Distel Zola (born 5 February 1989) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. He is a former French youth international having earned caps at all levels of youth. In 2010, Zola switched international allegiance to the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

due to his ancestry. He made his debut in May 2010 in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

Early life

Zola was born in 1989 in the

12th arrondissement of Paris The 12th arrondissement of Paris (''XIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. Situated on the right bank of the River Seine, it is the easternmost arrondissement of Paris, as well as the largest by area ...

, of Zairean parents born in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

. He acquired

French nationality French nationality law is historically based on the principles of ''jus soli'' (Latin for "right of soil") and ''jus sanguinis'', (Latin for "right of blood") according to Ernest Renan's definition, in opposition to the German definition of nat ...

on 24 June 2002, through the collective effect of his mother's

naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

Career

Early career

Zola began his football career at the age of five at a local football academy in his hometown of

Champigny-sur-Marne Champigny-sur-Marne (, literally ''Champigny on Marne'') is a major city in the region of Île-de-France, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Name Champigny-sur-Marne was originally called simply Champigny. The name Champigny ultim ...

, a local southeastern Parisian suburb. After spending eight years at the club, he moved to US Alfortville. After a two-year stint in

Alfortville Alfortville () is a Communes of France, commune in the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. It is one of the 13 communes in the interc ...

, Zola drew interest from professional clubs

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

Auxerre Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...

, and

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

. Zola ultimately signed with Monaco describing the club as the "most convincing" of the three.

Monaco

Zola spent one season in Monaco's youth academy, and, in the 2005–06 season, appeared in two matches on the club's

Championnat de France amateur The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue 2 ...

team in the fourth division. The following season, he was promoted to the amateur team full-time making 15 appearances. Zola spent two more seasons playing on the amateur team and, prior to the start of the 2008–09 season, turned professional and was, subsequently, promoted to the senior team and assigned the number 29 shirt by

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Ricardo Gomes Ricardo Gomes Raymundo (born 13 December 1964) is a Brazilian retired professional footballer and manager. As a player, he played as a central defender, in a 14-year professional career, for Fluminense (six years), Benfica (four) and Par ...

. Zola appeared on the bench for the club's first five league matches and continued to play on the club's amateur team in the fifth division. On 25 September 2008, while playing with the amateur team, he suffered a torn

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

in his right knee, which required five months of rehabilitation. He returned to play in February 2009, but did not make any senior team appearances. Zola later suffered an injury setback to his knee and endured significant rehabilitation for much of the 2009–10 season. On 10 August 2010, a healthy Zola was loaned out to

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...

club

Stade Lavallois Stade Lavallois Mayenne Football Club (), also referred to as Stade Lavallois or simply Laval,Stade Laval, used by some English-speaking media outlets and journalists, is not a grammatically correct name for the club. is a Football in France, F ...

for the entire 2010–11 season in order for the player to get some first-team playing time. On 13 August, Zola made his professional debut in a league match against

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

. He appeared as a substitute in a 1–0 victory.

Nancy

In July 2011, Nancy confirmed that it had signed Zola to a three-year contract. Zola ended his career at Monaco without making a senior team appearance for the club.

Le Havre and Châteauroux

After a single game for Nancy in six months, Zola was loaned to

Le Havre AC Le Havre Athletic Club () is a French professional association football club based in Le Havre, Normandy. The football club was founded in 1894 as a section of the sports club of the same name, founded in 1884. Le Havre plays in Ligue 1, the ...

, a stay that was made permanent in the summer of 2012. In August 2014, Zola joined

Châteauroux Châteauroux ( ; ; ) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French. Climate Châteauroux te ...

on a three-year contract.

Samsunspor

On 15 July 2015, Zola joined

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

side

Samsunspor Samsunspor Kulübü, officially known as Samsunspor Football Club Joint Stock Company, or as Reeder Samsunspor due to sponsorship agreements, is a Turkey, Turkish Football club (association football), professional football club that competes in t ...

El Paso Locomotive

On 12 December 2019, after spending the 2018–2019 season with French third tier side

Tours FC Tours Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tours (), was a football club based in Tours, France. Formed in 1919, the club adopted the name Tours FC in 1951 after several other name changes. The club was dissolved on 26 February 2025 d ...

, Zola joined

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

side

El Paso Locomotive El Paso Locomotive FC is an American professional soccer team based in El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. History First season In February 2018, the United Soccer League announced that El P ...

ahead of the 2020 season.

Charlotte Independence (loan)

On 27 April 2021, Zola joined

Charlotte Independence Charlotte Independence is an American soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that plays in the USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Independence currently play their home games at American Legion Memoria ...

on loan for the 2021 season.

International career

After playing for the French youth teams, Zola chose to play for the

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

in 2010.

References

External links

Distel Zola club profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zola, Distel Living people 1989 births Footballers from Paris Men's association football midfielders Naturalized citizens of France French men's footballers Democratic Republic of the Congo men's footballers Democratic Republic of the Congo men's international footballers French sportspeople of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent AS Monaco FC players Stade Lavallois players AS Nancy Lorraine players Le Havre AC players LB Châteauroux players Samsunspor footballers Tours FC players El Paso Locomotive FC players Charlotte Independence players Ligue 2 players Ligue 1 players Championnat National players Süper Lig players France men's youth international footballers French expatriate sportspeople in Monaco Expatriate men's footballers in Monaco Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate men's footballers Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate sportspeople in the United States USL Championship players Black French sportspeople 21st-century French sportsmen 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo sportsmen