Kurt Zouma facts for kids
Zouma warming up for West Ham United in 2021
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 27 October 1994 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lyon, France | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Al-Orobah (on loan from West Ham United) |
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| Number | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2009 | Vaulx-en-Velin | |||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Saint-Étienne | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Saint-Étienne B | 10 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Saint-Étienne | 51 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2021 | Chelsea | 99 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | → Saint-Étienne (loan) | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | → Stoke City (loan) | 34 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | → Everton (loan) | 32 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2021– | West Ham United | 82 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 2024– | → Al-Orobah (loan) | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | France U16 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | France U17 | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | France U19 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2013 | France U20 | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | France U21 | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2015– | France | 11 | (1) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Kurt Happy Zouma (born on 27 October 1994) is a French professional footballer. He plays as a centre-back (a defender) for Saudi Pro League club Al-Orobah. He is currently on loan from Premier League club West Ham United. Zouma also plays for the France national team.
Zouma started his career at Saint-Étienne in France. He made his first professional appearance at just 16 years old. With Saint-Étienne, he won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2013. In January 2014, Zouma joined Chelsea for about £12 million. He was loaned back to Saint-Étienne for the rest of that season.
While at Chelsea, he achieved great success. He won two Premier League titles, an EFL Cup, a UEFA Champions League title, and a UEFA Super Cup. After playing on loan for Stoke City and Everton, he moved to West Ham in 2021. In his second season with West Ham, he helped them win the UEFA Conference League.
Zouma played for France at many youth levels, including the under-21 team. He made his first appearance for the senior France national team on 29 March 2015.
Contents
Kurt Zouma's Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
Kurt Zouma was born in Lyon, France. He began playing football at nine years old with Vaulx-en-Velin. He stayed there until he was 15. When he first started, he played as a right winger and even as a striker. Later, he changed to his current position as a defender.
Playing for Saint-Étienne
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Zouma joined Saint-Étienne in 2009. On 2 April 2011, he signed his first professional contract. It was a three-year deal. His manager, Christophe Galtier, moved him to the senior team for the 2011–12 season. At first, he played without a name on his shirt to avoid too much media attention.
Zouma made his professional debut at 16 years old on 31 August 2011. This was in a Coupe de la Ligue match against Bordeaux. Saint-Étienne won the game 3–1. On 17 September, he played his first Ligue 1 game. His first professional goal came on 19 November. He scored by finishing a corner kick in a 2–0 win against OGC Nice. In his first season, he played 21 league games.
On 20 April 2013, Zouma helped Saint-Étienne win the Coupe de la Ligue final. They beat Rennes 1–0.
Time at Chelsea Football Club
Joining Chelsea and First Season
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On 31 January 2014, Zouma signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea. The transfer fee was around £12 million. He stayed at Saint-Étienne on loan for the rest of the 2013–14 season.
Zouma played his first game for Chelsea on 24 September. He scored the first goal in a 2–1 win against Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup. On 21 October, he made his first UEFA Champions League appearance. Chelsea won 6–0 against Maribor and kept a clean sheet. He played his first Premier League game on 26 October 2014.
On 4 January 2015, Zouma scored in Chelsea's 3–0 FA Cup win over Watford. Six days later, he started his first Premier League game. He played alongside John Terry in a 2–0 home win against Newcastle United. This win put Chelsea back in first place in the league. On 1 March, Chelsea won the League Cup Final 2–0 against Tottenham Hotspur. Zouma played in defensive midfield for this match. On 3 May, Chelsea won the league title by beating Crystal Palace 1–0.
More Seasons with Chelsea
On 2 August 2015, Zouma played in the Community Shield against Arsenal. Chelsea lost 1–0. On 19 September, he scored his first Premier League goal. He headed in a cross to open a 2–0 home win against Arsenal. On 24 November, he scored his first European goal. This was in a 4–0 win at Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League.
In February 2016, Zouma suffered a serious knee injury. He needed surgery and was out of action for six months. He returned to play for Chelsea's under-23 team in October 2016. On 8 January 2017, he made his first team comeback in an FA Cup win. On 4 February, he played his first Premier League game of the 2016–17 Premier League season.
Loan Spells at Stoke City and Everton
After signing a new contract with Chelsea, Zouma joined Stoke City on loan for the 2017–18 season. He made his debut on 12 August in a 1–0 loss to Everton. On 20 November, he scored his first goal for Stoke. He played 37 matches for Stoke, but the club was relegated to the EFL Championship.
On 10 August 2018, Zouma joined Everton on loan for the 2018–19 season. He made his debut on 25 August. Zouma scored his first goal for Everton on 13 January 2019. It was a header in a 2–0 home win against Bournemouth.
Returning to Chelsea and Champions League Win
Zouma came back to Chelsea after his loan at Everton ended. He played 32 games and scored 2 goals during his loan. On 11 August 2019, he started in Chelsea's 4–0 loss to Manchester United. On 25 September 2019, he scored in a 7–1 home win against Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup. On 1 January 2020, Zouma played his 100th game for Chelsea.
He started the new season for Chelsea on 14 September 2020. He scored the club's third goal in a 3–1 win against Brighton. On 6 December, Zouma headed in Chelsea's second goal in a 3–1 win over Leeds United. This win put Chelsea at the top of the league. Zouma played five games for Chelsea in their winning 2020-21 UEFA Champions League journey. Chelsea beat Manchester City 1–0 in the final.
Zouma's last game for Chelsea was on 11 August 2021. This was in their win against Villarreal in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup. The game ended 1–1 and was decided by a penalty shoot-out. He played 151 games for Chelsea in total, scoring 10 goals.
Moving to West Ham United
On 28 August 2021, Zouma joined West Ham United for £29.8 million. He signed a four-year contract. On 16 September, he made his West Ham debut in the Europa League. West Ham won 2–0 against Dinamo Zagreb.
On 7 November, he scored his first goal for West Ham. It was the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over Liverpool. On 7 June 2023, Zouma played in the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina. West Ham won 2–1, earning their first trophy in 43 years.
After Declan Rice left the club, Zouma was named captain for the first game of the 2023–24 season. This was the first time he had captained a team in his professional career. In June 2024, West Ham put Zouma on the transfer list. In August 2024, a move to Shabab Al-Ahli in the United Arab Emirates did not happen.
International Career for France
Kurt Zouma played for various France youth teams. He represented his country at under-16 and under-17 levels. He played in the 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Zouma also captained the French under-21 team. He was part of the under-20 team that won the 2013 World Cup in Turkey.
On 19 March 2015, France's senior team manager, Didier Deschamps, called Zouma up for the first time. He made his debut on 29 March in a 2–0 win against Denmark. After his injury in February 2016, Zouma missed UEFA Euro 2016.
He returned to the squad in August 2017. On 11 June 2019, Zouma made his first start for the France senior team. He scored his first senior international goal in a 4–0 away win over Andorra.
Playing Style
Experts have praised Kurt Zouma for his strength, how well he understands the game, and his ability to win balls in the air. In January 2014, a British newspaper called him one of the ten most promising young players in Europe. They noted his "exceptional power and technique" and his "leadership qualities."
In February 2015, football pundit Danny Murphy compared Zouma to Marcel Desailly, another French defender who played for Chelsea. Murphy highlighted Zouma's reliability, confidence, and speed. He believed Zouma could become a key player for Chelsea for many years.
Another player, Ryan Shawcross, called Zouma the "ultimate defender." He mentioned Zouma's speed, jumping ability, passing, shooting, and tackling skills.
Personal Life
Kurt Zouma's parents moved to France from the Central African Republic. His older brother, Lionel, and younger brother, Yoan, are also football defenders. Kurt was named after Kurt Sloane, a character from the 1989 film Kickboxer. His middle name, Happy, comes from an African tradition of using positive words as middle names. Zouma is married to Sandra, and they have three children. He is a Muslim and went on a pilgrimage to Mecca in 2019.
In December 2023, Zouma and his family experienced a burglary at their home. An armed group broke in and stole money and jewelry. West Ham United offered a reward for information about the burglars.
Honours
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Saint-Étienne
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2012–13
Chelsea
- Premier League: 2014–15, 2016–17
- Football League Cup: 2014–15
- UEFA Champions League: 2020–21
- UEFA Super Cup: 2021
West Ham United
- UEFA Europa Conference League: 2022–23
France U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2013
Individual
- Chelsea Young Player of the Year: 2014–15
Images for kids
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Zouma playing for Chelsea in 2015
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Zouma playing for Chelsea in 2017
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Zouma playing for Chelsea in 2020
