Alhaji_Kamara
Alhaji Kamara
Sierra Leonean footballer
Alhaji Kamara (born 16 April 1994) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland and the Sierra Leone national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alhaji Kamara | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-04-16) 16 April 1994 (age 30) | ||
| Place of birth | Freetown, Sierra Leone | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Midtjylland | ||
| Number | 45 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Belvic United | |||
| FC Kallon | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2012 | FC Kallon | 31 | (13) |
| 2012 | → Djurgårdens IF (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2013 | → IK Frej (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2013 | → IFK Värnamo (loan) | 10 | (6) |
| 2014–2016 | IFK Norrköping | 40 | (16) |
| 2015 | → Johor Darul Ta'zim (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | D.C. United | 9 | (1) |
| 2017 | → Richmond Kickers (loan) | 9 | (4) |
| 2017–2018 | Al-Taawoun | 14 | (5) |
| 2018–2019 | Sheriff Tiraspol | 14 | (9) |
| 2019 | Vendsyssel | 8 | (4) |
| 2019–2024 | Randers | 82 | (22) |
| 2024– | Midtjylland | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012– | Sierra Leone | 11 | (5) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 December 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 01:07, 17 January 2022 (UTC) | |||
He started his professional career at FC Kallon in the Sierra Leone National First Division. At a young age, he had trials with Tippeligaen club Fredrikstad FK and Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer. Eventually he was signed by Swedish club Djurgårdens IF just after turning 18 years old.[1]
Kamara failed to make an impact at Djurgårdens IF, and instead enjoyed loan spells to IK Frej and IFK Värnamo. Before the 2014 season, he was signed by IFK Norrköping, where he positioned himself as a key player during his first season. On 31 March 2015, Kamara was loaned out to Malaysia's Super League champion, Johor Darul Ta'zim from IFK Norrköping.[2]
However, the loan was cancelled in July 2015.[3] He returned to Norrköping, and featured fourteen times as the team won the league.
Kamara signed for D.C. United on 11 May 2016.[4] Kamara scored with his first touch in his debut for D.C. United just seconds after coming on against Sporting Kansas City at Children's Mercy Park. His goal was the difference, as United went on to win the match 1–0.[5] During his time with United's USL affiliate, the Richmond Kickers, he scored a hat-trick on May 27, 2017.[6]
On June 23, 2017, Kamara signed with Al-Taawoun.[7]
On 2 February 2018, Kamara signed for Sheriff Tiraspol.[8] After one year in the club, he moved to Danish Superliga club Vendsyssel FF on 19 February 2019.[9][10] On 15 May 2019 it was confirmed, that Kamara would join Randers FC for the 2019–20 season on a free transfer.[11]
On 1 February 2024, Kamara joined FC Midtjylland on a two-year deal.[12]
 |
In February 2016, it was reported that Kamara has a potential cardio issue that could have eliminated him from professional play. Kamara was effectively put on an indefinite restrain from playing football. Kamara was evaluated by MLS Cardiologist Consultant Matthew Martinez of Allerton PA who is a specialist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Through rigorous testing, Kamara was found that it was not the case that his condition could cause concern, and he was cleared to continue in his professional career with full medical clearance and it was announced that Kamara intended to continue his career in Major League Soccer club D.C. United where he would be allowed to play, with the understanding that he would undergo tests for preventative measures at the end of each season.
- As of 12 May 2016.[13]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Djurgårdens IF | 2012 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| IK Frej | 2013 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 17 | 3 | |
| IFK Värnamo | 2013 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 | — | 11 | 8 | |
| IFK Norrköping | 2014 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 0 | — | 29 | 10 | |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2015 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | |
| IFK Norrköping | 2015 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 3 | — | 18 | 9 | |
| 2016 | 26 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 12 | |
| Total | 40 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 21 | |
| D.C. United | 2016 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| Career total | 82 | 26 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 34 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Sierra Leone's goal tally first.[13]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 29 February 2012 | Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho, São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2. | 13 October 2015 | Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, Nigeria |  Chad | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 13 November 2020 | Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, Nigeria |  Nigeria | 2–4 | 4–4 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4. | 4–4 | 4–4 | ||||
| 5. | 16 January 2022 | Japoma Stadium, Douala, Cameroon |  Ivory Coast | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations |
IFK Norrköping
Randers
- "Kamanor och Kamara nya inslag i DIF". Djurgårdens IF. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- "Kamara lämnar – flyttar till Malaysia". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- IFK Norrköping. "Alhaji Kamara återvänder till Norrköping · IFK Norrköping". Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- Caitlin Murray (11 May 2016). "DC United sign 22-year-old Sierra Leone international striker Alhaji Kamara". MLS. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- Arielle Castillo (30 May 2016). "Alhaji Kamara's goal on D.C. United debut sets MLS records". MLS. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- "Alhaji Kamara named to USL TOTW after hat trick in Richmond". 30 May 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- Bromley, Ben (23 June 2017). "Alhaji Kamara signs with Al-Taawoun FC". Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- "Добро пожаловать, Альхаджи". fc-sheriff.com (in Russian). FC Sheriff Tiraspol. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
- VENDSYSSEL FF TILKNYTTER ALHAJI KAMARA, vendsysselff.dk, 19 February 2019
- Barrie, Mohamed Fajah (23 February 2019). "Alhaji Kamara: Sierra Leone forward hopes to resurrect career in Denmark". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- Officielt: Randers snupper Kamara, bold.dk, 15 May 2019
- FC MIDTJYLLAND HENTER ALHAJI KAMARA, fcm.dk, 1 February 2024
- "Alhaji Kamara". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- Alhaji Kamara club team profile at SvFF (in Swedish) (archived)
- Alhaji Kamara at National-Football-Teams.com
- Alhaji Kamara at Elite Football (archive)
