A biography for Kalidou Koulibalyhasn’t been written yet.
“The people of Naples are so welcoming and happy to see me. My family and my brothers feel at home here too, we've got the best and most encouraging fans.”
“Naples reminds me of Senegal, as when a foreigner arrives, everyone does their best to help him out.”
“I love so much about Naples, but I had a few problems with all the lovely food when I arrived and put on weight!”
“Napoli have given me so much. After the initial scepticism, their fans appreciated me. I would like to give them a trophy back.”
“Maybe some people look at me and just see a footballer, or a black footballer. But I am much more than this. I tell my best friends all the time, 'If you look at me as a footballer, and not as Little Kouli, and not as your friend, then I have failed in life.'”
“For them it's normal that people of all colours are equal. When I look at schoolkids, I think that we should all be like that.”
“I fear everyone. But I play without fear.”
“My parents were migrants and I experienced first hand the challenges they had to overcome. If they hadn't decided to seek a better life elsewhere, I could never have aspired to become the person I am now.”
“We need to realise that we're all different but equal at the same time.”
“It takes time and experience to make a person.”
“I waited for a long time for a call-up for Les Bleus, but that call never came.”
“I realised some Lazio fans were making monkey noises whenever I touched the ball. It is impossible to know what you are supposed to do in this moment. There were times when I wanted to walk off the pitch to make a point, but then I told myself that this is exactly what they want.”
“I had the French culture at school and I love this culture but I also had another culture at home - that of Senegal. I think this way of growing up has made me the person I am today - because I had the two cultures.”
“If you work, you always get your reward in the end.”
“I grew up around a lot of foreign people - it was a big mix but there were never any problems.”
“I try to give 110 per cent to these fans, as they give me so much love and I want to repay them. I throw myself into the challenge for them, as I want to take the Napoli colours to the top, so it fills my heart when they cheer for me.”
“In short, with Sarri football is maths.”
“I can still remember how my mother would shout my name out of the window because I was playing football late at night and had school to attend the next day.”
“The market is full of talk, I prefer facts, which help us win, and to become great together.”
“No matter where you come from, everything comes through work.”