Kei Kamara Biography

Kei Kamara nationality

is Sierra Leonean and he is a talented footballer with great scoring ability. He started his career at America and established himself as an excellent footballer. His great physic and tactics on the pitch has turned him into a tough opponent to go up against.  Kamara is a top goal scorer and big clubs are eager to have him on board.

The footballer had a tough childhood but he never gave up on his dream to become a professional player. In an interview he stated: “Sports just bring everyone together. It is that one thing that when it was happening, no matter what’s going on, everybody would be in that one place.” Sportmob brings all the details about Kei Kamara life story so stay tuned and let’s begin. 

Details About Kei Kamara Biography You Probably Didn’t Know 

The 36 years old footballer sure knows how to make his way to the net as the MLS coach, Robin Fraser stated about him: “Age is just a number, and certainly you can see he still gets around the field really well, and knows his way around the goal.” Find out all the details about Kei Kamara biography in the following.

Kei Kamara Information

Before we get into the details of

Kei Kamara childhood

and early life we will fill you in with the details of his bio and other information. 

Kei Kamara Bio

• Full name: Kei Ansu Kamara

Personal Information

• Kei Kamara date of birth: 1 September 1984

• place of birth: Kenema, Sierra Leone

• zodiac sign: Virgo

• Kei Kamara religion: Islam

• Kei Kamara nationality: Sierra Leonean

• Marital status: married 

• Wife’s name: Kristin Kamara (married since 2014)

• Children: Kierin Leone (daughter)

• Brother’s name: Steven Kamara

• Mother’s name: Fatima Kamara

Body Measurements

• Height: 191 cm

• Weight: 85 kg

• Hair color: black

• Eye color: black

Football Information

• Position: striker

• Debut in profession: Orange County Blue Star (2004)

• Clubs served: Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City, Norwich City (loan), Middlesbrough, Columbus Crew, New England Revolution, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Colorado Rapids

• Current club: Minnesota United

Kei Kamara Early Life 

The footballer was born on the first day of September 1984 in Kenema, Sierra Leone. According to

Kei Kamara date of birth

his zodiac sign is Virgo. He was born and raised in a big family. In an interview he stated: “I grew up in a big family. So because of that I feel so close to everyone.” The footballer had a tough childhood as he grew up in an environment full of violence, robbery and kids were being recruited as soldiers for war. Growing up the footballer didn’t have a father figure but his mother Fatima Kamara had high hopes for her son.

At the age of six his mother moved to America as Sierra Leone was having it’s 11-year civil war that killed more than 50,000 people. Young Kamara stayed with his aunt so he could later join his mother. Kamara recalls: “We just were so happy playing soccer on the street – because that’s the number one thing: soccer on the street, soccer at recess at school. It’s the memory that’s stuck in your head every day, just with your friends. Until the first attack happened.” Find out more details about Kei Kamara biography in the following.

Refuge program 

In an interview about the complication of his country in his childhood he stated: “This was when my mom had just left. That’s when we heard the first explosion. We heard rumors that the rebels were going to attack – ‘They’re coming to the biggest cities.’ Because the whole time they were in villages. As kids, you don’t take that seriously until we had to vacate school. We were just running home and that was just it. Ten, twelve years’ kind of went by really quick.”

He added: “It’s nothing I would ever wish on any kid. You’re just in these places and seeing things that normal kids don’t see, whether it was assassinations or brutal beatings or lootings or breaking in and burning down stores or people’s houses, we saw all those things as kids.” At the same time, he was in Kenema, the young footballer played for Kallon F.C. during the 2001–2003 season. At the age of 16 he moved to United States with a refuge program. He first went to Maryland and eventually settled in Los Angeles with his family.

Kei Kamara Profile

Over the years the footballer showed great talent playing for different clubs. According to

Kei Kamara bio

he played as a striker on the field and scored numerous goals. Stay tuned as we walk you through his career at different clubs.

Early Career in MLS

The footballer played college soccer at California State University, Dominguez Hills. During his second year, Kamara was included in the third-team All-American. He also spent two seasons with Orange County Blue Star in the USL Premier Development League.

chose him in the first round ninth overall at the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. He remained for two seasons there and featured in 36 games while scoring 5 goals for the side.

Before 2008 he was sent to San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for Brian Carroll but he stayed there for only one season. On 24 July 2008, during the 2009 MLS Super Draft, he was traded to Houston Dynamo for a first-round pick. In September 2008, he grabbed a brace for MLS champion Houston Dynamo over Mexican club UNAM Pumas in a CONCACAF Champions League game.

Sporting Kansas City

On 15 September 2009, he was sent to Sporting Kansas City in exchange for Abe Thompson and also allocation money. Kamara spent five seasons at the club and earned the name for one of the best wingers in the league.

Norwich City (Loan)

In 2013 the club aimed for Kamara’s transfer to

club Norwich City and on 30 January of the same year it was confirmed that the footballer would be loaned for the 2012-13 season. Kamara was free to either make his deal permanent at

or come back to Sporting Kansas City by the end of the season. 

His new club granted him a visa on 5 February to make him legally authorized to play. He debuted for the side as the 86th-minute substitute in a 0-0 draw with Fulham. On February 23 he came in as the 58th minute substitute and after 19 minutes he aimed the net for his first goal for the side, an equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Everton which later became a 2-1 win with a strong header at Carrow Road.

Kamara assisted his fellow teammate Wes

in a 1-1 draw over

. His header went past the goalkeeper and went into the net by Hoolahan. Later Kamara revealed that the only reason why he didn’t score the goal himself was due to St. Patrick's Day, as he and Irishman Hoolahan had a whole Irish dance planned. The footballer found his way to the fan's heart with his great manner and style of play. At the end of the season, the footballer didn’t extend his contract and went back to Sporting Kansas City.

Middlesbrough

On 2 September 2013, the footballer signed a two-year contract with Middlesbrough for the estimated amount of £900k. He debuted for the side as a 63rd substitute in a 1-3 defeat by Ipswich Town.  On 17 September, Kamara aimed the net for his first goal in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest. Following the game, he scored on his home debut in a 3-3 draw over Bournemouth. Later on 5 October the talented footballer went on and scored in a 4-1 victory against Yeovil Town. 

The next game he scored again in a 4-0 victory at home over Doncaster Rovershome. On 28 August 2014, Middlesbrough announced the news that Kamara would be leaving the club as the two parties put an end to their contract by mutual consent. After he left the club Kamara had a successful trial with recently promoted Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers but his work permit wasn’t extended as Sierra Leone fell to 75th place in the FIFA World Rankings and Wolverhampton shifted its focus to signing Yannick Sagbo instead. Stay tuned for more details about

Kei Kamara biography

.

Return to MLS 

In August 2014, Kamara got the chance to make a comeback to MLS but he had to go to the league’s allocation ranking system as Kansas City received a transfer fee for the player. On 7 October 2014 Kamara officially signed a contract with Columbus. Due to the fact that he was released by

after the 2014 MLS roster freeze he wasn’t able to feature for the Crew until the 2015 Major League Soccer season.

MLS Top Goal Scorer 

The next season he assisted the side in the playoffs as they finished second in the Eastern Conference. Kamara himself finished the MLS season earning the name for the top scorer of the league along with Toronto FC's Sebastian Giovinco. He managed to score 22 goals in 33 appearances. However, it was Giovinco who won the MLS Golden Boot for providing 16 assists in the season compared to Kamara’s 8 assists. Kamara made a lot of wonders as on 8 November he grabbed a brace in a 3-1 victory against Montreal Impact in the Eastern Conference semi-finals of the MLS Playoffs. 

His goal in extra-time helped the side to get qualified for the Eastern Conference finals. On 22 November he aimed the net in the first leg of the 2015 MLS Playoff Eastern Conference Finals in a 2-0 victory against

. His goals advanced Columbus to the MLS Cup Final and claim the 2015 Eastern Conference Championship 2–1 on aggregate. Kamara played the whole game in a 2-1 loss to

although he was suffering from an injury he managed to score a goal. With 4 goals he was the top scorer in the 2015 MLS playoffs.

Kamara First Hat Trick 

During his first nine games for Columbus he scored five times including two other goals over Montreal on 7 May 2016 where the side was ahead of its opponent. However, in the next game Kamara had an argument with Federico Higuaín for a penalty kick as Higuaín wanted to score the goal himself. With the penalty Kamara scored the first hat trick of his career and eventually the game was a 4-4 draw. Following the match Kamara publicly called Higuaín out in an interview. This didn’t go unnoticed and he was suspended by manager Gregg Berhalter for the next game.

New England Revolution

On 12 May 2016, Kamara joined New England Revolution in a historical deal which saw Columbus earn a first-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, a second-round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, an international roster slot for the 2016 season, general allocation money, targeted allocation money, and a percentage of any fee received should New England transfer Kamara to a club outside of MLS. The footballer went on and scored his first goals for the side in a 2-1 victory against New York Cosmos. On 2 September 2017, Kamara managed to score his first MLS hat trick over

in a 4–0 victory.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

On 10 December 2017, New England gave Kamara to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in exchange for a first-round selection in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft and a conditional second-round selection in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. On his debut for the side on 4 March he scored in a 2-1 victory over Montreal Impact. At the end of the 2018 season with the expiration of his contract he left the club.

Colorado Rapids

On 11 December 2018, the footballer joined

. He managed to score the second hat trick of his professional career and the ninth total hat trick in the history of the club in a 6-3 victory against Montreal Impact on 3 August 2019. Kamara reached 11 league goals in the season, the most goals scored since Omar Cummings in 2010.

Minnesota United

On 18 September 2020, the footballer joined Minnesota United for allocation money and a 2022 second round MLS SuperDraft pick. He took a penalty kick over FC Cincinnati on 3 October 2020, and became the first MLS footballer to score for eight different clubs. No one else has ever made this record.

International Career 

Kamara has been an international since 2008 but in August 2019 he was dropped from the national team squad due to disciplinary reasons. Later that month he was recalled. In November 2019, Kamara retired from international duty and blamed the new appointed manager Sellas Tetteh. Later the manager responded and defended himself. The footballer made a comeback and on12 June 2021, he managed to score the only goal for his country in a victory over Benin which qualified Sierra Leone for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, their first since 1996.

Style of Play

An agile footballer with a powerful figure. Kamara is a great goal scorer who knows where to be at the perfect time. He made a lot of wonders during his career in football and scored numerous goals. His unique style of play has enabled him to give a great performance on the pitch. However, he is an underrated footballer and hasn’t received the proper attention from football pundits for his remarkable style of play. Find out more details about

Kei Kamara biography

in the following.

Reception

In November 2015, the footballer earned the name for one of the three finalists for both the 2015 MLS Landon Donovan MVP Award and the 2015 Advocare MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year Award. Kamara won the award for the MLS Humanitarian of the Year on 5 November but he missed the MVP Award, which went to Giovinco.

Goal Celebration 

When it comes to goal celebration, Kamara celebrates each goal differently. He is fond of dancing with his teammates and sometimes he runs in joy toward the fans and celebrates with them. He often poses for the camera while putting his hands together for a heart shape. Stay tuned more details about Kei Kamara biography are in the way.

Kei Kamara Life Outside Football   

Now let’s get into the details of the footballer’s personal life.

Kei Kamara religion

is Islam. He is an outdoor person who always puts his family first. He also has a good sense of humor. Kamara often works out and tries to keep his body in shape and shares it via his Instagram account. In one of his posts he captioned: “I think I lost a pound today after that training session and my body fat is at 4%.”

Kei Kamara Personal Life  

As they say behind every successful man, there is a woman, the same goes for the MLS football star too. He met the beautiful Kristin Kamara by mutual friends, and they have been in a relationship for a long time before deciding to tie the knot. The couple got married in 2014 as Kristin walked down the aisle, wearing the white dress, and they got married in a beautiful ceremony among family and friends. Stay tuned for more details about Kei Kamara biography.  

Family, Children and Relationships

Just with a quick look at the footballer’s Instagram page, you will see how much of a family guy Kei Kamara is. The couple is blessed with three children. Their first child was born in 2015, they named him Kierin Leone. Later Kendrick was born. On January 25, 2021, Kristin gave birth to a girl named Kaelan Liv.

On May 12 Kamara posted a picture of Kendrick’s birthday and captioned: “Hey dude you share a birthday with the president of Sierra Leone…no pressure son. Happy birthday homies.” And this is what we mean by his sense of humor. Find out further details about

Kei Kamara life story

in the following.

Philanthropy

Kamara started his own organization back in 2012 which is called Kamara heart-shaped hands foundation. He aimed to help Sierra Leone children with scholarships and other school materials. As we mentioned before the footballer won the 2015 MLS WORKS Humanitarian after he was a finalist for the same award in 2012 and was Sporting KC’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2011 and 2012. 

The good hearted player clinched the award to build Schools in his homeland. Thanks to him many schools and libraries were built and took the place of the destroyed ones from the war. The footballer took the step with the help of his fellow countryman who was also a refugee and MLS star, Michael Lahoud, and together they built schools to help the underprivileged kids in Allen Town, East End Freetown.

Legal Issues

Kamara hasn’t faced any serious legal issues so far.

Kei Kamara Career statistics

Kei Kamara made a lot of wonders during his career. He started from scratch as he established himself as a remarkable striker and made his way to MLS. Find out all the details about his career statistics both in clubs and national team in the following.

Club

He started his career in 2004 at Orange County Blue Star. He remained at the club for two seasons while making 20 appearances and scoring 17 goals. In 2006, he moved to Columbus Crew and featured in 38 games while scoring five goals for the side. In 2006, he moved to Columbus Crew and featured in 38 games while scoring five goals for the side. In the same year, he got on board with

. In two seasons he featured in 47 games and scored 11 goals for the side. 

Then he moved to Sporting Kansas City for five seasons while featuring in 124 games and scoring 41 goals for the side. The club loaned him to Norwich City for the 2012-13 season and he featured in 11 games at the club while scoring only one goal. The next season Kamara joined Middlesbrough and he made 25 appearances for the side and aimed the net for four goals. Currently the footballer plays as a striker for Minnesota United and so far he has made 451 appearances and scored 167 goals in his career. Find out more details about

Kei Kamara biography

in the following.

International

As for Kamara’s international career so far he has featured in 33 games and scored 6 goals for his country.

Managerial

Kamara doesn’t have any plans for becoming a manager yet.

Kei Kamara Honours

Over the years Kamara managed to come a long way from refuge to a football star. However, he is an underrated footballer and hasn’t yet been fully appreciated for his great talent on the pitch. Here are some of his awards and titles over the course of his career.

Club

• Sporting Kansas City

• Eastern Conference (Regular Season): 2011, 2012

• U.S. Open Cup: 2012

• Columbus Crew

• Eastern Conference (Playoffs): 2015

Individual

• MLS Fair Play Award: 2007

• Sierra Leonean Player of the Year: 2012

• MLS Joint Top-scorer: 2015 (22 goals, alongside Sebastian Giovinco)

• MLS All-Star: 2015

• MLS Works Humanitarian of the Year: 2015

• MLS Best XI: 2015

• MLS Cup Playoffs Top-scorer: 2015

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