{{short description|French association football player (born 2000)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}} {{family name hatnote|Kalulu|Kyatengwa|lang=Congolese}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Pierre Kalulu | image = PierreKalulu2022.jpg | caption = Kalulu with [[AC Milan]] in 2022 | full_name = Pierre Kazeye Rommel Kalulu Kyatengwa<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce4/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=Squad List: Men's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020: France (FRA) |publisher=FIFA |page=6 |date=22 July 2021 |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|6|5|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Lyon]], France | height = 1.82 m<ref>{{cite web|title=Player Biography: Pierre Kalulu|url=https://www.acmilan.com/en/teams/men-first-team/players/pierre-kalulu/biography|access-date=14 December 2020|publisher=AC Milan}}</ref> | position = {{hlist|[[Full-back (association football)|Right-back]]|[[Centre-back (association football)|centre-back]]}} | currentclub = [[Juventus FC|Juventus]] | clubnumber = 15 | youthyears1 = 2007–2010 | youthclubs1 = [[AS Saint-Priest|Saint-Priest]] | youthyears2 = 2010–2018 | youthclubs2 = [[Olympique Lyonnais Reserves and Academy|Lyon]] | years1 = 2018–2020 | clubs1 = [[Olympique Lyonnais Reserves and Academy|Lyon B]] | caps1 = 34 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2020–2025 | clubs2 = [[AC Milan]] | caps2 = 84 | goals2 = 3 | years3 = 2024–2025 | clubs3 = → [[Juventus FC|Juventus]] (loan) | caps3 = 29 | goals3 = 1 | years4 = 2025– | clubs4 = [[Juventus FC|Juventus]] | caps4 = 37 | goals4 = 2 | nationalyears1 = 2018 | nationalteam1 = [[France national under-18 football team|France U18]] | nationalcaps1 = 5 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 2018–2019 | nationalteam2 = [[France national under-19 football team|France U19]] | nationalcaps2 = 12 | nationalgoals2 = 0 | nationalyears3 = 2019 | nationalteam3 = [[France national under-20 football team|France U20]] | nationalcaps3 = 3 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | nationalyears4 = 2021–2023 | nationalteam4 = [[France national under-21 football team|France U21]] | nationalcaps4 = 19 | nationalgoals4 = 2 | nationalyears5 = 2021 | nationalteam5 = [[France Olympic football team|France Olympic]] | nationalcaps5 = 4 | nationalgoals5 = 0 | nationalyears6 = 2025– | nationalteam6 = [[France national football team|France]] | nationalcaps6 = 3 | nationalgoals6 = 0 | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Association football|football]]}} {{Medal|Country|{{fb|FRA}}}} {{Medal|Competition|[[UEFA Nations League]]}} {{Medal|3rd|[[2025 UEFA Nations League Finals|2025]]|}} | club-update = 23:13, 24 May 2026 (UTC) | nationalteam-update = 30 March 2026 }} '''Pierre Kazeye Rommel Kalulu Kyatengwa''' ({{IPA|fr|ka.lu.lu|pron}}; born 5 June 2000) is a French professional [[Association football|footballer]] who plays as a [[Defender (association football)|defender]] for {{Italian football updater|Juventus}} club [[Juventus FC|Juventus]] and the [[France national football team|France national team]]. Having played for most of his youth career as a [[Full-back (association football)|right-back]], he began to play in [[Centre-back (association football)|central defense]] as his career progressed to the senior level.
== Early life == Kalulu was born in the [[8th arrondissement of Lyon]], France, and is [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congolese]] by descent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kalulu Kyatengwa: le prodige congolais de l'OL débarque au Milan AC |url=https://orangefootballclub.com/fr/articles/kalulu-milan-ac-rdc/#:~:text=N%C3%A9%20le%205%20juin%202000,de%20s'attacher%20ses%20services. |access-date=22 October 2020 |website=Orange Football Club |archive-date=27 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027012019/https://orangefootballclub.com/fr/articles/kalulu-milan-ac-rdc/#:~:text=N%C3%A9%20le%205%20juin%202000,de%20s'attacher%20ses%20services. |url-status=dead }}</ref> His father was born in Kabimba, [[Belgian Congo]], and his mother in [[Likasi]], [[Congo-Léopoldville]]. He acquired [[French nationality law|French nationality]] on 26 December 2000 through the collective effect of his parents' [[naturalization]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Journal officiel de la Républiquex française n° 0303 du 31 décembre 2000 - Légifrance |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/jo/id/JORFCONT000000006763 |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=legifrance.gouv.fr |language=fr |format=PDF}}</ref>
== Club career ==
=== Lyon === Kalulu moved from his youth club [[AS Saint-Priest|Saint-Priest]] to the youth academy of [[Olympique Lyonnais|Olympique Lyon]] in the summer of 2010. In Lyon, he passed through the different youth departments from 2010 to 2018, and was elevated to their reserve team in June 2018. Ahead of the home game against [[Amiens SC|Amiens]] played on 5 March 2020, Kalulu received his first ever call-up to the senior team. However, he remained on the bench for the entire game.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Paul|first=Sumeet|date=14 June 2020|title=Who is Pierre Kalulu? Analysis of talented young ace set for Milan switch|url=https://milantalk.com/2020/06/14/who-is-pierre-kalulu-analysis-of-talented-young-ace-closing-in-on-milan-switch/|access-date=6 October 2020|website=Milan Talk|language=en-GB|archive-date=28 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928150002/https://milantalk.com/2020/06/14/who-is-pierre-kalulu-analysis-of-talented-young-ace-closing-in-on-milan-switch/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== AC Milan === In the summer of 2020, Kalulu moved to Italy to join [[A.C. Milan|AC Milan]], and signed a contract until 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Official Statement: Pierre Kalulu |url=http://www.acmilan.com/en/news/articles/latest|access-date=6 October 2020|website=AC Milan}}</ref> On 10 December, he made his professional debut, playing the entire [[2020–21 UEFA Europa League|Europa League]] game against [[AC Sparta Prague|Sparta Prague]] as a left-sided centre-back; as Milan won 1–0, he was praised for helping the team keep a clean sheet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/match/2029840/|title=Sparta Praha-Milan | UEFA Europa League |website=[[UEFA]]}}</ref> Three days later, on 13 December, Kalulu made his debut in [[2020–21 Serie A|Serie A]], replacing the injured [[Matteo Gabbia]] in the fifth minute of a home game against [[Parma Calcio|Parma]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=AC Milan vs. Parma - Football Match Line-Ups - December 13, 2020 - ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/lineups/_/gameId/583055 |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> In the following away league game against [[Genoa C.F.C.|Genoa]] played on 16 December, he made his first-ever start in Serie A and scored a debut goal in his senior career, equalizing the score in the eventual 2–2 draw.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genoa vs AC Milan - December 16, 2020 |url=https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/serie-a-genoa-vs-ac-milan-dec-16-2020-game-boxscore-72174 |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=FOX Sports |language=en-US}}</ref>
During the [[2021–22 A.C. Milan season|2021–22 season]], after an injury to [[Alessio Romagnoli]], Kalulu started the match against [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]] on 6 March 2022, partnering in central defence with [[Fikayo Tomori]]; he helped Milan to clinch a 1–0 win, impressing against Napoli's striker [[Victor Osimhen]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Fisher |first=Oliver |title=GdS: Kalulu will keep his place against Empoli - Milan are working to secure him |url=https://sempremilan.com/kalulu-keep-place-empoli-milan-secure |website=sempremilan |date=11 March 2022 |access-date=12 March 2022}}</ref> On 12 March against [[Empoli F.C.|Empoli]], Kalulu scored his first goal of the season, a powerful curling shot from outside the box, as Milan managed to win 1–0 and stay top of the league.<ref>{{cite web |last=Campanale |first=Susy |title=SERIE A : MILAN 1-0 EMPOLI: KALULU ENOUGH TO CONSOLIDATE TOP SPOT |url=https://football-italia.net/serie-a-milan-1-0-empoli-kalulu-enough-to-consolidate-top-spot/ |website=Football Italia |date=12 March 2022 |access-date=12 March 2022}}</ref> With him and Tomori again in central defence, Milan kept clean sheets in two consecutive Serie A games for the first time in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=AC MILAN V EMPOLI: THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME |url=https://www.acmilan.com/en/news/articles/stats/2022-03-12/ac-milan-v-empoli-the-numbers-from-the-game |website=ACMILAN |access-date=13 March 2022}}</ref>
In the [[2022–23 A.C. Milan season|2022–23 season]], Kalulu played in several different positions all throughout the season such as a right-sided centre-back next to Fikayo Tomori, on the right of a back-three with [[Malick Thiaw]] in the middle and Tomori on the left, and as a right full-back in a back-four. However, towards the season's end, as manager Stefano Pioli switched back to 4–2–3–1 formation, Kalulu began to lose his place in the starting XI as a centre-back to Thiaw, the summer signing who emerged in the second half of the season, and team captain [[Davide Calabria]] as a right full-back.
The [[2023–24 A.C. Milan season|2023–24 season]] further undermined Kalulu's career at Milan, with him limited to just 11 appearances in all competitions, mainly due to several injuries requiring months of rehabilitation. However, he managed to return to fitness by May 2024 and made three appearances during that month.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.acmilan.com/en/news/articles/media/2023-11-02/official-statement-pierre-kalulu | title=Official Statement: Pierre Kalulu }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://sempremilan.com/gds-kalulu-miserable-season-sale-milan | title=GDS: Kalulu's miserable season continues - summer sale a concrete possibility | date=19 March 2024 }}</ref>
===Juventus=== On 21 August 2024, fellow Serie A side [[Juventus FC|Juventus]] announced the signing of Kalulu on a one-year loan, worth €3.3 million, with an option to buy at the end of the loan for a further €14 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.juventus.com/en/news/articles/pierre-kalulu-joins-juventus-on-loan |title=Pierre Kalulu joins Juventus on loan | date=21 August 2024 |access-date=21 August 2024 }}</ref> The move was made official on 6 June 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=JuveNewsLive |date=2025-06-05 |title=OFFICIAL: Pierre Kalulu Signs Permanently with Juventus on His 25th Birthday |url=https://juvenewslive.com/official-pierre-kalulu-signs-permanently-with-juventus-on-his-25th-birthday/ |access-date=2025-06-05 |website=Juve News Live |language=en-US}}</ref> Three weeks later, on 26 June, he scored an own goal in a 2–5 loss to [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] in the last match of the group stage of the [[2025 FIFA Club World Cup]], becoming the first-ever player from a European club to score an own goal in a FIFA club competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://iffhs.com/posts/4454 |title=Club World Cup statistics (Group stage, 26-27 June) |publisher=[[IFFHS]] |date=27 June 2025 |accessdate=2 July 2025}}</ref>
== International career == Since June 2018, Kalulu has played through the various national junior teams of France, taking part in the [[2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} Kalulu made his [[France national football team|senior France]] debut on 5 June 2025 against [[Spain national football team|Spain]] in the [[UEFA]] [[UEFA Nations League|Nations League]], at [[MHPArena]] in [[Stuttgart]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fretton |first=Mitch |date=2025-06-05 |title=Spain vs France: Line-ups revealed as Portugal await winners in final |url=https://www.101greatgoals.com/football/internationals/spain-vs-france-line-ups-revealed-as-portugal-await-winners-in-final/ |access-date=2025-06-05 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Personal life== Kalulu is the younger brother of footballers [[Aldo Kalulu]] and [[Gédéon Kalulu]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/club/lyon/167/blog/post/3108405/introducing-aldo-kalulu-rwandas-first-footballing-superstar|title=Aldo Kalulu: Rwanda's first football superstar?|date=10 September 2016|website=ESPN.com}}</ref> He is the older brother of [[Joseph Kalulu]].
== Career statistics == === Club === {{updated|match played 24 May 2026}}<ref>{{Soccerway|id=544178|name=Pierre Kalulu|access-date=3 June 2021}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National cup{{efn|Includes [[Coppa Italia]]}} !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="3"|[[Olympique Lyonnais Reserves and Academy|Lyon B]] |[[2018–19 Championnat National 2|2018–19]] |[[Championnat National 2]] |17||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||17||0 |- |[[2019–20 Championnat National 2|2019–20]] |Championnat National 2 |19||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||19||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !36!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!36!!0 |- |rowspan="5"|[[AC Milan]] |[[2020–21 AC Milan season|2020–21]] |[[Serie A]] |13||1||1||0||4{{efn|name=UEL|Appearances in [[UEFA Europa League]]}}||0||colspan="2"|—||18||1 |- |[[2021–22 AC Milan season|2021–22]] |Serie A |28||1||4||0||5{{efn|name=UCL|Appearances in [[UEFA Champions League]]}}||0||colspan="2"|—||37||1 |- |[[2022–23 AC Milan season|2022–23]] |Serie A |34||1||1||0||10{{efn|name=UCL}}||0||1{{efn|name=SCI|Appearance in [[Supercoppa Italiana]]}}||0||46||1 |- |[[2023–24 AC Milan season|2023–24]] |Serie A |9||0||0||0||2{{efn|One appearance in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League}}||0||colspan="2"|—||11||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !84!!3!!6!!0!!21!!0!!1!!0!!112!!3 |- |[[Juventus FC|Juventus]] (loan) |[[2024–25 Juventus FC season|2024–25]] |Serie A |29||1||1||0||8{{efn|name=UCL}}||0||5{{efn|One appearance in Supercoppa Italiana, four appearances in [[FIFA Club World Cup]]}}||0||43||1 |- |rowspan="2"|Juventus |[[2025–26 Juventus FC season|2025–26]] |Serie A |37||2||2||0||10{{efn|name=UCL}}||0||colspan="2"|—||49||2 |- !colspan="2"|Juventus total !66!!3!!3!!0!!18!!0!!5!!0!!92!!3 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !186!!6!!9!!0!!39!!0!!6!!0!!240!!6 |} {{notelist}}
=== International === {{updated|match played 29 March 2026}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=33096 |title=Pierre Kalulu |website=EU-Football.info |access-date=5 June 2025}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="2"|[[France national football team|France]] |2025||1||0 |- |2026||2||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total||3||0 |}
==Honours== '''AC Milan''' * [[Serie A]]: [[2021–22 Serie A|2021–22]]
'''France''' * [[UEFA Nations League]] third place: [[2024–25 UEFA Nations League|2024–25]]<ref>{{cite web|date=8 June 2025|title=Germany 0–2 France report: Kylian Mbappé scores landmark goal as Les Bleus clinch Nations League third place|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/029a-1df3af7eedc9-c3b6e51cf3f1-1000--germany-0-2-france-report-kylian-mbappe-scores-landmark-g/|access-date=8 June 2025|website=[[UEFA]]|publisher=[[Union of European Football Associations]] (UEFA)}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category}} * [https://www.acmilan.com/en/teams/men-first-team/players/pierre-kalulu/biography Profile] at the AC Milan website * {{FFF player}} * {{UEFA player}}
{{Juventus FC squad}} {{France men's football squad 2020 Summer Olympics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalulu, Pierre}} [[Category:2000 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Footballers from Lyon]] [[Category:French men's footballers]] [[Category:Men's association football full-backs]] [[Category:Men's association football central defenders]] [[Category:Olympique Lyonnais players]] [[Category:AC Milan players]] [[Category:Juventus FC players]] [[Category:Championnat National 2 players]] [[Category:Serie A players]] [[Category:Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Olympic footballers for France]] [[Category:France men's youth international footballers]] [[Category:France men's under-21 international footballers]] [[Category:France men's international footballers]] [[Category:French expatriate men's footballers]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Italy]] [[Category:French expatriate sportspeople in Italy]] [[Category:Black French sportspeople]] [[Category:French people of Rwandan descent]] [[Category:French sportspeople of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent]] [[Category:Naturalized citizens of France]] [[Category:21st-century French sportsmen]]