Issa Kallon

{{short description|Sierra Leonean professional footballer (born 1996)}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Issa Kallon

| image =

| image_size = 160px

| caption = Kallon with Shanghai Port in 2023

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|1|3|df=y}}

| birth_place = Zeist, Netherlands

| height = 1.63 m

| position = Winger, forward

| currentclub = Chengdu Rongcheng

| clubnumber = 47

| youthyears1 = 2003–2005

| youthclubs1 = VV Jonathan

| youthyears2 = 2005–2014

| youthclubs2 = Vitesse

| years1 = 2014–2017

| clubs1 = Utrecht

| caps1 = 6

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 2016–2017

| clubs2 = → Emmen (loan)

| caps2 = 37

| goals2 = 4

| years3 = 2017–2022

| clubs3 = Cambuur

| caps3 = 143

| goals3 = 24

| years4 = 2022–2023

| clubs4 = Shanghai Port

| caps4 = 41

| goals4 = 6

| years5 = 2024

| clubs5 = Nantong Zhiyun

| caps5 = 22

| goals5 = 5

| years6 = 2025-

| clubs6 = Chengdu Rongcheng

| caps6 = 0

| goals6 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2010–2011

| nationalteam1 = Netherlands U15

| nationalcaps1 = 5

| nationalgoals1 = 1

| nationalyears2 = 2011–2012

| nationalteam2 = Netherlands U16

| nationalcaps2 = 4

| nationalgoals2 = 1

| nationalyears3 = 2012

| nationalteam3 = Netherlands U17

| nationalcaps3 = 5

| nationalgoals3 = 0

| nationalyears4 = 2013

| nationalteam4 = Netherlands U18

| nationalcaps4 = 3

| nationalgoals4 = 0

| nationalyears5 = 2013–2015

| nationalteam5 = Netherlands U19

| nationalcaps5 = 15

| nationalgoals5 = 2

| nationalyears6 = 2015

| nationalteam6 = Netherlands U20

| nationalcaps6 = 1

| nationalgoals6 = 0

| nationalyears7 = 2022–

| nationalteam7 = Sierra Leone

| nationalcaps7 = 4

| nationalgoals7 = 0

| club-update = 17:39, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

| ntupdate = 21:47, 5 July 2022 (UTC)

}}

Issa Kallon (born 3 January 1996) is a professional footballer who currently plays for Chinese Super League club Chengdu Rongcheng as a winger.{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/issa-kallon/275117/|title=Netherlands - I. Kallon - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway|publisher=soccerway.com|access-date=2014-08-31}} Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Sierra Leone national team.

Club career

Kallon is a youth exponent from FC Utrecht. He made his Eredivisie debut at 24 August 2014 in a 1–2 away win against Feyenoord.{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2014/08/24/netherlands/eredivisie/feyenoord-rotterdam-nv/stichting-fc-utrecht/1690517/|title=Feyenoord vs. Utrecht - Soccerway|publisher=soccerway.com|access-date=2014-08-31}}

On 27 July 2016 he went on a 1-year loan to FC Emmen.{{cite web|url=http://www.fcemmen.nl/nieuws/nieuws/5154.htm|title=FC Emmen huurt Issa Kallon van FC Utrecht (Dutch)|publisher=fcemmen.nl|access-date=2016-07-27|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809041235/http://www.fcemmen.nl/nieuws/nieuws/5154.htm|archive-date=2016-08-09}}

On 14 August 2017, Kallon joined SC Cambuur.{{cite web |title=Issa Kallon naar SC Cambuur |url=https://www.fcutrecht.nl/nieuws/2017/08/issa-kallon-naar-sc-cambuur/ |website=FC Utrecht |access-date=5 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629021138/https://www.fcutrecht.nl/nieuws/2017/08/issa-kallon-naar-sc-cambuur/ |archive-date=29 June 2022 |language=nl |date=14 August 2017 |url-status=live}} He left the club after five years, on 30 June 2022, as his contract expired.{{cite news |last1=Bos |first1=Gerard |title=Na vijf seizoenen speelt Issa Kallon woensdagavond in principe zijn laatste thuisduel voor Cambuur. Zeg nooit nooit |url=https://lc.nl/sport/Issa-Kallon-over-laatste-thuisduel-met-Cambuur-zeg-nooit-%E2%80%98nooit%E2%80%99-27674438.html |access-date=5 July 2022 |work=Leeuwarder Courant |date=11 May 2022 |language=nl-NL}}

On 28 July 2022, Kallon joined Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port.{{cite news|url=https://m.dongqiudi.com/article/2898180.html|title=官方：前大连人后卫李帅、荷甲前锋伊萨-卡隆加盟上海海港|date=28 July 2022|access-date=28 July 2022|work=Dongqiudi|language=zh}}

On 9 February 2024, Kallon joined fellow Chinese Super League club Nantong Zhiyun.{{cite web|url=https://www.dongqiudi.com/articles/4025343.html|title=官方：前上海海港外援伊萨-卡隆加盟南通支云|publisher=dongqiudi|date=9 February 2024|access-date=9 February 2024|language=zh}}

On 18 February 2025, Kallon joined Chinese Super League club Chengdu Rongcheng.{{cite web|url=https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1824380981754055452&wfr=spider&for=pc|title=齐宣王！官方：刘殿座等8人加盟成都蓉城，德尔加多为租借形式|publisher=baidu.com|date=18 February 2025|access-date=21 February 2025|language=zh}}

International career

Born in the Netherlands, Kallon is of Sierra Leonean descent. He is a former youth international for the Netherlands.{{Cite web|url=https://fcemmen.nl/fc-emmen-huurt-issa-kallon-van-fc-utrecht/|title=FC Emmen huurt Issa Kallon van FC Utrecht|date=July 26, 2016}} Kallon was included in the Sierra Leone squad for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.[https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/59828279 Afcon 2021: Ex-England defender Steven Caulker named in Sierra Leone squad] - BBC Sport He debuted with Sierra Leone in a 2–2 tie with the Ivory Coast on 16 January 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2022/01/16/africa/africa-cup-of-nations/cote-divoire/sierra-leone/3620591/|title=Côte d'Ivoire vs. Sierra Leone - 16 January 2022 - Soccerway}}

Career statistics

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|Cup !colspan="2"\|Continental !colspan="2"\|Other !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="3"\|Utrecht	\|2014–15	rowspan="2"\|Eredivisie	5	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	colspan="2"\|—	5	0
2015–16	1	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	colspan="2"\|—	1	0
colspan="2"\|Total	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Emmen (loan)	2016–17	Eerste Divisie	37	4	4	1	colspan="2"\|—	4	1	41	5
rowspan="6"\|Cambuur	2017–18	rowspan="4"\|Eerste Divisie	31	2	3	1	colspan="2"\|—	1	1	35	4
2018–19	27	0	3	0	colspan="2"\|—	4	0	34	0
2019–20	22	6	1	0	colspan="2"\|—	colspan="2"\|—	23	6
\|2020–21	31	11	1	0	colspan="2"\|—	colspan="2"\|—	32	11
\|2021–22	Eredivisie	32	5	1	0	colspan="2"\|—	colspan="2"\|—	33	5
colspan="2"\|Total !143	24	9	1	0	0	5	1	40	27
rowspan="3"\|Shanghai Port	2022	rowspan="2"\|Chinese Super League	18	1	3	1	colspan="2"\|—	colspan="2"\|—	21	2
2023	23	5	1	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	24	5
colspan="2"\|Total !41	6	4	1	0	0	0	0	45	7
colspan="3"\|Career Total !227\|\|34\|\|17\|\|3\|\|0\|\|0\|\|9\|\|2\|\|253\|\|39