A former manager, Carlo Ancelotti, once described Koulibaly as one of the best defenders he had ever worked with. Praise from a man who has coached Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro, Sergio Ramos and Chelsea legend John Terry to name but a few.
In eight years at Napoli under Ancelotti and others, he has transformed from a little-known Genk centre-back to one of the best players in the world in his position. No wonder English clubs, well aware of his suitability for the Premier League, have courted him for so long.
Now aged 31 and looking for a trophy legacy in the final years of his career, Koulibaly has finally given in to temptation by turning down a new deal at Napoli to move to the Premier League and help Thomas Tuchel rebuild Chelsea’s back line. Tuchel’s Blues have been defined by their stoic defence, and he may have found the perfect position to continue in vain.
Alternately known as “K2”, after the world’s second highest mountain, and “The Wall” by Napoli fans, his raw defensive stats didn’t always match his reputation in Napoli and throughout Italy. He was widely touted to captain the club following the departure of Lorenzo Insigne earlier this summer, and was even referred to as a “defensive barrier” in the national press in the days following his move to London.
Giadomenico Costi, assistant to then Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giudoli until last year, told Sky Sports that Koulibaly’s arrival brought Chelsea one of the best defenders in the world.
“He’s definitely among the top centre-backs,” he said. “He’s very strong physically. He’s so important in the Premier League, a bit different to Italy, and he’ll be perfect in England.
“During his time at Napoli, he improved every year step by step to reach the level he is at today and now he is the complete defender.
“When you play for one of the top teams in the world, you have to be able to defend one-on-one with one of the best players if you are caught on the break, especially with the intensity of the Premier League. he has all the tools to do it – pace, power and positioning.
Image: Koulibaly lifted his first major trophy with Senegal in January, the African Cup of Nations – and has now joined Chelsea in the hunt for more silverware
“He’s not the type of defender who says, ‘Please help me, I’m worried about how to handle this offensive game’. He knows he can deal with them. He doesn’t really have any big weaknesses – he’s got too many good points for that.”
The player himself spoke of a rude awakening to the demands of Serie A during an early meeting with then Napoli manager Rafa Benitez soon after joining the club in 2014.
Hailing from Belgium’s top division, where his opponents were much less likely to force him into mistakes, he was told in no uncertain terms to keep it simple at elite level – a lesson he has not forgotten.
“Rafa put me in a room with the head of video analysis and showed me all my best plays. Shocking passes, dribbling, sliding tackles,” he told The Players Tribune.
“It’s hard to translate the next part, but he told me that I won the ball back because of my strength and that if my opponent was smarter, I would have been in trouble.”
“He’s not the kind of defender who says, ‘Please help me, I’m worried about this striker’. He knows he can deal with them. He doesn’t really have any big weaknesses – he’s got too many good points for that.” Giandomenico Costi in Kalidou Koulibali
Not all players would accept such criticism, but the secret to Koulibaly’s rise is widely accepted as stemming from his desire to improve.
Even at 30 and with his global reputation, he will remain keen to impress both Tuchel and his teammates when he links up with Chelsea for their pre-season tour of the USA.
“It will be a pleasure for Tuchel to train him,” Costi said. “He leads by example. He won’t yell at anyone in the locker room, but he will be a leader in the way he conducts himself on the field.
“He’s also a great person. He’s really embraced the culture at Napoli, he talks like one of the fans. They love him – as well as being such a good defender, he’s shown himself to be a great person during his time there.”
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What will Koulibaly bring to Chelsea? Sky Sports News’ Dharmesh Sheth and Michael Bridge discuss the qualifications of the Senegal captain.
Much of the goodwill surrounding Koulibaly’s personality has grown through his philanthropic work. Last summer he spent the close season back in Senegal, where he arranged to charter a ship full of containers of medical supplies, medicine and even two ambulances from Italy.
He has integrated into the culture of the club and the city and developed such a bond with both that earlier this week manager Luciano Spalletti said the club would “never stop thanking him” if his move to Chelsea went through.
That mutual loyalty has kept him at Napoli longer than many would have expected, as after eight years in Serie A he has just one Italian Super Cup and one Coppa Italia medal to show for it. His dream was to win a trophy in that blue jersey, but something had to give.
Last month, Koulibaly rejected the offer of a new contract at Napoli with the desire to win firmly on his mind. At Chelsea, who won the Champions League a year ago and are FA Cup and Carabao Cup finalists in 2022, he has certainly given himself a chance.
Although he arrives at Stamford Bridge already in his 30s, his determination and professionalism may give him more time to realize those dreams than his age would allow and may also explain what inspired the Blues to part more of £30m for a player who is supposedly in his twilight years, and is also entering the final 12 months of his contract.
“I think he can go on for another five or six years,” Costi said. “It’s easy for him. He’s incredibly disciplined – Kalidou doesn’t eat anything bad, she doesn’t drink anything bad, she goes to bed early.”
The chaos surrounding Roman Abramovich’s bloody exit earlier this year threatened to overshadow Chelsea’s summer business, but it looks well behind them now with Raheem Sterling and Koulibaly on their way out the door and more revenue to follow in the near future.
If Tuchel had sleepless nights at the start of the summer, he may well be sleeping as soundly as his new centre-back now, with the Blues’ rebuild now well under way three weeks into the new campaign.
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