Obou Narcisse Olivier Kapo (born 27 September 1980), known as Olivier Kapo, is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger.
Early life Born in Marcory, Ivory Coast, Kapo acquired French nationality by naturalization on 3 November 1998.
Club career Early career He began his professional career with Auxerre in 1999. He joined Juventus on a free transfer in the summer of 2004, but he struggled to adapt to life in Turin and did not play much as he was behind Pavel Nedvěd in the left midfield role. As a result, he was loaned to Monaco for the 2005–06 season.
When Juventus were forcibly relegated to Serie B, Kapo returned to Turin, but went back on loan due to the abundance of midfielders. He signed for Spanish La Liga club Levante, scoring five goals in 32 appearances.
Birmingham City
Kapo signed for Birmingham City on 29 June 2007 for a fee of £3 million. He claimed to have rejected other offers to sign for the club, suggesting his style of play was better suited to English football. He scored on his Premier League debut, against Chelsea in a 3–2 defeat on 12 August 2007.
Wigan Athletic Kapo signed for Wigan Athletic on 16 July 2008, signing a three-year deal for a fee reported as £3.5 million, a move which reunited him with former manager Steve Bruce. He scored his first goal for Wigan in a 4–1 League Cup win over Ipswich Town on 24 September 2008, and his first league goal in a 2–1 defeat to Chelsea on 28 February 2009. On 8 January 2010, Kapo moved to Boulogne on a six-month loan deal, and left Wigan by mutual consent in August 2010.
Celtic On 4 November 2010, Kapo signed for Celtic on an 18-month deal. He was allocated the number 77 jersey. He stated he turned down better money from other clubs to sign for the Glasgow side, including an offer from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg. He was encouraged to join the club after consulting with his friend, ex-Celtic player Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé. Kapo made his debut against St Johnstone at home in the Scottish Premier League as a second-half substitute, hitting the bar and then assisting the second goal in a 2–0 victory. He was released from his Celtic contract in January 2011, although the player claimed he walked out on the club because they had unilaterally changed the terms of his contract.
Al Ahli SC In February 2011, Kapo signed for Qatar club Al Ahli SC on a five-month contract. He scored twice to help Al Ahli to only their second win of the season, beating Qatar SC 3–1.
Return to Auxerre He signed an 18-month contract with former club Auxerre in January 2012, after a few weeks spent training with the club.
Levadiakos FC When his contract expired, Kapo signed a two-year deal with Super League Greece club Levadiakos. In September 2014, he stated in the French media that "everything is corrupted in Greek football, mafia-controlled, while FIFA and UEFA simply don't care".
Korona Kielce On 15 August 2014, Kapo signed a one-year contract with the Polish Ekstraklasa side Korona Kielce. He scored his first goal for Korona in the matchday 12, as his team drew 2–2 with Lech Poznań. In total, he scored seven goals. After the 2014–15 Ekstraklasa season, his contract was not extended.
International career He won nine caps for France. He represented his country in the 2003 Confederations Cup, scoring against New Zealand, and was a substitute in the final as France beat Cameroon. He has also scored in friendlies against Egypt and Serbia and Montenegro. Kapo's last cap came in 2004.
Personal life His nephew, Maxen, is a footballer who turned professional with Paris Saint-Germain and made his senior debut with Lausanne-Sport.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAuxerre1998–99Division 11020—301999–2000Division 115320–1732000–01Division 129450814252001–02Division 125420—2742002–03Ligue 121620813172003–04Ligue 12927151414Total1201920121316023Juventus2004–05Serie A1402030190Monaco (loan)2005–06Ligue 12551062327Levante (loan)2006–07Primera División30520—325Birmingham2007–08Premier League265——265Wigan2008–09Premier League19120—2112009–10Premier League10——10Total2012000221Boulogne (loan)2009–10Ligue 116210—172Celtic2010–11SPL20——20Al Ahli2010–11Stars League52——52Auxerre2011–12Ligue 1154——1542012–13Ligue 225820—278Total401220004212Levadiakos2013–14Super League192——192Korona Kielce2014–15Ekstraklasa27700—277Korona Kielce II2014–15III liga31——31Career total3476130130540767
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsFrance200221200352200420Total93
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kapo goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Olivier KapoNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1Stade de France, Paris, France3–03–0Friendly2Stade de France, Paris, France 5–05–0Friendly3Stade de France, Paris, France 1–05–02003 FIFA Confederations Cup
Honours Auxerre Coupe de France: 2002–03
France FIFA Confederations Cup: 2003
References
External links