Kamaldeen Sulemana

Kamaldeen Sulemana (born 15 February 2002), also known simply as Kamaldeen, is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a left winger or a forward for club Southampton and the Ghana national team.

Nordsjælland
Born in Techiman, Bono East Region, Kamaldeen was a part of the Right to Dream Academy before joining its cooperative club in Denmark, FC Nordsjælland, in January 2020. He signed a five-year deal with the club on his 18th birthday and made his debut for the club a week later, 22 February 2020, against SønderjyskE in the Danish Superliga. Kamaldeen started on the bench, but replaced Mohammed Diomande in the 61st minute.

In August 2020, he was handed shirt number 10, after the departure of Mohammed Kudus to Ajax. He has been considered as one of the most promising young talents of the Danish Superliga, regarded for his technical ability, his dribbling and his speed, making him one of the most creative players in the league. During the 2020–21 winter transfer window, his name was linked with several European clubs interested in him, in particular Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen, without this amounting to a move.

After scoring five goals in five games, Kamaldeen was voted the Superliga Player of the Month for April 2021.

Rennes
On 16 July 2021, Kamaldeen signed a five-year contract with Ligue 1 club Rennes, for a reported €20 million. Thereby, he surpassed the former Danish leagues transfer record holder, Alexander Sørloth.

Kamaldeen made his full debut for Rennes on 8 August 2021 against Lens in the first game of the Ligue 1 season. He scored Rennes' only goal after 14 minutes in a game that ended 1–1.

Southampton
On 1 February 2023, Sulemana signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Southampton. On 4 February 2023, he made his first Premier League appearance in a 3–0 defeat against Brentford, replacing Ibrahima Diallo at half-time. On 28 May 2023, Sulemana scored his first Premier League goals in a 4–4 draw with Liverpool.

On 15 September 2023, he was given a red card by Bobby Madley for a foul on James Justin in injury time during Southampton's 1–4 defeat to Leicester City, with manager Russell Martin stating that he hoped the club "have grounds to appeal". The red card issued was subsequently rescinded. During a 1–0 victory against Bristol City on 29 November 2023, Sulemana suffered a hamstring injury and was expected to be sidelined until late January.

International career
Kamaldeen received his first call-up for the Ghana national team on 25 September 2020 ahead of the game against Mali. He debuted with Ghana in a 3–0 friendly loss to Mali on 9 October 2020. Kamaldeen was also used in the friendly game against Qatar three days later, when he came on as a substitute for the last 30 minutes.

Kamaldeen is part of the Ghana U-23 football team that will be participating at 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Personal life
Sulemana's father is Gonja and his mother is Dagomba. He is a Muslim.

Honours
Southampton
 * EFL Championship play-offs: 2024