Kurt Zouma
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Kurt Happy Zouma (born 27 October 1994) is a French 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 last played as a
centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
for
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
. Zouma began his career at
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
, making his professional debut aged 16, and going on to win the
Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...
with the club in 2013. Zouma joined Chelsea for £12 million in January 2014, but was loaned back to the French club for the remainder of the season. With Chelsea, he won two Premier League titles, an
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
, a
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
title and a
UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
. After loan spells with
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
and Everton, he moved to across London to West Ham in 2021, winning the
UEFA Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the thir ...
in his second season. Zouma represented France at several youth levels, up to under-21. He made his senior international debut against
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
on 29 March 2015.


Club career


Early career

Zouma was named after a
Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate schoo ...
character, Kurt Sloan in the 1989 film
Kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...
. Born in
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, Zouma began his career at age nine with Vaulx-en-Velin until he was 15. He played as a right winger and also as a striker before switching to his current position of a defender.


Saint-Étienne

Zouma joined
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
in 2009. On 2 April 2011, he signed his first professional contract, agreeing to a three-year contract. He was subsequently promoted to the senior team 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 ...
Christophe Galtier Christophe Galtier (; born 23 August 1966) is a French professional football manager and former player who recently was the head coach of Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail. A defender, Galtier spent many of his 15 years as a player at Marseille ...
ahead of the 2011–12 season, and initially played without a name on his shirt to protect him from media attention. Zouma made his professional debut at 16 years old, on 31 August 2011 in a
Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...
match against
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
, playing the entire match in a 3–1 win. On 17 September, he made his
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
debut in a 3–0 loss at
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...
; his first professional goal came on 19 November, replacing
Paulão Paulão is a Portuguese nickname derived from Paulo, meaning "Great Paul" or "Big Paul". Notable people known as Paulão include: * Paulão (born 1963), Brazilian volleyball player born ''Paulo André Jukoski da Silva'' *Paulão (footballer, born 1 ...
after nine minutes and finishing a
corner kick A corner kick, commonly known as a corner, is the method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball goes out of play over the goal line, without a goal being scored and having last been touched by a member of the defe ...
to confirm a 2–0 win before half time at
OGC Nice Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice (), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional association football, football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of Footb ...
. He totalled 21 league games in his first season – 13 starts – and his other goal came on 14 January 2012, heading Banel Nicolita's corner for the only goal against lowly
Sochaux Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris. Population Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''. Economy ...
at the
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Stade Geoffroy-Guichard () is a multi-purpose stadium in Saint-Étienne, France. It is used primarily for football matches, and tournaments such as the UEFA Euro 1984 and 2016, the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. It i ...
. On 20 April 2013, Zouma played in Saint-Étienne's 1–0 win over
Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
of the Coupe de la Ligue. Eight days later in the Derby du Rhone away to
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, he opened a 1–1 draw by heading
Yohan Mollo Yohan Mollo (born 18 July 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger or right-back for National 3 club Olympique Alès. Career Youth career Mollo began his football career with Olympique de Marseille in 1996, who were at t ...
's corner after half an hour of play. On 7 November 2013, Zouma was banned for ten games following a challenge that left Sochaux's Thomas Guerbert with a broken right leg and a dislocated ankle.


Chelsea


2014–15 season

On 31 January 2014, Zouma joined Chelsea on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a
transfer fee In professional football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one association football club to another. In general, the players can onl ...
believed to be around £12 million (€14.6 million). He remained at Saint-Étienne on
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
for the remainder of the 2013–14 season. On 24 September, Zouma made his first competitive appearance for Chelsea, scoring the opener in a 2–1 win against
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
in the third round of the League Cup. He made his second Chelsea start and first
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
appearance on 21 October against
Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...
, helping his team keep a clean sheet in a 6–0 win. He made his Premier League debut as an added-time substitute for Willian in the 1–1 draw with
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
on 26 October 2014. On 4 January 2015, Zouma scored the third goal for Chelsea in the 3–0 victory over
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
. Six days later, he started in the Premier League for the first time, partnering
John Terry John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional Coach (association football), football coach and former Association football, player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, the En ...
in place of
Gary Cahill Gary James Cahill (born 19 December 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Cahill began his career playing for the AFC Dronfield youth system in Derbyshire. In 2000, he joined the Aston Villa Academy an ...
and keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 home win over
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
, which put Chelsea back into first place in the league table. With
Nemanja Matić Nemanja Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Матић, ; born 1 August 1988) is a Serbian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon. Matić began his senior career at ...
suspended and
Mikel John Obi Mikel John Obi (born John Michael Nchekwube Obinna; 22 April 1987), also known as John Obi Mikel, is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before ...
injured, Zouma played in defensive midfield as Chelsea won the League Cup Final on 1 March after a 2–0 victory over
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
. On 3 May, he featured as a substitute for the final five minutes in place of Willian as Chelsea defeated
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
1–0 to win the league title.


2015–2017

On 2 August 2015, Zouma was a 69th-minute substitute for
César Azpilicueta César Azpilicueta Tanco (, born 28 August 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Atlético Madrid and the Spain national team. He is considered as one of the best wing-backs of his generation. A youth p ...
as Chelsea lost 1–0 to
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the Community Shield. Starting ahead of John Terry, he scored his first Premier League goal on 19 September, heading in
Cesc Fàbregas Francesc Fàbregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder. He is currently the head coach of club Como. Fàbregas came through La Masia, Barcelona's you ...
' cross to open a 2–0 home win over the same opposition. On 24 November, as a late substitute for the injured Terry, he scored his first European goal to conclude a 4–0 win at
Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...
in the Champions League
group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
. Under interim manager
Guus Hiddink Guus Hiddink (; born 8 November 1946) is a Dutch former football manager and professional player. He enjoyed a long career playing as a midfielder in his native Netherlands. Retired as player in 1982, Hiddink went into management, leading both c ...
, Zouma regularly started alongside Terry as Chelsea's form improved. On 7 February 2016, Zouma ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after landing awkwardly from a jump in a match against Manchester United. He required surgery and was ruled out for six months. In the summer of 2016, Zouma travelled and trained with the first-team during preseason. Chelsea also rejected a loan offer from
Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as Schalke 04 (), and abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional sports club from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its football team, w ...
. On 24 October, Zouma made his first competitive appearance after being out of action for nine months, playing 45 minutes for the Chelsea under-23 team in a 2–2 draw against Derby County. On 8 January 2017, Zouma made his first team comeback in Chelsea's 4–1
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
third-round win over
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...
. On 4 February, he made his first appearance of the
2016–17 Premier League The 2016–17 Premier League was the 25th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the 118th season of top-flight English football overall. The season ...
season as a substitute in a 3–1 win against rivals Arsenal.


2017–19: Loans to Stoke City and Everton

Following agreeing to a new six-year contract with Chelsea, on 21 July 2017, Zouma joined fellow Premier League club
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
on loan for the 2017–18 season. On 12 August, he made his debut in a 1–0 loss at Everton. In November 2017, Stoke captain
Ryan Shawcross Ryan James Shawcross (born 4 October 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is currently the first-team coach at Stoke City. Shawcross began his career with Manchester United and made his debut for ...
expressed his surprise that Chelsea had loaned out Zouma, who had only missed one match, against his parent club. On 20 November he headed his first goal for the Potters, in a 2–2 draw at
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
. Zouma played 37 matches for Stoke in 2017–18 as the club suffered relegation to the
EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...
. On 10 August 2018, Zouma joined fellow Premier League club Everton on loan for the 2018–19 season. He made his debut on 25 August as a last-minute substitute for the injured Michael Keane in a 2–2 draw at
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
. Zouma scored his first goal for Everton on 13 January 2019, a header to open a 2–0 home win also against Bournemouth. He was sent off for dissent after the final whistle in a 1–0 loss at Watford on 9 February.


2019–21: Return to Chelsea

Zouma returned to Chelsea following the expiration of his loan at Everton. He made 32 appearances and scored 2 goals with the club. On 11 August 2019, Zouma made his first appearance of the season as a starter in the 4–0 away defeat to Manchester United. He was back on the scoresheet against
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
on 25 September 2019, in a 7–1 home win in the third round of the
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
. On 1 January 2020, Zouma marked his 100th appearance for the club as Chelsea drew 1–1 to Brighton & Hove Albion at
Falmer Stadium Falmer Stadium, currently known as the American Express Stadium for sponsorship reasons and more commonly referred to as the Amex, is a association football, football stadium in Falmer, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. With a capacity o ...
. Zouma began the new season in the starting back four for Chelsea's trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on 14 September 2020. He would go on to score the club's third goal in a 3–1 win, his first Premier League goal in over five years for Chelsea. On 6 December, Zouma headed in his team's second goal of a 3–1 win over
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
. The win put Chelsea at the top of the league table and was his fourth goal in the first ten league matches of the season, which meant he had twice as many strikes as the next highest-scoring Premier League defender. Through the first ten league matches, Zouma had also won 74.5 per cent of his duels, which put him among the top 20 players in Europe. Zouma made five appearances for Chelsea in their victorious
2020-21 UEFA Champions League The symbol , known in Unicode as hyphen-minus, is the form of hyphen most commonly used in digital documents. On most keyboards, it is the only character that resembles a minus sign or a dash, so it is also used for these. The name ''hyphen-min ...
run, however did not come off the bench in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
as Chelsea beat
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
1–0. Zouma's last appearance for Chelsea was in their win in the
2021 UEFA Super Cup The 2021 UEFA Super Cup was the 46th edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The match ...
against
Villarreal Villarreal (officially, in ) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital ( ...
on 11 August 2021. The game finished 1–1 before being decided in a penalty shoot-out. In August 2021 he left to join
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
. He had played 151 games in all competitions for Chelsea, scoring 10 goals.


West Ham United


2021–24

On 28 August 2021, Zouma joined West Ham United for £29.8 million signing a four-year contract. On 16 September, he made his West Ham debut, in the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
in a 2–0 win over
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
. On 7 November, he scored his first goal for West Ham, the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. On 7 June 2023, Zouma played in the
2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final The 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final was the final match of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League, the second season of Europe's tertiary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA. The match was played at the F ...
, against
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...
in Prague. West Ham won their first trophy in 43 years with a 2–1 victory. Following the departure of club captain
Declan Rice Declan Rice (born 14 January 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder or defensive midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and the England national team. Known for his stamina, ball carrying ability and ...
, on 12 August 2023 Zouma was named as captain for the first game of the season, an away game to
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
. This was the first occasion in his professional career that he had captained a team. The appointment was criticised by
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
journalist,
Henry Winter Henry Winter (born 18 February 1963) is an English sports journalist. He currently writes for '' World Soccer'', having previously been the Chief Football Writer for ''The Times'' and a Football Correspondent for ''The Daily Telegraph''. Ed ...
who wrote "
James Ward-Prowse James Michael Edward Ward-Prowse (born 1 November 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club West Ham United. Originally a member of Southampton's youth teams, Ward-Prowse made his first-team debut ...
is more deserving because he’s a natural captain and he’s never kicked a cat."


2024–2025: Loan to Al-Orobah and departure

In June 2024, with a year left on his contract, Zouma was placed on the transfer list by West Ham. In August 2024, a proposed transfer to Shabab Al-Ahli in the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
collapsed after Zouma failed a medical. In June 2025, West Ham announced Zouma's departure from the club on 30 June at the end of his contract. He had made 103 appearances and scored six goals.


International career

Zouma is a France youth international having represented his nation at under-16 and under-17 level. He played with the under-17 team at the
2011 UEFA European Under-17 Championship The 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the tenth edition of UEFA's European Under-17 Football Championship. Serbia hosted the tournament between the 3 and 15 May. 6 Teams also qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Players born af ...
and
2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 14th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth association football, football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It was h ...
. Zouma has been the captain for the French under-21 team. He was part of the under-20 team that won the 2013 World Cup in Turkey. In the quarter-finals against
Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
in
Rize Rize (; ; ; ka, რიზე}; ) is a coastal city in the eastern part of the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Rize Province and Rize District.France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
manager
Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been managing the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, Engl ...
wanted to build a defence around Zouma and fellow youngster
Raphaël Varane Raphaël Xavier Varane (; born 25 April 1993) is a French former professional association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. Varane played for French club RC Lens, Lens at youth level and, ahead of the 2010–11 in French footba ...
, and on 19 March 2015, he was called him up for the first time for friendlies against
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
and
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. He made his debut in the latter match ten days later, a 2–0 win at his former club ground with Saint-Étienne, the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, replacing
Morgan Schneiderlin Morgan Fernand Gérard Schneiderlin (; born 8 November 1989) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Schneiderlin began his career with Strasbourg, before moving to England to join Southampton in June 20 ...
for the last eight minutes of the game. After his injury for Chelsea in February, Zouma missed France's hosting of
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...
. He returned to the squad in August 2017, replacing the injured Raphaël Varane for a
World Cup qualifier The FIFA World Cup qualification is a set of competitive matches that a national association football team plays in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the men's FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments ar ...
against the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. He was put on standby for France's squad at the
final tournament Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
in Russia. Zouma earned his first France cap in over three years on 11 October 2018 as a substitute in a 2–2 friendly draw with
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
, coming on as a substitute and winning the equalising penalty. On 11 June 2019, Zouma made his first start for the France senior team, played every minute of the match and scored his first senior international goal, in the 4–0 away win over
Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...
in a
UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from March 2019 to November 2020 to determine the 24 UEFA member men's national teams that advanced to the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, intended to be playe ...
match.


Style of play

A November 2013 report by ''
FourFourTwo ''FourFourTwo'' is an association football magazine published by British company Future. Issued monthly, it published its 300th edition in May 2019. It takes its name from the football formation of the same name, 4–4–2. Future acquired the ...
'' noted Zouma's strength, reading of the game, and aerial presence, while mentioning his occasional lapses in concentration. In January 2014, Zouma was named by British newspaper ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe. The newspaper wrote, "Blessed with exceptional power and technique, Zouma is also coveted by many for his leadership qualities." In February 2015, ''
Match of the Day ''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a Association football, football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights during the Premier League season. ''Match of the Day'' is one of the BBC's longest-runn ...
'' pundit Danny Murphy likened Zouma to
Marcel Desailly Marcel David Desailly (; 7 September 1968) is a French former professional Association football, footballer, who played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder. During a successful career at club level, lasting from 1986 to 2006, Desailly won se ...
, another Frenchman who played in defence for Chelsea. Writing after a draw with
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, which included a strong run and perfectly-executed sliding tackle on
Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He is regarded as one of th ...
, Murphy noted Zouma's reliability and confidence against the strong opponent, in addition to his pace. He predicted that Zouma could be a Chelsea mainstay for years to come, and would be an ideal replacement for captain John Terry, then aged 34. Ryan Shawcross called Zouma the "ultimate defender" for his speed, jump, passing, shooting and tackling, and said that Tottenham Hotspur's
Toby Alderweireld Tobias Albertine Maurits Alderweireld (; born 2 March 1989) is a Belgian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, centre-back. Alderweireld began his professional career at D ...
was the only central defender on his level.


Personal life

Zouma's parents emigrated to France from the
Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...
. His older brother Lionel plays in the same position, and his younger brother Yoan is also a defender. Zouma is named after Kurt Sloane,
Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate schoo ...
's character in the 1989 film ''Kickboxer'', while his middle name Happy reflects an African tradition of using positive words as middle names. Zouma is married to Sandra, with whom he has three children. Zouma is a Muslim and made a
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
to
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
in 2019.


Animal abuse

On 7 February 2022, footage emerged of Zouma kicking, slapping and throwing objects at his cat, filmed at his home by his brother, Yoan Zouma. He was condemned by both his club and the
RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...
. Zouma apologised and said that despite his actions, his two pet cats were "fine and healthy". West Ham said that they would deal with the matter internally. On 8 February, a French animal welfare organisation, the
Brigitte Bardot Foundation The Brigitte Bardot Foundation (in French: - FBB) is a French foundation dedicated to animal protection created by French actress Brigitte Bardot in 1986. Since 1992, the foundation has been recognized as a "public utility" (French: Déclaratio ...
, announced that they had filed a complaint against Zouma. On the same day,
Essex Police Essex Police is a territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Essex, in the East of England. Essex Police is responsible for a population of over 1.8 million people and an area of . The chief constable is Ben-Julian Harring ...
said they had launched an enquiry into the abuse in conjunction with the RSPCA. West Ham manager
David Moyes David William Moyes (born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player, who currently manages Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton. He was the 2003, 200 ...
selected Zouma to play in their match against
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
on the same day, despite the controversy.
BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC BBC Television, television, BBC Radio, radio and BBC Online, online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadc ...
presenter
Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker ( ; born 30 November 1960) is an English Sports broadcasting, sports broadcaster and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Lineker is the only player t ...
said he was "shocked and appalled that West Ham played Zouma" against Watford;
Chris Packham Christopher Gary Packham CBE (born 4 May 1961) is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work including the CBBC children's nature series '' The Really Wild Show'' from 1986 t ...
called the decision to play Zouma an "absolute disgrace". On 9 February, the RSPCA confirmed that Zouma's two cats were taken away from him and were in RSPCA care. Two of West Ham's sponsors,
Vitality Vitality (, , ) is the capacity to live, grow, or develop. Vitality is also the characteristic that distinguishes life, living from non-living things. To experience vitality is regarded as a basic psychological drive and, in philosophy, a comp ...
and Experience Kissimmee, respectively suspended and ended their relationships with the club, while
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
ended its partnership with Zouma. West Ham fined him the maximum amount possible, with the money being donated to animal welfare charities.
Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel, live stream news network and news organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of ...
reported that the fine was understood to be two weeks' wages worth £250,000. On 10 February,
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
club
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the , the sixth level of the En ...
suspended Yoan Zouma for filming the abuse of the cat. On 16 March 2022, the RSPCA announced that after a full investigation they had started the process of bringing a prosecution against Kurt and Yoan Zouma under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act. Zouma was charged with animal cruelty under the act in April, and was ordered to appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court on 24 May. At court, he pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, his
Bengal cat The Bengal cat is a breed of hybrid cat created from crossing of an Asian leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') with domestic cats, especially the spotted Egyptian Mau. It is then usually bred with a breed that demonstrates a friendlier ...
. He was ordered to carry out 180 hours of
community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as gettin ...
, pay £9,000 in court costs and was banned from keeping cats for five years. Yoan, his brother pleaded guilty to one count of aiding, abetting, counseling or procuring him to commit an offence. He was ordered to carry out 140 hours of community service.


Home burglary

In December 2023, Zouma and his family were the victims of a burglary on his home while he and his family were present. An armed gang broke in and stole £100,000 in cash and jewellery. West Ham offered a reward of £25,000 for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the burglars.


Agent controversy

In 2024 football agent, Saif Alrubie appeared at
Southwark Crown Court The Crown Court at Southwark, usually referred to as Southwark Crown Court, is a Crown Court venue at 1 English Grounds (off Battlebridge Lane) on the south bank of the River Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge in London. It operates ...
charged with sending an electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety to Chelsea director, Marina Granovskaia. The court were told that Alrubie believed he was entitled to a percentage of the transfer fee when Zouma moved from Chelsea to West Ham in August 2021 for around £29 million and that he threatened Granovskaia with the same fate as
Kia Joorabchian Kiavash Joorabchian () is an Iranian-born British-educated businessman largely involved in association football. In the register of directorships at Companies House in London, Joorabchian gives two nationalities, Canadian and British, born on 14 ...
who had been physically forced to paid money owed to Alrubie. On 29 April 2024, Alrubie was found not guilty of the offence.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''As of match played 16 November 2021'' :''France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Zouma goal''


Honours

Saint-Étienne *
Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...
:
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
Chelsea *
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
: 2014–15, 2016–17 *
Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
: 2014–15 *
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
:
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
*
UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
:
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
*
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
runner-up: 2016–17, 2019–20,
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
West Ham United *
UEFA Europa Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual association football, football competition organised since 2021 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European foot ...
:
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
France U20 *
FIFA U-20 World Cup The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members' men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when i ...
:
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
Individual *
Chelsea Young Player of the Year The Chelsea Player of the Season award is an official award given by Chelsea F.C., Chelsea Football Club, to award the player who has most contributed to the success and achievements of the club's men's first team over the course of a season. Th ...
: 2014–15


References


External links


Profile
at the West Ham United F.C. website * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zouma, Kurt 1994 births Living people Footballers from Lyon French men's footballers Men's association football defenders FC Vaulx-en-Velin players AS Saint-Étienne players Chelsea F.C. players Stoke City F.C. players Everton F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Al-Orobah FC players Ligue 1 players Premier League players Saudi Pro League players UEFA Champions League–winning players France men's youth international footballers France men's under-21 international footballers France men's international footballers UEFA Euro 2020 players UEFA Conference League–winning players French expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia French expatriate sportspeople in England French expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Black French sportspeople French sportspeople of Central African Republic descent French Muslims Animal welfare and rights in England Animal welfare and rights in France Animal cruelty incidents People convicted of cruelty to animals 21st-century Muslims French victims of crime French sportspeople convicted of crimes 21st-century French sportsmen