Zain Alexander Walker (born 8 January 2002) is an English 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

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for club

Sittingbourne Sittingbourne is an industrial town in the Swale district of Kent, southeast England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons. The town stands next to th ...

Career

Bristol Rovers

Born in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

, Walker began his career with

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

, moving to

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...

at the age of 16. He made his debut on 13 November 2018 in the

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Motors, Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football, football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and ...

, one of four Bristol Rovers players (alongside

Tareiq Holmes-Dennis Tareiq Marcus Holmes-Dennis (born 31 October 1995) is an English former professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Corinthian-Casuals. Club career Charlton Athletic Born in Farnborough, England, Holmes-Dennis started his footb ...

, Connor Jones and

Theo Widdrington Theo Jack Widdrington (born 6 April 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays for club Aldershot Town as a midfielder. Early and personal life Born in Southampton, Widdrington is the second son and middle child of Tommy Widdringto ...

) to do so in that match. Walker also became the first player born in the 2000s to play for Bristol Rovers. On 4 September 2020, Walker signed a new two-year deal contract with Rovers with an option for a further year, following an impressive pre-season. Walker made his first league appearance for the club in a 4–1 defeat to

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

coming off of the bench in the 74 minute. Having featured off of the bench a few times, Rovers' third manager of the season

Joey Barton Joseph Anthony Barton (born 2 September 1982) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Barton made 269 appearances in the Premier League, including 130 for Manchester City; he was most recentl ...

promoted both Walker and fellow Development Squad player Pablo Martinez to train with the first team in early March 2021 as Rovers fought to avoid relegation. Walker made his full debut for the club when he started on 27 March 2021 in a 1–0 home defeat to

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

. On 8 September 2021, Walker joined

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 ...

side King's Lynn Town on a one-month youth loan deal. He made his debut that weekend, starting and playing 66 minutes of a 2–1 defeat to

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 ...

. On 12 November 2021, Walker joined

National League South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National League (English football), National Leagues and step ...

side

Chippenham Town Chippenham Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of and play their games at Hardenhuish Park. History The club states it was established in 1873,

on loan along with his Rovers teammate

Cameron Hargreaves Cameron Hargreaves (born 1 December 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Aldershot Town. Career Exeter City Hargreaves began his career in the youth academy at Exeter City. He was released by the c ...

. He made his debut the following day but was forced off after 30 minutes with a muscle injury.

King's Lynn Town

On 19 January 2022, Walker joined National League side King's Lynn Town for an undisclosed fee having spent time on loan there earlier in the season.

Aldershot Town

In July 2023, Walker signed for National League club

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...

on a one-year deal, reuniting with former King's Lynn manager

Tommy Widdrington Thomas Widdrington (born 1 October 1971) is an English former association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager who is manager of club Aldershot Town F.C., Aldershot Town. As a midfielder, Widdrington made 372 ...

. On 2 August 2023, he joined National League North club

Bishop's Stortford Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is in the London metropolitan area, London commuter belt, near the border with Essex, just west of the ...

on loan until January 2024. The loan ended in January 2024. He returned to the club the following month on loan until the end of the season. Walker was released by Aldershot upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2023–24 season.

Welling United

On 31 May 2024, Walker joined National League South club

Welling United Welling United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The most prominent aspect of the club is its men's first team, who play in the , the seventh level of the E ...

Sittingbourne

In June 2025, Walker joined

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

South East Division side

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Zain 2002 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Wandsworth People from Wandsworth English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Fulham F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players King's Lynn Town F.C. players Chippenham Town F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Bishop's Stortford F.C. players Welling United F.C. players Sittingbourne F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players 21st-century English sportsmen