1. Early life and background
Aldo Kalulu was born in Lyon, France, on 21 January 1996. He holds Congolese and Rwandan descent. His father was born in Kabimba, then part of the Belgian Congo, while his mother originated from Likasi in Congo-Léopoldville. Kalulu acquired French nationality on 26 December 2000, which was a collective effect of his parents' naturalization. Standing at 65 in (166 cm) tall, he began his football journey at an early age.
2. Club career
Aldo Kalulu's professional football career spans several European leagues, marked by transfers, loan spells, and significant contributions to his teams.
2.1. Youth career
Kalulu started his youth football development with CO Saint-Fons from 2003 to 2004. He then joined the prestigious youth academy of Lyon in 2004, where he trained and developed his skills for over a decade, becoming a youth exponent for the club until 2015.
2.2. Lyon
Kalulu made his Ligue 1 debut for Olympique Lyonnais on 12 September 2015, in a goalless home draw against Lille OSC. He came on as a substitute for Jordan Ferri in the 78th minute. Just eleven days later, on 23 September 2015, he scored his first professional goal for Lyon against SC Bastia, assisted by veteran midfielder Steed Malbranque. During his initial professional period with Lyon, he continued to contribute before moving to other clubs.
2.3. Basel
On 26 June 2018, Swiss club FC Basel announced the signing of Kalulu on a three-year contract set to run until June 2021. He joined the first team for their 2018-19 FC Basel season under head coach Raphaël Wicky, later playing under Marcel Koller. His domestic league debut for Basel occurred on 21 July 2018 at St. Jakob-Park, where Basel suffered a 1-2 defeat to FC St. Gallen. Kalulu netted his first goal for the club on 18 August in a Swiss Cup away game, contributing to a 3-0 victory against amateur club FC Montlingen.
Under trainer Marcel Koller, Basel went on to win the 2018-19 Swiss Cup. Their cup run included victories over FC Montlingen (3-0), Echallens Région (7-2), Winterthur (1-0), and Sion (4-2 after extra time) in the quarter-finals. They defeated Zürich 3-1 in the semi-finals, all played away from home. The final was held on 19 May 2019 at the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf Bern, where Basel triumphed 2-1 against FC Thun with goals from Albian Ajeti and Fabian Frei. Kalulu played in four of these cup matches, scoring one goal.
Although he played regularly in the first half of the 2018-19 season, his appearances became less frequent in the second half, with only seven matches as a substitute, prompting the club to seek alternative solutions for him.
2.3.1. Loan to Swansea City
On 5 August 2019, Kalulu joined EFL Championship club Swansea City on a season-long loan agreement. The deal included an option for Swansea to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season.
Following the conclusion of his loan spell, Swansea City did not exercise their option to purchase, leading to Kalulu's return to Basel for the 2020-21 FC Basel season under new head coach Ciriaco Sforza. However, his situation did not improve, as he made only 12 appearances during this period, all as a substitute. His contract with Basel expired at the end of the 2020-21 season, and he departed the club. Between 2018 and 2021, Kalulu played a total of 51 games for Basel, scoring three goals. This included 27 matches in the Swiss Super League, five in the Swiss Cup, four in UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions, and 15 friendly games. Of his three goals, one was in the cup and the other two were scored during test matches.
2.4. Sochaux
Kalulu had two distinct periods with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. He first joined Sochaux on a loan spell during the 2017-18 season, where he made a significant impact. On 29 June 2021, he made a permanent return to the club, signing a three-year contract.
2.5. Partizan
On 20 July 2023, it was announced that Kalulu had signed a three-year contract with Serbian club Partizan. He made his debut for the club on 29 July in the first round of the 2023-24 Serbian SuperLiga campaign against TSC, entering the game in the 54th minute. His debut was eventful, as he received a red card in the 95th minute.
Kalulu scored his debut goal for Partizan against Napredak on 1 October 2023, a goal that propelled the team to the top of the Serbian SuperLiga standings after 18 months. He continued to be a key attacking force, scoring the opening goal in the match against Radnički Kragujevac on 25 October 2023, with an assist from Matheus Saldanha. On 9 March 2024, Kalulu scored Partizan's second goal in the 172nd Eternal derby, which ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw. He also scored his first SuperLiga goal of the 2024-25 season on 26 October 2024, in a 3-1 victory against Čukarički.
3. International career
Aldo Kalulu has represented France at the youth international level, playing for the French U18 national team in 2013, where he made three appearances.
He made his senior international debut for the DR Congo national football team on 24 March 2023, in a 3-1 victory over the Mauritania national team during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign. As of March 31, 2023, he has made two appearances for the DR Congo senior squad.
4. Personal life
Aldo Kalulu comes from a family with a strong footballing background. He is the older brother of three other professional footballers: Gédéon Kalulu, Pierre Kalulu, and Joseph Kalulu. Outside of football, Kalulu is a big fan of Basketball and is an avid supporter of the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA.
5. Career statistics
Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Lyon | 2015-16 | Ligue 1 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
2016-17 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
Total | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||
Rennes (loan) | 2016-17 | Ligue 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 0 | ||
Sochaux (loan) | 2017-18 | Ligue 2 | 31 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 34 | 12 | ||
Basel | 2018-19 | Super League | 17 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | 3 | 0 | - | 24 | 1 | ||
Swansea City (loan) | 2019-20 | Championship | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 0 | ||
Basel | 2020-21 | Super League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | - | 12 | 0 | ||
Sochaux | 2021-22 | Ligue 2 | 39 | 9 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 39 | 9 | |||
2022-23 | 37 | 6 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 38 | 6 | |||||
Total | 76 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 15 | ||
Partizan | 2023-24 | Serbian SuperLiga | 34 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | - | 41 | 3 | ||
2024-25 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | - | 29 | 4 | ||||
Career total | 226 | 36 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 259 | 38 |
6. Honours
Basel
- Swiss Cup: 2018-19