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23 Facts About Jean-Paul Kalala

1.

Jean-Paul Kalala started his career in France playing for Nice before moving to Grimsby Town in 2005.

2.

Jean-Paul Kalala later went on to play for Yeovil Town and Oldham Athletic before moving back to Grimsby on loan in 2008.

3.

Jean-Paul Kalala re-joined Yeovil for a second spell in 2009 and went on to play for Bristol Rovers and Southend United.

4.

Jean-Paul Kalala earned seven caps for the DR Congo national team.

5.

Jean-Paul Kalala joined Swansea City on trial and played in several pre-season games, but wasn't offered a deal by Kenny Jackett who admitted the midfielder wasn't the type of player he was looking for.

6.

Jean-Paul Kalala then moved to England and joined Grimsby Town in June 2005 initially on a trial along with several other French league players Makhtar N'Diaye and Madjid Ben Haddou.

7.

Jean-Paul Kalala was a regular in the first team, sitting in a central midfield role with Paul Bolland.

8.

Jean-Paul Kalala famously scored a goal that sent Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur out of the League Cup.

9.

The goal came in the 87th minute of play when Andy Parkinson's inswinging corner connected with Jean-Paul Kalala who volleyed home from the edge of the area.

10.

Jean-Paul Kalala eventually lost his place in the starting eleven to Ciaran Toner, after he went to the African Nations Cup to represent the DR Congo national team.

11.

However, Jean-Paul Kalala did not even manage to get on the pitch during the competition.

12.

Jean-Paul Kalala moved up a league and joined Yeovil Town soon after on a free transfer, where he followed Grimsby manager Russell Slade and goalkeeper Steve Mildenhall to Huish Park.

13.

On 19 January 2008, Jean-Paul Kalala returned to Huish Park in a League One clash versus Yeovil Town, his first trip back to his former club.

14.

On 9 January 2009, Jean-Paul Kalala began to hold talks over a permanent switch back to the club.

15.

However, due to the club's current low league position, Jean-Paul Kalala snubbed a permanent contract, but did however extend his loan stay with the North East Lincolnshire club until the end of the season.

16.

Little under two months later, Jean-Paul Kalala got injured, forcing him to spend the last two months of the season on the sidelines.

17.

Jean-Paul Kalala played 21 times in his loan spell, scoring twice.

18.

Jean-Paul Kalala joined fellow League One side Bristol Rovers on 31 January 2011.

19.

Jean-Paul Kalala was one of seventeen players released by the team in May 2011.

20.

On 27 July 2011, Jean-Paul Kalala signed a one-year contract with Southend United with the option of a further year after impressing on trial.

21.

Jean-Paul Kalala returned to Southend in the summer to train with the club, but after picking up an injury he returned to France to help with his rehabilitation.

22.

Jean-Paul Kalala was part of the Congolese 2004 African Nations Cup team, who finished bottom of their group in the first round of competition, thus failing to secure qualification for the quarter-finals.

23.

Jean-Paul Kalala acquired French nationality by naturalization on 23 February 2004.