| Samuel Kalu | |
| Fullname: | Samuel Kalu Ojim[1] |
| Birth Date: | 26 August 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Aba, Abia State, Nigeria |
| Height: | 1.77 m[2] |
| Position: | Winger |
| Youthyears1: | –2016 |
| Youthclubs1: | GBS Academy |
| Years1: | 2016–2017 |
| Clubs1: | AS Trenčín |
| Caps1: | 32 |
| Goals1: | 4 |
| Years2: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs2: | Gent |
| Caps2: | 48 |
| Goals2: | 10 |
| Years3: | 2018–2022 |
| Clubs3: | Bordeaux |
| Caps3: | 72 |
| Goals3: | 9 |
| Years4: | 2022–2024 |
| Clubs4: | Watford |
| Caps4: | 13 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs5: | → Lausanne-Sport (loan) |
| Caps5: | 21 |
| Goals5: | 3 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018– |
| Nationalteam1: | Nigeria |
| Nationalcaps1: | 16 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 2 |
| Club-Update: | 27 May 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 13 November 2019 |
Samuel Kalu Ojim (born 26 August 1997) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as winger. He is currently a free agent.
Kalu started his football career at GBS Academy in Jos, Nigeria.
On 9 December 2015, Kalu agreed to sign a two-year contract with Slovak side AS Trenčín,[3] a partner club with GBS Academy at the time. He made his professional debut for Trenčín against Slovan Bratislava on 27 February 2016.[4]
On 4 January 2017, after his impressive displays in the Slovak League with Trenčín, Kalu was transferred to Belgium top division club KAA Gent.[5]
On 6 August 2018, Kalu signed for Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, signing a five-year contract.[6] He was handed the number 10 jersey on arrival.
On 15 August 2021, Kalu collapsed in a game against Marseille. He was able to get up and walk off the pitch with his teammates’ help while holding an ice pack against his head. Eight minutes later, he was substituted off for Rémi Oudin.[7]
On 26 January 2022, Kalu joined Premier League club Watford on a three-and-a-half-year deal until 2025.[8]
On 7 September 2023, Kalu joined Swiss Super League club FC Lausanne-Sport on a season long loan from Watford.[9]
On 13 October 2018, he scored his first international goal with the Nigeria senior national team against Libya. He scored the final goal in a 4–0 victory.
Kalu collapsed whilst participating in a team training session during the AFCON 2019 held in Egypt. Though rumours had it that he suffered a heart attack, this was later debunked as he collapsed as a result of severe dehydration. He was later released from the hospital to link up with the rest of the squad in Alexandria.
Kalu's mother was released on 5 March 2019, having been kidnapped six days previously.[10]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| AS Trenčín | 2015–16 | Slovak Super Liga | 13 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 4 | |||
| 2016–17 | Slovak Super Liga | 19 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | 27 | 3 | |||
| Total | 32 | 4 | 7 | 2 | — | 5! | 1 | 44 | 7 | ||||
| Gent | 2016–17 | Belgian First Division A | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | 19 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | Belgian First Division A | 32 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 36 | 7 | |||
| Total | 48 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | 5! | 1 | 55 | 11 | ||||
| Bordeaux | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 32 | 4 | |
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 4 | |||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| Total | 72 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 86 | 10 | |||
| Watford | 2021–22 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Championship | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |||
| FC Lausanne-Sport | 2023–24 | Swiss Super League | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 3 | ||
| Total | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 178 | 23 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 211 | 31 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2018 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 1 | ||
| Total | 13 | 2 | ||
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kalu goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2018 | Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, Nigeria | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | ||
| 2 | 13 November 2019 | Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |