Jonathan Zebina facts for kids
Zebina training with Toulouse in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 July 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Paris, France | ||
| Height | 1.84 m | ||
| Playing position | Right-back, centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1996 | Cannes | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–1998 | Cannes | 27 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Cagliari | 48 | (0) |
| 2000–2004 | Roma | 88 | (1) |
| 2004–2010 | Juventus | 98 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Brescia | 28 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Brest | 28 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Toulouse | 37 | (0) |
| 2014 | Arles-Avignon | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 360 | (1) | |
| National team | |||
| 2005 | France | 1 | (0) |
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Jonathan Zebina (born 19 July 1978) is a French former professional footballer. He started his career as a striker. Later, he mostly played as a right-back and then as a centre-back.
Zebina was known as a strong and athletic defender. He was good at marking other players. However, sometimes he made mistakes during games. He played for several clubs in France and Italy. His most notable teams were Roma and Juventus. With Roma, he won a Serie A title and the Supercoppa Italiana in 2001. He also played one game for the French national team in 2005.
Contents
Jonathan Zebina's Club Journey
Starting with Cannes
Jonathan Zebina was born in Paris, France. He began playing football at age seven with US Palaiseau. He first played as a striker. However, there were many good strikers at the club. So, he switched to playing as a right-back.
After playing for ES Viry-Châtillon, Zebina joined AS Cannes. This is where he started his professional football career. He made his first team debut for Cannes on 8 March 1997. They were playing in the French Division 1. He played six more league games that season. The next year, he played 21 league games. Cannes was then moved down to Ligue 2.
Moving to Cagliari
After Cannes, Zebina signed with Cagliari Calcio in Italy. The club's president noticed him during a game against Marseille.
He played his first game for Cagliari in a 2–2 draw against Inter Milan. This was the first game of the season. Zebina got a chance to play right-back because two other defenders were injured. He quickly made that position his own. He became known as one of Europe's most promising young defenders. In his first season, he played 24 games.
At the start of the 1999–00 season, Zebina hurt his ankle. This kept him out for two months. He returned to play against AC Milan in October 1999. He continued to play as a right-back. However, Cagliari was moved down to Serie B. During his time at Cagliari, Zebina played 58 games.
Success with Roma
In June 2000, Zebina joined AS Roma. He was excited to join the club. He said he wanted to become stronger than famous defender Thuram.
Zebina made his debut for Roma in a UEFA Cup match. He helped Roma keep clean sheets in several early games. However, he faced some injuries during his first season. Despite missing some games, he helped Roma win the Serie A title. This is a huge achievement in Italian football. He played 26 games in his first season.
In July 2001, Roma bought Zebina completely. His manager, Fabio Capello, was very impressed with him. Zebina helped Roma win the Italian Supercup against Fiorentina. He often played as a right-back or a centre-back. He made his UEFA Champions League debut against Real Madrid. He continued to help the team keep many clean sheets. He played 37 games in his second season.
For the 2002–03 season, Zebina changed his shirt number to five. He continued to play in different defensive positions. He helped Roma keep several clean sheets. However, he also faced more injuries and suspensions. He played in the Coppa Italia final against Milan. Roma lost the final. He played 31 games that season.
In the 2003–04 season, Zebina continued to be a key player. He scored his first goal for Roma against Juventus in September 2003. He helped the team keep seven clean sheets in a row. He faced more injuries and suspensions later in the season. Despite this, Roma finished second in the league. He played 32 games and scored one goal that season. Overall, Zebina played 126 games for Roma and scored one goal.
Joining Juventus
In May 2004, Jonathan Zebina joined Juventus for free. He reunited with his former Roma manager, Fabio Capello. Zebina said he turned down offers from clubs like Chelsea and Liverpool to join Juventus.
He made his debut for Juventus in the first game of the season against Brescia. He helped Juventus keep three clean sheets in a row. He competed for the right-back position and earned his spot. However, he suffered a hamstring injury later in the season. Despite his injury, Juventus won the league title that season. He played 31 games in his first season with Juventus.
At the start of the 2005–06 season, Zebina played in the Supercoppa Italiana. He then suffered another injury. This season was tough for him due to injuries and disagreements with the club. He returned to play in January 2006. Juventus won the league title again. However, the club was later involved in a match-fixing scandal. As a result, Juventus was moved down to Serie B, and their titles were taken away. Zebina played 15 games that season.
Despite the club being moved down, Zebina stayed with Juventus. He was expected to play more games. However, he missed the first few months of the 2006–07 season due to injury. He returned in November 2006. He played as a centre-back and right-back. He helped Juventus get promoted back to Serie A. He played 24 games that season. After this, he signed a new four-year contract with Juventus.
In the 2007–08 season, Zebina faced competition for his position. He was suspended for four games after an incident where he punched a photographer. He returned to the team in November 2007. He sometimes had disagreements with the coach, Claudio Ranieri. He also dealt with more injuries. He played 17 games that season.
At the start of the 2008–09 season, Zebina suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury. This kept him out for the rest of the year. He returned in March 2009. He competed for the right-back position. He played 8 games that season.
For the 2009–10 season, Zebina chose to stay at Juventus despite transfer rumors. He lost his starting spot at first. But after another player's injury, he returned to the starting lineup. He scored his first goal for Juventus in a Europa League match against Fulham. However, he received a red card in the return leg, and Juventus was knocked out. He played 22 games and scored one goal that season. After this season, Juventus decided not to renew his contract. Overall, Zebina played 117 games for Juventus and scored one goal.
Playing for Brescia
After leaving Juventus, Zebina signed a two-year contract with Brescia in September 2010. He had a knee injury shortly after joining and needed surgery.
He made his debut for Brescia in October 2010. He quickly became a key player in the centre-back position. However, Brescia was moved down to a lower league that season. Zebina played 28 games for the club. In July 2011, he left Brescia.
Time with Brest
In July 2011, Zebina returned to France after 12 years. He joined Brest in Ligue 1. He said he wanted to play in England, but Brest was interested in him.
He made his debut for Brest in August 2011. He quickly became an important player in the centre-back position. His good performances even attracted interest from other clubs. He helped Brest keep several clean sheets. However, he suffered back and calf injuries later in the season. Despite injuries, he played 29 games for Brest. In May 2012, Brest announced that Zebina would not extend his contract.
Captain at Toulouse
After leaving Brest, Zebina joined Toulouse on a free transfer. He signed a two-year contract and became the team captain.
He made his debut for Toulouse in the first game of the season. However, he suffered a back injury and was out for two months. He returned in October 2012. But he faced more injuries, including a calf and thigh injury. Despite the injuries, Zebina was still seen as an important player. He played 18 games that season.
At the start of the 2013–14 season, Zebina was still recovering from an injury. He returned in September 2013. He often rotated in and out of the starting lineup. He also captained Toulouse in some games. He received a red card in December 2013. He then regained his starting spot. He played 23 games that season. In May 2014, it was confirmed that Zebina would leave Toulouse. Overall, he played 41 games for Toulouse.
Final Stop at Arles-Avignon
On 6 October 2014, Zebina joined AC Arles-Avignon on a two-year contract. He had been without a club for five months.
He made his debut for the club in October 2014. He suffered a thigh injury shortly after. He also received a red card in a game against Clermont. By the end of 2014, his contract was ended. Zebina played 7 games for Arles-Avignon. After this, he announced his retirement from professional football.
Playing for France
In 2001, Jonathan Zebina was called up to the French national team for the first time. He was a regular player for his clubs, Roma and Juventus.
Zebina played only one game for France. This was on 9 February 2005, in a 1–1 draw against Sweden. After a change in the national team coach, he was not called up for France again.
Jonathan Zebina's Life Off the Field
Jonathan Zebina's father, Denis, is an accountant, and his mother, Martine, is a nurse. He has one brother and one sister. Zebina has a diploma in accounting.
He enjoys listening to music and watching art-house movies. He is also a fan of wine and Aston Martin cars. Since 2006, he has collected modern art and owns an art gallery in Milan.
During his early career in Italy, Zebina spoke out against unfair treatment in Italian football. He believed that players and fans should show respect. He said that bad behavior hurts the image of football.
In April 2010, Zebina announced he was engaged to Chiara Tortorella. She is the daughter of a magician. Besides French, he speaks Italian fluently. He also knows Spanish and English.
During his time at Juventus, Zebina had a rivalry with his teammate, Zlatan Ibrahimović. Ibrahimović wrote about a disagreement in his book. Zebina said it was just a story to sell more books. The rivalry was seen again when their teams played each other in 2013.
Honours
Roma
- Serie A: 2000–01
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2001
Juventus
- Serie B: 2006–07
Images for kids
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Zebina training with Toulouse in 2012
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Zebina pictured at Toulouse's training ground on 15 April 2012.
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Zebina para niños
