| Jean-Paul Kalala | |
| Nationality: | 
|
| Caps (goals): | 7 (0) |
| Rovers apps (gls)1: | 11 (0) |
| Date of birth: | 16 February 1982 |
| Place of birth: | Lubumbashi |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Date joined: | 31 January 2011 |
| Joined from: | Yeovil Town |
| Date left: | 30 June 2011 |
| 1 League appearances and goals only. | |
Jean-Paul Kalala, known on some sources as Jean-Paul Kamudimba, is a Democratic Republic of Congo international midfielder who joined Rovers on transfer deadline day, 31 January 2011 from Yeovil Town. Kalala, who was born in the town of Lubumbashi, became the first ever Congolese player to play for The Pirates and was the first African-born player to join the club since Junior Agogo in 2003. In all he played eleven times for The Pirates late in the 2010–11 relegation season before being released in the summer.
He represented the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 2004 African Cup of Nations, and was also included in the squad for the 2006 event, but was not selected to play the second time around.
Career[]
Jean-Paul started playing football in Europe with Nice's second-string team, making 118 league appearances and scored three times for them between 1999 and 2005. He was briefly promoted to their first team during the 2003–04 season, but only played twice for them before being relegated back to the reserve team the following season. In 2005 he moved to England to join Grimsby Town and a single season with The Mariners was followed by a spell of the same length at Yeovil Town.
In 2007 he joined Oldham Athletic, and although he stayed there for two years, much of his second season was spent on loan back at one of his previous clubs, Grimsby Town. He ended the 2008–09 season unable to play due to injury, and he was released by Oldham that summer on expiry of his contract. At this point he re-joined Yeovil on a two-year contract, which was taken over by Bristol Rovers on 31 January 2011 until its expiry at the end of the 2010–11 season. At this point he was picked up by Southend United, who signed him on a one-year deal.
Career stats[]
| Season | Club | League | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | ||
| 1999–00 | Nice B | 2 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | Nice B | 27 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | Nice B | 34 | 1 |
| 2002–03 | Nice B | 26 | 1 |
| 2003–04 | Nice B | 15 | 1 |
| 2003–04 | Nice | 2 | 0 |
| 2004–05 | Nice B | 14 | 0 |
| 2005–06 | Grimsby Town | 21 | 5 |
| 2006–07 | Yeovil Town | 38 | 1 |
| 2007–08 | Oldham Athletic | 20 | 0 |
| 2008–09 | Oldham Athletic | 0 | 0 |
| 2008–09 | →Grimsby Town (loan) | 21 | 2 |
| 2009–10 | Yeovil Town | 34 | 1 |
| 2010–11 | Yeovil Town | 15 | 0 |
| 2010–11 | Bristol Rovers | 11 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | Southend United | 24 | 1 |
Record against Rovers[]
In his five games against Rovers, Jean-Paul has been on the winning side just once. The other four games all ended in defeat for him and victory for The Pirates.
| Date | Club | Venue | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 November 2005 | Grimsby Town | Blundell Park | 2–1 to Rovers | |
| 25 August 2007 | Oldham Athletic | Boundary Park | 1–0 to Rovers | Subbed off after 67 mins |
| 24 October 2009 | Yeovil Town | Memorial Stadium | 2–1 to Yeovil | Booked for fouling Chris Lines |
| 20 March 2010 | Yeovil Town | Huish Park | 3–0 to Rovers | Booked for fouling Byron Anthony |
| 14 August 2010 | Yeovil Town | Memorial Stadium | 2–1 to Rovers | Sent off (81 mins, serious foul play) |
In addition to these games he was also an unused sub for Southend United in a 1–1 draw at Roots Hall in November 2011.