Bonaventure Kalou (born 12 January 1978) is a Ivorian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He serves as elected mayor of Vavoua.
Born in Oumé, Kalou started playing for ASEC Mimosas in his home country, before moving to Dutch-based Feyenoord. He played in Rotterdam for six seasons as a first team regular. He mainly played as a winger, but also played as a striker when necessary. Meanwhile, his brother, Salomon, who came to visit him, impressed the Feyenoord staff and was signed as a youth player.
When Bonaventure decided to leave Feyenoord and try his luck in another European competition, the Ligue 1, at AJ Auxerre, Salomon was sent to Feyenoord's partner Excelsior on loan, before taking over his brother's role. Bonaventure played two seasons at Auxerre, where he developed further as a striker and an attacking midfielder as opposed to a winger. However, he still managed to score a similar number of goals compared to previous seasons. It was in this period that he talked to his brother, who still played at Feyenoord, into acquiring Dutch citizenship, which eventually was rejected by Dutch Foreign Minister Rita Verdonk.