WHAT HAPPENED TO IT – “Mimmo” Kallon, Ronaldo and Vieri’s deputy who trains his team today

New appointment with the weekly column of Passione Inter

Samples, meteors, failed promises and much more: the history ofInter it is full of profiles that, in one way or another, have left their mark. The address book “Where have you been?” Of Passion Inter reveals what was the fate of those who managed to leave their mark and those who went unnoticed. Today is the turn of Mohamed “Mimmo” Kallon.

A darting striker, with an edge over his peers, Kallon immediately puts himself on display from a very young age: he was only 15 when his first goals were scored for the Old Edwardiansto then immediately go into double digits with the Tadamo Sour. They are important exploits for a boy who in Italy could not even drive a moped, and the performances immediately leap to the eye of the Inter management, who ensure the card.

BEFORE INTER – Yes, because despite what many believe, the love story between Inter and Kallon dates back a long way, even since 1995, when at the dawn of the first era Moratti the attacker moved to the shadow of the Duomo. In reality, it is only a metaphorical transfer, because from this moment the footballer from Sierra Leone begins a long process of loans: first the Luganothen his debut in Italy with the Bolognathe descent to Serie B with that of Genoa and the first double digits in the beautiful country, the return to Serie A with Cagliari which is also worth the first goals in the top Serie, in which he manages to reconfirm himself also in the following two years with as many teams, there Reggina before and the Vicenza then. The one with Inter behind the scenes of his career seems to be a purely platonic story that risks never materialising, but in the summer of 2001 the call finally arrives from Moratti and the opportunity of his life.

AT INTER – Moment of great turmoil at the Nerazzurri in August 2001: Cuper is the new manager and seems to have the charisma to build a team capable of making people dream, Ronaldo returns to play after almost two years of hiatus, Vieri is at the peak of his expression as an attacker, Recoba waiting for the definitive consecration, Inter recalls Nicola from the loan squad Fanwho also showed his potential as a scorer in the provinces, and in the Bernabeu Trophy the Nerazzurri also discovered a new prospect named Hadrian. In all this cauldron of forwards, however, the scene at the official debut of the season really takes Kallon: after years spent with Inter on loan, the young centre-forward is living a dream in his first real Nerazzurri match, scoring two goals against Perugia of Xerxes Cosmos. The result is a season beyond all prospects with 15 goals scored, 9 in the league and 6 in the UEFA Cup, but with the tears of May 5th. He did not repeat himself the following year when he closed the year with only 5 goals in 17 overall appearances and was remembered more negatively for the wrong goal in recovery semi-final second leg against Milan that could have been worth qualifying for the final, a blow also psychological which represents the definitive closure of his Nerazzurri period, which officially arrives in the summer of 2004, after the last season seasoned with only 5 appearances.

AFTER INTER – The Nerazzurri farewell coincides with a new experience in Monaco that revitalizes his scoring vein, at least in the first season, in which he collects 17 goals. Then for Kallon the globetrotting life that had distinguished him before Inter began again: he flew into Saudi football to wear the shirt ofAl-Ittihad in 2005 and scores 20 goals, is recalled to Monaco but can no longer repeat himself, flies to Greece with theAEK Athens, also puts the flag in the United Arab Emirates, in China with Shaanxi, even in the state of Kerala. Then, before hanging up his boots, the final twist: after a globetrotting life he returns home and signs himself up for the Kallon F.C., a club he bought in 2002.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN – 2016 is the year of the definitive farewell to football, but Kallon’s life continues to live on a football field, this time sitting on a bench: his experiences as a coach already begin in his last year as a footballer, when becomes the technical commissioner of the Under 18 selection of the Sierra Leone national team. However, the nostalgia for Italy is too great, and therefore in 2017 he decides to enroll in the Coverciano course and obtains the title in September, which would allow him to be able to coach up to Serie C and to be assistant coach in A and B; the thirst for knowledge and ambition does not stop and three months ago, at the end of 2020, he manages to achieve the UEFA Pro licence, the highest qualification recognized at European level for a technician. Today he is coach of Kallon F.C.