Bertrand Patrice Charles Kaï (born 6 June 1983) is a

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

n international footballer who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for Hienghène Sport and the New Caledonia national team. He is one of only two New Caledonians to be named Oceania Footballer of the Year.

International career

Kaï made his debut for

on 14 June 2008 in the 0–0 draw against Vanuatu. Kaï was called up to

's squad for the

2011 Pacific Games The 2011 Pacific Games (officially known as NC 2011) took place in Nouméa, New Caledonia, from August 27 to September 10, 2011. Nouméa was the 14th host of the Pacific Games. Upon closure of the registration for entries, "some 4,300 athletes" h ...

. He was the tournament's top scorer with ten goals. Half of Kaï's goal tally for the tournament came in one match, the 9–0 win over Guam on 30 August 2011. He scored all ten of his goals in the group stage before also featuring in the semi-final win over Tahiti and the 2–0 victory over the Solomon Islands in the final. On 1 June 2012, Kaï scored a hat-trick in New Caledonia's opening game at the

2012 OFC Nations Cup 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, a 5–2 victory over Vanuatu. He featured in both of New Caledonia's other group stage fixtures but was used sparingly in each game, being substituted at half-time in the 4–3 defeat to Tahiti on 3 June and being introduced from the bench in the second half against Samoa in a 9–0 win on 5 June. On 8 June, he scored New Caledonia's first goal in a 2–0 win over New Zealand in the semi-final, helping his country to the second Nations Cup final in their history. Kaï played the entirety of the final against Tahiti on 10 June but was unable to prevent a 1–0 loss as New Caledonia finished as runners-up. With four goals, Kaï was the tournament's joint-third top-scorer, tied with Benjamin Totori of the Solomon Islands and Tahiti's

Jonathan Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

and

Alvin Tehau Alvin Tehau (born April 10, 1989) is a Tahitian professional association footballer who plays for A.S. Tefana as a central midfielder. He is the twin brother of Lorenzo Tehau, brother of Jonathan Tehau and cousin of Teaonui Tehau, all playing for ...

. Following his showing at the

and the

, in July 2012 the

Oceania Football Confederation The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of the six continental confederations of international association football. The OFC has 13 members, 11 of which are full members and two which are associate members not affiliated with FIFA. It ...

announced that Kaï had won the men's Oceania Footballer of the Year award, beating fellow nine fellow nominees including New Zealand's Shane Smeltz and Chris Wood, and

Jean Kaltack Jean Kaltak (born 19 August 1994) is a Ni-Vanuatu international footballer who plays as forward for Vanuatu club Ifira Black Bird and the Vanuatu national team. Club career Kaltak, formerly a youth player with the Teouma Academy, also start ...

of Vanuatu. Kaï became only the second footballer from New Caledonia to win the award, following Christian Karembeu's titles in 1995 and 1998, and the first player from the

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

to be named Oceania's best player since 2005. Speaking shortly after winning the award, Kaï admitted he was surprised to have beaten off such fierce competition to win the title, saying "To be honest, I couldn't believe had won– it was a real surprise when it was announced. It was only afterwards that I realised what nhonour it is to have been elected ahead of professional footballers from New Zealand, and I am very proud to have followed in the footsteps of Christian Karembeu...this trophy is also good for New Caledonia football because it shows we have talented players. I would like to thank the football family in my country because without them I could not have reached this level." In December 2012, Kaï was named New Caledonia's joint Player of the Year along with Patrick Wajoka in the inaugural Football Oscars; both attained 22.38% of the vote in national newspaper ''Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes''. Kaï was also included in the New Caledonian Football Federation's "Team of the Year".

International goals

:''Scores and results list New Caledonia's goal tally first.''

Honours

Hienghène Sport * New Caledonia Super Ligue:

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

New Caledonia Cup New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

: 2013, 2015, 2019 * OFC Champions League:

AS Magenta * New Caledonia Super Ligue:

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

New Caledonia * Pacific Games:

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Individual * Pacific Games Golden Boot:

* Oceania Footballer of the Year: 2011 * New Caledonian Football Federation Player of the Year: 2015 * OFC Champions League Golden Ball:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kai, Bertrand Living people 1983 births New Caledonia men's international footballers New Caledonian footballers Men's association football forwards AS Magenta players Hienghène Sport players Gaïtcha FCN players 2008 OFC Nations Cup players 2012 OFC Nations Cup players 2016 OFC Nations Cup players