletic Club Sparta Praha (), commonly known as Sparta Prague and Sparta Praha, is a professional football club based in Prague. It is the most successful club in the Czech Republic and one of the most successful in central Europe, winning t ...

as a left-sided centre-back; as Milan won 1–0, he was praised for helping the team keep a clean sheet. Three days later, on 13 December, Kalulu made his debut in

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

, replacing the injured

Matteo Gabbia Matteo Gabbia (; born 21 October 1999) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club AC Milan. Club career AC Milan Gabbia joined AC Milan's youth academy in 2012 aged 12. He received his first ever call-up to t ...

in the fifth minute of a home game against

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

. In the following away league game against

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

played on 16 December, he made his first-ever start in Serie A and scored a debut goal in his senior career, equalizing the score in the eventual 2–2 draw. During the 2021–22 season, after an injury to

Alessio Romagnoli Alessio Romagnoli (born 12 January 1995) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for club SS Lazio, Lazio and the Italy national football team, Italy national team. Romagnoli began his career with ...

, Kalulu started the match against

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

on 6 March 2022, partnering in central defence with

Fikayo Tomori Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola "Fikayo" Tomori (born 19 December 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club AC Milan. Born in Canada, he plays for the England national team. Early life Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola Tomo ...

; he helped Milan to clinch a 1–0 win, impressing against Napoli's striker

Victor Osimhen Victor James Osimhen (born 29 December 1998) is a Nigerian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Süper Lig club Galatasaray S.K. (football), Galatasaray on loan from SSC Napoli, ...

. On 12 March 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 ...

, Kalulu scored his first goal of the season, a powerful curling shot from outside the box, as Milan managed to win 1–0 and stay top of the league. With him and Tomori again in central defence, Milan kept clean sheets in two consecutive Serie A games for the first time in 2022. In the 2022–23 season, Kalulu played in several different positions all throughout the season such as a right-sided centre-back next to Fikayo Tomori, on the right of a back-three with Malick Thiaw in the middle and Tomori on the left, and as a right full-back in a back-four. However, towards the season's end, as manager Stefano Pioli switched back to 4–2–3–1 formation, Kalulu began to lose his place in the starting XI as a centre-back to Thiaw, the summer signing who emerged in the second half of the season, and team captain

Davide Calabria Davide Calabria (; born 6 December 1996) is an Italian professional Association footballer, footballer who plays as a Full-back (association football), right-back for club Bologna FC 1909, Bologna, on loan from AC Milan. Club career AC Milan C ...

as a right full-back. The 2023–24 season further undermined Kalulu's career at Milan, with him limited to just 11 appearances in all competitions, mainly due to several injuries requiring months of rehabilitation. However, he managed to return to fitness by May 2024 and made three appearances during that month.

Juventus

On 21 August 2024, fellow Serie A side

announced the signing of Kalulu on a one-year loan, worth €3.3 million, with an option to buy at the end of the loan for a further €14 million. The move was made official on 6 June 2025. Three weeks later, on 26 June, he scored an own goal in a 2–5 loss to

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

in the last match of the group stage of the

2025 FIFA Club World Cup The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, also marketed as FIFA Club World Cup 25) is the 21st edition and the first of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, an international club soccer competition organized ...

, becoming the first-ever player from a European club to score an own goal in a FIFA club competition.

International career

Since June 2018, he has played through the various national junior teams of France, taking part in the

2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship The 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-19 Euro 2019) was the 18th edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship (68th edition if the Under-18 and Junior eras are included), the annual international youth associ ...

. Kalulu made his senior France debut on 5 June 2025 against

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in the

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

Nations League, at

MHPArena Neckarstadion, officially known as MHPArena for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium located in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and home to Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. It hosted football matches in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Euro ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

Personal life

Pierre Kalulu is the younger brother of footballers

Aldo Kalulu Aldo-Nsawila Kalulu Kyatengwa (born 21 January 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and striker for Serbian club Partizan. Born in France, he plays for the DR Congo national team. Early life Kalulu was born ...

and

Gédéon Kalulu Gédéon Tshingoma Kalulu Kyatengwa (born 29 August 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Lorient. Born in France, he plays for the DR Congo national team. Early life Kalulu was born in the 8th arrondisseme ...

. He is the older brother of

Joseph Kalulu Joseph Kalulu (born ) is a French footballer who plays as a left-back for club Pau FC. Career Early career Joseph Kalulu, born in Lyon, France began his football journey at Olympique Lyonnais, where he progressed through the youth ranks fro ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

AC Milan *

: 2021–22 France *

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

third place: 2024–25

References

External links

Profile
at the AC Milan website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalulu, Pierre 2000 births Living people Footballers from Lyon French men's footballers Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football central defenders Olympique Lyonnais players AC Milan players Juventus FC players Championnat National 2 players Serie A players Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for France France men's youth international footballers France men's under-21 international footballers France men's international footballers French expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Italy French expatriate sportspeople in Italy Black French sportspeople French people of Rwandan descent French sportspeople of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Naturalized citizens of France 21st-century French sportsmen