Kalusha Bwalya (born August 16, 1963 in mufulira popularly known simply as Kalusha, is a Zambian footballer and coach. He is Zambia's most capped player, all-time top goalscorer, and is regarded as the greatest] Zambian player to play the game. He was named African Footballer of the Year in 1988 by the magazine France Football, and was nominated for the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year where he was voted the 14th-best player in the world.
International career
Bwalya was a member of the national squad that participated at the 1988 Olympic Games, making his mark with a most famous hat-trick in a 4-0 victory against Italy. At the full international level, he appeared in 100 international matches and scored 50 goals from 1983 to 2004. He debuted against Uganda in 1983, and appeared in multiple tournaments, including six editions of the African Cup of Nations.
Although he was captain of the national football team during the qualification matches for the 1994 World Cup, Kalusha was not on the ill-fated flight on April 27, 1993when the entire team and its management were killed when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Gabon. Kalusha Bwalya, Africa's most famous "Number 11", took on the mantle of spearheading the revival of the national side the following year, captaining the side to the Runners-Up spot at the CAF African Nations Cup 1994 in Tunisia -- where they succumbed to the Super Eagles of Nigeria; this was to be the peak of his own career and Zambian football for a long time to come. The national team finished in 3rd place at the next edition of the Africa Cup in South Africa in 1996, with Kalusha jointly winning the Golden Boot Award as the topscorer at the tournament.
He was a player-coach during the African 2006 World Cup qualification matches. In September 5 2004, Zambia played Liberia, and the match was tied 0-0 minutes before the end. Kalusha, aged 41, came off the bench during the second half, and marked his 100th appearance with his 50th goal for the country, scoring from a trademark direct free kick to give Zambia a 1-0 victory and the lead of Africa's Group 1. However, Zambia finished third and failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
International career
Bwalya was a member of the national squad that participated at the 1988 Olympic Games, making his mark with a most famous hat-trick in a 4-0 victory against Italy. At the full international level, he appeared in 100 international matches and scored 50 goals from 1983 to 2004. He debuted against Uganda in 1983, and appeared in multiple tournaments, including six editions of the African Cup of Nations.
Although he was captain of the national football team during the qualification matches for the 1994 World Cup, Kalusha was not on the ill-fated flight on April 27, 1993when the entire team and its management were killed when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Gabon. Kalusha Bwalya, Africa's most famous "Number 11", took on the mantle of spearheading the revival of the national side the following year, captaining the side to the Runners-Up spot at the CAF African Nations Cup 1994 in Tunisia -- where they succumbed to the Super Eagles of Nigeria; this was to be the peak of his own career and Zambian football for a long time to come. The national team finished in 3rd place at the next edition of the Africa Cup in South Africa in 1996, with Kalusha jointly winning the Golden Boot Award as the topscorer at the tournament.
He was a player-coach during the African 2006 World Cup qualification matches. In September 5 2004, Zambia played Liberia, and the match was tied 0-0 minutes before the end. Kalusha, aged 41, came off the bench during the second half, and marked his 100th appearance with his 50th goal for the country, scoring from a trademark direct free kick to give Zambia a 1-0 victory and the lead of Africa's Group 1. However, Zambia finished third and failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
Despite the failure to qualify, Bwalya coached Zambia at the 2006 African Cup of Nations. Following their elimination in the first round, however, Bwalya resigned from his post.
He has nevertheless remained actively involved in international football, contributing to the 2006 World Cup as a member of FIFA's Technical Study Group. He is also one of the ambassadors of the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa.
Administrative career
He currently serves as a standing committee member at FIFA and the Confederation of African Football and as vice president of the Football Association of Zambia.
In the first half of 2006, Bwalya resigned from his position as the Zambia coach but still remains vice president of the Football Association of Zambia. This was as a result of pressure from members of the Football Association of Zambia as well as the media. As of 24 July 2006, Patrick Phiri is the caretaker coach of Zambia, but media reports suggest that the Football Association of Zambia is seeking an expatriate coach to take up a permanent role.
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