IN this file pic Salomon Kalou,centre, scored the winning goal in Chelsea's controversial 2-1 victory over Tottenham in the London derby during his days at Starmford Bridge.
Image: File
From Berlin to London, Salomon Kalou has lived derby life — yet it’s South Africa’s league, its stadiums and its homegrown pride that have genuinely caught his attention.
As Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates built towards another high-stakes Soweto Derby, admiration arrived from beyond South Africa’s borders — and it is coming from one of Africa’s most travelled footballers.
Salomon Kalou was back on local soil this week, attending the Soweto Derby launch ahead of Saturday’s league clash at FNB Stadium. For a man who has tasted football’s fiercest rivalries across Europe, the occasion offered more than nostalgia — it offered perspective.
Kalou’s career took him through some of the continent’s most intense derby environments, including battles in Berlin, Rotterdam and London.
Yet, speaking at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, the former Ivory Coast star admitted South Africa’s domestic game has surprised him in the best possible way.
“The South African league is impressive,” Kalou said.
“You see how the national team is filled with players who play at home — they play in this league, from Sundowns, Pirates, Chiefs. That’s the players who represent the national team.”
For Kalou, that reality is the strongest endorsement of the Betway Premiership. In an era where local leagues often serve only as stepping stones, South Africa’s ability to develop, retain and trust home-based players stands out.
Those players now form the spine of South Africa national football team, a trend Kalou believes signals a long-awaited revival.
“That shows how strong the league is and how well those teams are developing talent,” he added.
“You can tell with the results of the national team that South Africa is coming back to the level it used to be. Since the Golden Generation in ’96, we have been waiting for South Africa to get back to where they belong.”
Kalou’s praise extended beyond the pitch. Stadium infrastructure, professionalism and player welfare — areas often overlooked — are, in his view, key reasons South Africa’s league commands continental respect.
“I’m impressed by the stadiums — it’s nice. The players are very professional,” he said.
“That should be an idea for us back home, in Ivory Coast for example.”
It was here that Kalou delivered his most striking observation: envy.
In South Africa, players can start their careers at home, leave for Europe, and still return to a competitive, well-run league to finish where they began. In many parts of West Africa, that pathway simply does not exist.
“It would be great for players to come home and finish where they started after Europe — you have that opportunity here,” Kalou explained.
“We don’t have that, so we’re a little bit envious of players here.”
For Ivory Coast national football team, and many nations across West Africa, the domestic platform rarely matches the ambition of its players. Kalou believes South Africa’s model offers a blueprint — one rooted in investment, governance and belief in local talent.
As Chiefs and Pirates were set to command the national spotlight once again, Kalou’s words land as both praise and challenge. The Betway Premiership is no longer just South Africa’s pride — it is, increasingly, the league others wish they had.