Arnaud Kalimuendo

Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga (born 20 January 2002), known as Arnaud Kalimuendo, is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Rennes.

Youth career and pro debut
Born in Suresnes, Kalimuendo joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) from FC Saint Cloud in July 2012. There he debuted with the under-19 squad in the UEFA Youth League, aged only 16, under the direction of Thiago Motta, becoming one of the leaders of the youth sides. Kalimuendo signed his first professional contract with the club on 8 July 2019, a deal that was set to expire on 30 June 2022. On 10 September 2020, Kalimuendo made his official debut for Paris Saint-Germain in a 1–0 loss against Lens.

2020–21: First loan to Lens
On 5 October 2020, Kalimuendo signed a contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain until June 2024, and joined Lens on a season-long loan deal. He made his debut in a 4–0 loss to rivals Lille on 18 October, and scored his first goal in a 1–0 win against Dijon on 22 November. His third goal for Lens came on 5 December in a 2–0 victory against Rennes. By scoring his third goal for the club, he became the first Lens player in 70 years to score in his first three games as a starter in Ligue 1.

2021–22: Second loan to Lens
On 10 June 2021, it was made official by Lens that Kalimuendo would return to PSG following the end of his loan deal. His first appearance back at Paris Saint-Germain came in a 1–0 loss to Lille in the Trophée des Champions on 1 August 2021. However, on transfer deadline day on 31 August, Kalimuendo returned to Lens on loan for the remainder of the season. On 1 October, he scored his first two goals of the season in a 2–0 win over Reims. It was the first brace of his career. Across his two loan spells at Lens, Kalimuendo scored 21 goals in 65 matches for the club.

Rennes
On 11 August 2022, Kalimuendo joined Ligue 1 side Rennes.

International career
Kalimuendo represents France at international level. He finished third with the U17 side at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil in 2019, scoring a hat-trick in the third-place play-off to beat the Netherlands by a score of 3–1.

On 24 May 2021, Kalimuendo was called up for the Under-21 Euros by coach Sylvain Ripoll after Randal Kolo Muani was removed from the squad due to playing the Ligue 1 relegation/promotion play-offs with Nantes.

Personal life
Born in France, Kalimuendo is of Congolese descent.

Honours
Paris Saint-Germain


 * Ligue 1: 2021–22
 * Trophée des Champions: 2022

France U17
 * FIFA U-17 World Cup third place: 2019

Individual
 * Titi d'Or: 2020