Kanga Gauthier Akalé (born 7 March 1981) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for several clubs in France, including Auxerre and Lens, and made 35 appearances for the Ivory Coast national team. He also participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.
Club career Whilst at Auxerre he helped them win the Coupe de France in both 2003 and 2005, playing in both finals. In June 2007, Akalé signed a four-year contract with RC Lens for an undisclosed transfer fee, and he was loaned to Marseille in January 2008, then Recreativo de Huelva. Originally a striker, he started playing as a central midfielder or left winger. He is described as a pacey player with top technical abilities.
In 2011, Akalé joined Qatari club Lekhwiya SC to cover for injured striker, and countryman Bakari Koné. He made his debut in the 2011 Qatari Stars Cup on 11 November, and scored a hat-trick against Al Rayyan in a 3–1 win.بدلا من بكارى: لخويا يضم العاجى كانجا أكالى
On 31 January 2012, Akalé signed a six-month contract with Greek club Panetolikos F.C. About three months after becoming a free agent, on 24 October 2012, Akalé joined French Ligue 2 side Arles-Avignon on a two-year contract.Kanga Akalé pour 2 ans! AC Arles-Avignon official homepage. 24 October 2012.
International career Akalé made his first start for the Ivory Coast national team on 11 February 2003 in a friendly match against Cameroon in France, Châteauroux, contributing to Ivory Coast's 3–0 victory.Kanga Akalé, actu et stats de Kanga Akalé - France Football.
At the 2006 African Cup of Nations, he appeared in both the group stage and knockout stage. Ivory Coast recorded two wins and one defeat in the group stage, before defeating Cameroon on penalties in the quarter-finals. They then defeated Nigeria 1–0 in the semi-finals to reach the final. In the final, Ivory Coast drew 0–0 with Egypt before losing on penalties, finishing as runners-up.
At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he appeared in all three of Ivory Coast's group-stage matches. He started against Argentina and Serbia and Montenegro, while he came on as a substitute against the Netherlands. Ivory Coast were eliminated after recording one win and two defeats in the group stage.
After missing the 2008 and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Akalé was included in Sven-Göran Eriksson's provisional 30-man squad for Ivory Coast ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, he was omitted from the final 23-man squad and therefore did not participate in the World Cup.
Personal life Akalé holds both Ivorian and French nationalities. His son Aaron is a youth international for France.
Career statistics
Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsStella Club1998Ligue 1 (Ivory Coast)176176Sion1998–99Nationalliga A256–256FC Zürich1999–2000Nationalliga A60–20802000–01162–101722001–02281–002812002–03185–74259Total68800001047812–Auxerre2002–03Ligue 1603000101002003–042341030403142004–0531361301115152005–063140020203542006–073591020614410Total1262011110024217123–Lens2007–08Ligue 1900000631532009–102825020003522010–11303001000313Total675503063818–Marseille (loan)2007–08Ligue 1191201000221Recreativo de Huelva (loan)2008–09La Liga26021–00281Lekhwiya2011–12Qatar Stars League20–20Panetolikos2011–12Super League Greece9090Arles-Avignon2012–13Ligue 2402000–60Career total3634622214040943957–
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsIvory Coast2002102003502004302005412006122200720200880Total353
Scores and results list the Ivory Coast's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Akalé goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Kanga AkaléNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition 4 June 2006 Bondoufle, France 3–0 Friendly 14 June 2008 Gaborone, Botswana 1–1 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
Honours Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2006
References
External links