Kalidou Koulibaly (born 20 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal and captains the Senegal national team.

[5] His father worked in a textile mill in Senegal for seven days a week and never took weekends off for five years before he saved enough money to take his mother to France.

[7] He then joined FC Metz in his first spell but was subsequently released at fifteen, which according to the club's Academy Manager, Denis Schaeffer, Koulibaly was let go "because he was too introverted, and his level was a little below our expectations.

[20] At the end of the 2011–12 season, Koulibaly went on to make 23 appearances in all competitions, including 10 alongside his future international teammate Sadio Mané.

[22] On 23 August, he made his Genk debut in a UEFA Europa League play-off qualifying round, in which they were defeated by Swiss team Luzern 2–1 in the first leg of two.

[25] In a match against OH Leuven on 25 November 2012, Koulibaly made a foul in the penalty box at the last minute of the game, which was successfully converted by Ibou, as Genk drew 1–1.

[citation needed] The 2013–14 season saw Koulibaly began playing in the centre–back position, where he continued to form a partnership with Kara Mbodji.

[36][37] He made his debut on 19 August in a UEFA Champions League play-off round qualifier, in which Napoli drew 1–1 with Athletic Bilbao.

[23][39] Koulibaly made his Serie A debut in the opening game of the season against Genoa, playing the whole match as Napoli won 2–1.

[42] In the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus in Doha, Qatar, on 22 December, Koulibaly scored the winning penalty in the shootout to secure Napoli victory.

[43] Towards the end of the 2014–15 season, Koulibaly found himself placed in and out of the starting eleven for the side, as manager Rafael Benítez preferred Raúl Albiol and Miguel Britos in the central defence positions.

Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Koulibaly was linked with a move to Premier League side Southampton, but he eventually stayed at the club.

[45] Despite this, Koulibaly became a regular starter for Napoli under coach Maurizio Sarri, and saw an improvement in his performances for the side in the number of matches.

[53] Koulibaly continued to start every match of the season, until he sustained a knee injury during a 5–0 win over Cagliari on 11 December 2016, resulting in him being sidelined for a month.

[54] After spending two months away from Napoli's first team, due to both injury and international commitment, Koulibaly made his return to the starting lineup, playing the full 90 minutes, in a 2–0 win over Genoa on 10 February 2017.

[67] However, on 26 December 2018, Koulibaly received two yellow cards in quick succession for a foul and for sarcastically applauding the referee and was sent off, as Napoli lost 1–0 to Inter Milan at the San Siro.

According to Ancelotti, Koulibaly was the target of racist chants from the Inter fans and his team asked for the match to be suspended three times.

[69] After serving a two match suspension, Koulibaly returned to the starting lineup, playing the whole game and keeping a clean sheet, in a 2–0 win over Sassuolo Calcio in the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia.

[70] He helped the side keep five consecutive clean sheets in the league between 26 January and 24 February 2019, including matches against A.C. Milan, Sampdoria and Parma.

[71][72] On 12 April 2019, Koulibaly was involved in another racial incident, after reportedly suffering racist abuse from an Arsenal fan during a Europa League match between the two teams.

On 17 June 2020, Koulibaly started in the Coppa Italia Final against Juventus; Napoli won the match 4–2 on penalties after a goalless draw.

[76] Koulibaly has on a number of occasions talked about his desire to retire at Napoli, and that a departure would only occur due to an economic decision made by the club.

[79] On 16 July 2022, Koulibaly signed for Premier League club Chelsea on a four-year contract for a fee reported to be in the region of £33 million.

[85] However, in early September 2015, Koulibaly changed federations and joined the Senegal national football team, despite the interest to call him for Les Bleus from Didier Deschamps.

[92] As captain, he became the first Senegalese to lift the trophy, following a victory in the final against Egypt, in which he scored the first penalty shootout in a 4–2 win after a goalless draw.

[94] He scored his first international goal on 29 November in the 70th minute of Senegal's 2–1 win over Ecuador in their final match of the group stage.

[96] A large, aggressive, quick and physically strong yet elegant player, Koulibaly is recognised for his aerial prowess, anticipation, positioning, tackling, character, technique and passing ability as a defender.

Due to his versatility, he can play both in his usual role as a central defender, or as a full-back on either the right or left flank, in both a three or four-man defence; he has even been deployed as a defensive midfielder.

During his time at Napoli, his ability to play the ball out from the back saw him function as a ball-playing centre-back in manager Maurizio Sarri's attacking, possession based-system.

[5] In October 2019, Koulibaly called on the Italian football authorities to tackle racism by giving offenders a lifetime ban from entering the stadium.