Paul Kpaka (born 7 August 1981) is a former Sierre Leonean
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
striker.
Early life
Paul Kpaka was born into the
Sherbro Rogers family in
Kenema
Kenema is the third largest city in Sierra Leone (after Freetown and Bo, Sierra Leone, Bo), and the largest city in the country's Eastern Province, Sierra Leone, Eastern Province. It is the capital of Kenema District and a major economic center of ...
, the third largest city in Sierra Leone. He is a member of the famous Sherbro Kpaka or Rogers family originally from
Bonthe District
Bonthe District is a district that comprises several islands and mainland of the Atlantic Ocean in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Bonthe is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Its capital is the town of Bonthe Island and its la ...
. Kpaka grew up in Kenema and Bo. He attended
Bo School
The Bo Government Secondary School commonly known as Bo School is a secondary school located on a property in the center of Bo, the second largest city in Sierra Leone. The school was founded in 1906 at the behest of the British colonial govern ...
in
Bo, Sierra Leone's second largest city. Kpaka who is commonly known by his
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
Senegal and was considered the best secondary footballer in Sierra Leone. After he completed his secondary school education, his hometown club,
Kamboi Eagles
The Kamboi Eagles Football Club commonly known as Kamboi Eagles, is a Sierra Leonean football club based in Kenema City, Sierra Leone, currently a member of the Sierra Leone National Premier League, the highest division of football league in Sie ...
of the
Sierra Leone National Premier League
Sierra Leone National Premier League is a professional football league in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1967. The league is sponsored by the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, one of the major Sierra Leonean banks. East End Lions and Mighty Blackpoo ...
signed him.
Club career
Germinal Beerschot
In 2002, Belgian club
Germinal Beerschot
Koninklijke Beerschot Antwerpen Club (), simply known as Beerschot AC, was a Belgian football club based in southern Antwerp. Beerschot played in the Belgian Pro League from 1999–2000 (as Germinal Beerschot) until 2012–13, when they were ...
signed him from
FC Brussels
Racing White Daring Molenbeek Brussels F.C., often simply referred to as RWDM Brussels, F.C. Brussels or simply Brussels was a Belgian association football club based in the municipality of Molenbeek in the Brussels Capital-Region. They last pl ...
, whom he had joined after playing for various clubs in Sweden and
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
in the Netherlands. During his first season in Belgium, Kpaka was the top scorer in the
Jupiler League, hitting 28 league goals in the 2002–03 campaign. He was third at the
Ebony Shoe Award
The Ebony Shoe award (Dutch: ''Ebbenhouten schoen'', French: ''Soulier d'ébène'') is a football award in Belgium given annually to the best African or African origin player in the Belgian Pro League. The jury is composed of the coaches of leag ...
, an award given to the top
African
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
footballer in Belgium. He signed for fellow Belgian club
Genk
Genk () is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. I ...
for the next season.
Genk
Kpaka was expected to lead Genk to the top two position in the Jupiler League, and take the club to the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
, but he suffered a
cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and the atlanto-axial joint. In a fashion similar to the cords in a toy Jacob's la ...
injury during the beginning of the season, which kept him out of football for six months. When he returned from injury, he could no longer secure a place in the starting eleven. He left the club in 2006–07 season and signed for another Belgian club
Roeselare
Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke.
The ...
.
Return to GBA
After two seasons for Roeselare, Kpaka returned to Germinal Beerschot in summer 2008. However, after two unsuccessful seasons, his contract was not renewed, and he will therefore leave Germinal Beerschot on 1 July 2010.
In Cyprus
Kpaka finished his career with Cypriot clubs
Enosis Neon Paralimni
Enosis Neon Paralimni Football Club ( el, Ένωση Νέων Παραλιμνίου, ''Enosi Neon Paralimniou'', "Youth Union of Paralimni"), commonly referred to as ENP, is a Cypriot football team from Paralimni. Currently playing in the firs ...
and
Chalkanoras Idaliou
Chalkanoras Idaliou ( el, Χαλκάνορας Ιδαλίου) is a Cypriot football team currently playing in the Cypriot Second Division. The team was established in 1948 and is based in the village of Dali in Nicosia district. The club has pl ...
in the
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
Division A
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
* Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
* Division (military), a formation typically consistin ...
.
Paul Kpaka signs for Enosis
International career
Kpaka is a regular starter for Sierra Leone. He made his international debut for Sierra Leone in a 2004 African Nations Cup qualifier against Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
on 12 October 2002. Sierra Leone won the match 2–0, with Kpaka scoring the first goal. Later on in the match, he got sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
for elbowing an opponent.
References
External links
*
v-bal.nl
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kpaka, Paul
1981 births
Living people
Association football forwards
Sierra Leonean footballers
Sierra Leonean expatriate footballers
Cypriot First Division players
Belgian First Division A players
Eredivisie players
R.W.D.M. Brussels F.C. players
Beerschot A.C. players
K.R.C. Genk players
RBC Roosendaal players
K.S.V. Roeselare players
Sierra Leone international footballers
Expatriate footballers in Belgium
Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands
Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
People from Kenema