With a ultimate in Munich a number of days away and , there are apparent inquiries to ask Salomon Kalou, who was within the beginning line-up in 2012 for the membership’s best triumph. But Kalou just isn’t again in London to speak soccer, nor has he gone down the punditry route.
Gamers used to hold up their boots and purchase a pub. Now extra are going into the media. However Kalou has chosen one thing totally different altogether: chocolate.
Not many Premier League winners go down the Willy Wonka route. But Kalou has launched a model of chocolate, named Oumé after his birthplace, and hopes in the future to see it offered within the UK’s most prestigious retailers. As he factors out, when folks purchase a bar of chocolate, they’re in all probability unaware that the important thing ingredient – cocoa – has a superb probability of coming from Ivory Coast. His homeland produces 45 per cent of the world’s cocoa.
Sitting within the foyer restaurant of a Mayfair lodge, an hour away from company arriving on the model’s launch, he defined Ivorian life the place, for him, there was soccer and cocoa. “My uncle had a cocoa farm and I grew up across the farm and between college and on the weekend we’d be serving to him,” he mentioned.
“Rising up, I don’t bear in mind consuming chocolate and didn’t know what it was. It’s costly. It’s extra of a privilege, for individuals who can afford to purchase it as a result of it’s costly.
“Individuals don’t know what they make of their farms is for chocolate. However we have now a giant share of the manufacturing. We even have nice footballers.
“To make a comparability between the 2, a product can come out of Ivory Coast and go world. A footballer could be born in Oumé and are available to Chelsea and win the Champions League, could be world.” He has ambitions for Oumé to finally be a life-style model, with the cocoa used for different merchandise.
Later, in Knightsbridge, company embrace team-mates from 2012, Jose Bosingwa and Raul Meireles, outdated academy team-mate Yaya Touré and ex-Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia.
Romelu Lukaku arrives later within the night. He was assembly the Pope throughout the afternoon after successful Serie A with Napoli. Straight after talking with Pope Leo XIV he boarded a flight to see his shut buddy.
(From left to proper) Former Chelsea gamers Jose Bosingmwa, Kalou, Romelu Lukaku, Raul Meireles and soccer agent Vaz Molhotra
Everyone is a few miles away from , the place Kalou performed for six seasons, his ultimate recreation arriving when the membership have been topped European champions. He believes that interval of his life formed him and helped make his determination to enter the chocolate enterprise.
“Enjoying soccer and enjoying for Chelsea, it drives you to all the time wish to do one thing good,” he mentioned. “You might be competing in opposition to the most effective but in addition competing with the most effective in your personal group. If you’re not prepared, you’ll not play and never get the prospect to attain a purpose or win a trophy.
“That competitiveness stays with you. I got here to Chelsea after I was 20 and stayed till I used to be 27 so I grew up as a person. I learnt that enjoying with [John] Terry, [Frank] Lampard and [Didier] Drogba, they’ve loads of expertise and have been by no means glad with one a part of their recreation. It’s important to try to get higher at the whole lot you place your thoughts to and this stayed with me now I’m retired from soccer. There’s something I can do and if I put my thoughts to it I can do it proper.”
To Chelsea followers, Kalou was seen as unfairly underrated by others. The limelight was taken by Drogba, his fellow Ivorian, however Kalou was a reliable ahead who averaged 10 targets a season throughout his time on the membership, nearly all the time enjoying off the flank moderately than via the center.
Didier Drogba (second left) was usually seen as the principle striker for Chelsea, overshadowing Kalou – Getty Photographs/Hugh Hastings
His transfer from Feyenoord in 2006 nearly didn’t occur, with Spanish golf equipment circling earlier than Jose Mourinho determined to behave, flying over to Rotterdam incognito.
“I really had a number of choices. [Andre] Villas-Boas was the one which noticed me first when he was scouting for Mourinho,” he mentioned. “He noticed me in opposition to Ajax and instructed Mourinho: ‘There’s a participant for us at Feyenoord.’
‘Mourinho got here to observe me in disguise’
“I used to be studying Spanish for a 12 months and had affords from Atlético Madrid and Valencia on the time, Barcelona. Then within the final dwelling recreation Mourinho himself got here to observe me in opposition to Twente after I assisted two targets. He wore a hat and sun shades. Individuals solely realised when he was leaving as a result of he left the sport early.
“The subsequent day he known as my agent and mentioned he wished me to return to London to speak. Once I arrived he knew the whole lot about my recreation. He put down the group and the place he thought I might play – the whole lot was so good from him, I had no selection.”
Kalou was a part of the Double-winning group in 2010 beneath Carlo Ancelotti earlier than beginning within the Champions League triumph. But it all the time comes again to Mourinho. The Particular One was the one which instilled the work-ethic and the mantra of all the time being ready for a recreation, no matter being first-choice or not.
Kalou has described Jose Mourinho’s teaching fashion as demanding however efficient – Getty Photographs/Kevork Djansezian
“Say you haven’t performed two or three video games and throughout the coaching periods within the week he realises your head has gone, you aren’t centered as you aren’t enjoying,” Kalou mentioned. “The subsequent recreation, even a giant recreation, after a nasty week when he names the group you’re beginning.
“However in case you play badly, he’ll take you off after half-hour and within the dressing room he’ll kill you in entrance of everyone: ‘You complain you aren’t enjoying. You get the chance to play. And also you play s—!’ Everyone knew that and that could be a talent. After that, each coaching session is a conflict. Even in case you haven’t performed for 10 months, you’re 100 per cent since you by no means know when he’ll offer you that chance and it’s important to be prepared.
“Again within the day, after we had [Hernan] Crespo and Didier as strikers, just one would begin and if we have been 0-0 after half-hour, he would make the opposite one warm-up. ‘Go, go…’ You might be on the pitch and also you see the man in your place warming up. Every thing modifications and also you begin operating extra. That’s Mourinho.”
The triumph in Munich was Kalou’s ultimate recreation for the membership, with Drogba and Bosingwa additionally leaving that summer season. Roberto Di Matteo had chosen Kalou forward of Florent Malouda, whereas Ryan Bertrand was the shock choice and helped mark Arjen Robben.
Kalou, who additionally performed within the 2008 ultimate, sported a brand new haircut with a spider shaved into the again of his head. He had scored an important purpose in opposition to Benfica within the quarter-finals, when the potential for an unlikely trophy win bought nearer.
“All season it was ‘spider’. You get caught to issues, to partitions. It was such a tough season for us, one of many worst for us ending sixth, no person thought we’d make it to the ultimate,” he mentioned. “It was a troublesome season and we created our internet on the wall. That was the sensation. I put a spider on my head to symbolize that. We’re nonetheless right here.”
So what would the chocolate equal of the Champions League be? “At some point I’d prefer to see Oumé in Waitrose, Selfridges or Harrods. That may be a proud second,” he mentioned. It’s a powerful market, with the worth of cocoa growing as a result of excessive climate and under-investment. Kalou needs to assist farmers in Ivory Coast with Oumé.
“As a model we don’t have management over the laws however we have now a social half to play,” he mentioned. “We wish the most effective product, organically. To have a premium model we have now to have the most effective product but in addition have that social path the place we may also help farmers again dwelling. We’ve got to the touch all sides.”
