| Makalu Xowi | |
| Fullname: | Makalu François Xowi |
| Birth Date: | 20 April 1999 |
| Birth Place: | New Caledonia |
| Currentclub: | Central Sport |
| Clubnumber: | 7 |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Years1: | 2013–2018 |
| Clubs1: | Ne Drehu |
| Years2: | 2018–2023 |
| Clubs2: | Temanava |
| Years3: | 2022 |
| Clubs3: | → CO Hmeleck (loan) |
| Years4: | 2023– |
| Clubs4: | Central Sport |
| Caps4: | 18 |
| Goals4: | 32 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam1: | New Caledonia |
| Nationalcaps1: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 5 |
| Club-Update: | 25 April 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 28 November 2023 (UTC) |
Makalu Xowi (born 20 April 1999) is a New Caledonian footballer currently playing for Central Sport and the New Caledonia national team.
From a young age, Xowi played for SC Ne Drehu of the New Caledonia Super Ligue. In 2013 he scored his club's only goal in a league victory over AS Tiga Sport. The victory was Ne Drehu's first of the 2013 season following five defeats. The goal was the player's second of the season.[1]
Xowi moved abroad to join Tahiti's A.S. Temanava in 2018. In 2019 the club competed in the Tahiti Ligue 2. Xowi became a consistent scorer in the league, scoring a hattrick against A.S. Tiare Tahiti on 13 October.[2] Xowi was Ligue 2's top scorer for the 20/21 season.[3] The club worked its way up to the Tahiti Ligue 1 with Xowi scoring twenty-two goals for the club in the league during the 2022-23 season. In 2022, he also had a brief return to New Caledonian football, joining CO Hmeleck on loan. While with the club, he competed in the 2022 Coupe de Calédonie in a match against AS Lössi.[4] He continued his dominant scoring that season back in Tahiti, with performances including five goals in a 7–2 victory over Aito Taurea FC in the 2022 Coupe Élite Tahiti[5] and a brace against A.S. Pueu to earn Temanava its third-straight Ligue 2 victory.[6]
Following two impressive seasons with Temanava, newly appointed New Caledonia manager Johann Sidaner gave Xowi his first senior call-ups for a pair of friendlies against Tahiti in March 2023.[4] The matches were considered a tryout for the 2023 Pacific Games. Sidaner stated that he had full confidence in Xowi because of his goal tally in Tahiti and his observations of the player during his time with CO Hmeleck.[7] Xowi made his debut on 21 March 2023, scoring his first goal in the eventual 2–1 victory.[8] Three days later he made his second appearance, scoring again, as New Caledonia were defeated 1–2.[9] [10] [11] Later in 2023, Xowi was included in New Caledonia's squad for the 2023 MSG Prime Minister's Cup.[12] In the team's second match of the tournament, he scored in a 3–1 victory over Papua New Guinea.[13]
Scores and results list New Caledonia's goal tally first.[9]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21 March 2023 | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |||
| 2. | 24 March 2023 | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly | |||
| 3. | 11 October 2023 | 2023 MSG Prime Minister's Cup | |||||
| 4. | 24 November 2023 | 2023 Pacific Games | |||||
| 5. | 28 November 2023 | 2023 Pacific Games | |||||
| Last updated 28 November 2023 | |||||||
As of match played 28 November 2023[9]
| New Caledonia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals | |
| 2023 | 7 | 5 | |
| Total | 7 | 5 | |
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Others | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Temanava | 2018-19 | Division 2 | |||||||||
| 2019-20 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 19 | |||||
| 2020-21 | Ligue 2 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 11 | ||||
| 2021-22 | Ligue 1 | 21 | 26 | 2 | 6 | 23 | 32 | ||||
| 2022-23 | 17 | 22 | 17 | 22 | |||||||
| Central Sport | 2023-24 | Ligue 1 | 18 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 33 | |
| Total | 72 | 108 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 78 | 117 | |||