Didier Zokora facts for kids
Zokora playing for Trabzonspor in 2012
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Déguy Alain Didier Zokora | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 December 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Ivory Coast | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | AFAD Djékanou (assistant manager) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1999 | Académie MimoSifcom | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | ASEC Mimosas | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Racing Genk | 124 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Saint-Étienne | 66 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Tottenham Hotspur | 88 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Sevilla | 49 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Trabzonspor | 78 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Akhisarspor | 25 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Pune City | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | North East United | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Semen Padang | 18 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 468 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2014 | Ivory Coast | 123 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Déguy Alain Didier Zokora (born 14 December 1980) is a famous Ivorian former footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder, which means he helped protect his team's goal. Didier played for the Ivory Coast national team for 14 years, starting in 2000. He is known for playing the most games for his country's team. Today, he works as an assistant manager for AFAD Djékanou.
Contents
Didier Zokora's Club Career
Starting His Football Journey
Didier Zokora was born in Abidjan, a city in Ivory Coast. He began his football journey at a special training school called Académie MimoSifcom. He and his younger brother, Armando, were offered professional contracts with an Ivorian club named ASEC Mimosas. Sadly, Armando passed away.
In 2000, Didier moved to Europe to play for a Belgian team called Genk. There, he helped his team win the Jupiler League in the 2001–02 season. He played 126 matches for Genk. A memorable moment was when his team drew 1–1 with the famous Real Madrid in 2002. In 2004, he moved to France to join Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1.
Playing for Tottenham Hotspur
Didier Zokora joined Tottenham Hotspur in England in the summer of 2006. This move happened after he played very well for Ivory Coast in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The transfer cost Tottenham about £8.2 million.
Soon after joining, Didier got sick with malaria in October 2006. He was in the hospital for four days and then spent two weeks recovering. He missed a few important matches but returned to training quickly.
Didier helped Tottenham win the League Cup in 2008. This was a big win for the club, as it was their first major title in nine years. Tottenham beat their rivals Chelsea 2–1 in extra time. The next year, Tottenham reached the League Cup final again, but they lost to Manchester United in a penalty shootout. Didier played the whole 120 minutes of that game.
In 2008, Didier signed a new four-year contract with Tottenham. However, in January 2009, the club signed another defensive midfielder, Wilson Palacios. This meant Didier played less often. He sometimes even played as a right-back to help the team.
Moving to Sevilla in Spain
In the summer of 2009, Didier Zokora moved to Spain to play for La Liga team Sevilla. He made his first appearance for Sevilla in August 2009. In his first season, he helped Sevilla finish fourth in La Liga, which meant they could play in the UEFA Champions League. He also helped his team win the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) by beating Atlético Madrid 2–0 in the final.
Time with Trabzonspor in Turkey
Didier joined the Turkish team Trabzonspor in June 2011. He signed a four-year contract. The club paid €5 million for him. He played his first game for them in September 2011. Didier left Trabzonspor in April 2014.
Playing in India and Indonesia
In July 2015, Didier Zokora signed with FC Pune City in the Indian Super League. He played his first match for them against Delhi Dynamos FC.
In August 2016, he joined another Indian Super League team, NorthEast United. He often played as a centre-back and was even captain for many games. He made his debut as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Kerala Blasters.
In April 2017, Didier moved to Indonesia to play for Semen Padang. He was one of several famous players who joined the Indonesian league that year. He signed a one-year deal but left the club four months later in August.
Didier Zokora's International Career
Didier Zokora played 123 international matches for the Ivory Coast. This makes him the player with the most appearances for his country's team. He scored his only international goal in a 4–0 win against Botswana in June 2008. This win helped Ivory Coast lead their group in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
During his 12 years with the national team, Didier helped Les Éléphants (The Elephants), as the team is called, reach their first two FIFA World Cup finals. These were in 2006 and 2010. In both tournaments, Ivory Coast was in a very tough group, sometimes called the "Group of Death". They finished third each time and did not move past the group stage. In the 2010 World Cup, Didier played as a centre-back against Portugal to make the defense stronger. His team managed a 0–0 draw in that game.
Didier said he would retire from international football if Ivory Coast won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. He did retire on 28 February 2012, after the tournament ended. However, his team lost the final to Zambia in a penalty shootout.
Despite announcing his retirement, Didier was still chosen to play for Ivory Coast in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He officially announced his second retirement from the national team on 8 September 2014.
Didier Zokora's Career Highlights
Didier Zokora played a total of 468 club matches and scored 2 goals. For his country, he played 123 matches and scored 1 goal.
Honours and Achievements
Didier Zokora won several important titles and awards during his career:
With ASEC Mimosas
- CAF Super Cup: 1999
With Genk
- Belgian First Division A: 2001–02
With Tottenham Hotspur
- Football League Cup: 2007–08
- Runner-up in Football League Cup: 2008–09
With Sevilla
- Copa del Rey: 2009–10
With Ivory Coast National Team
- Runner-up in Africa Cup of Nations: 2006, 2012
Individual Awards
- CAF Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
See also
In Spanish: Didier Zokora para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
