Lionel Zouma Explained

Lionel Zouma
Upright:0.8
Full Name:Lionel Christopher Zouma
Birth Date:10 September 1993
Birth Place:Lyon, France
Height:1.90 m[1]
Position:Centre-back
Currentclub:Bourgoin-Jallieu
Clubnumber:14
Youthyears1:2003–2007
Youthclubs1:FC Vaulx-en-Velin
Youthyears2:2007–2010
Youthclubs2:Sochaux
Years1:2010–2013
Clubs1:Sochaux B
Caps1:65
Goals1:4
Years2:2011–2016
Clubs2:Sochaux
Caps2:32
Goals2:0
Years3:2016–2018
Clubs3:Asteras Tripolis
Caps3:1
Goals3:0
Years4:2018–2019
Clubs4:Bourg-en-Bresse
Caps4:18
Goals4:0
Years5:2019–2020
Clubs5:Dhofar
Caps5:21
Goals5:0
Years6:2021–2023
Clubs6:Vevey-Sports
Caps6:48
Goals6:5
Years7:2024–
Clubs7:Bourgoin-Jallieu
Caps7:5
Goals7:0
Nationalyears1:2012
Nationalteam1:France U19
Nationalcaps1:1
Nationalgoals1:0
Club-Update:15:24, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

Lionel Christopher Zouma (born 10 September 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Championnat National 2 club Bourgoin-Jallieu. Born in France, he elected to represent the Central African Republic at international level.

Club career

Born in Lyon, Zouma began his development at Vaulx-en-Velin before moving to Sochaux, where he made his senior debut for their reserve team in CFA (fourth tier) in the second half of the 2010–11 season.

Zouma made his professional debut on 16 October 2011 in a league match against Valenciennes.[2]

On 12 July 2016, Zouma signed a three-year contract with Greek club Asteras Tripoli of Superleague Greece.[3] On 25 January 2018, he was released.

Following his release, Zouma trained from March 2018 with Bourg-en-Bresse. On 21 June, following their relegation to the Championnat National, he signed a two-year deal.[4]

In 2019, he moved to Dhofar Club in Oman.[5]

International career

In October 2017, Zouma accepted and was called up for the Central African Republic for the friendly match against Equatorial Guinea in Malabo.[6]

Personal life

Zouma's younger brother, Kurt, plays in the same position for English club West Ham and has represented France at senior level.[7] Another younger brother, Yoan, made his professional debut for Bolton Wanderers in 2019.[8] Their parents emigrated from the Central African Republic.[9]

Notes and References

  1. News: Lionel Zouma UNFP Profile . . 22 February 2012 . French.
  2. News: Valenciennes v. Sochaux Match Report . . 16 October 2011 . 22 February 2012 . French.
  3. News: ATFC: Στα κιτρινομπλέ ο Lionel Zouma. ATFC: Lionel Zouma in yellow and blue . . 12 July 2016 . 12 July 2016 . Greek.
  4. News: Lionel Zouma signe en Bourg-en-Bresse. Lionel Zouma signs for Bourg-en-Bresse . 11 August 2018 . L'Équipe . 21 June 2018 . French.
  5. News: Atiso . Kofi . Kondogbia présent, Zouma la surprise, toute la liste de la Centrafrique. Kondogbia present, Zouma the surprise, all of Central Africa's squad . 17 November 2019 . Afrique Sports . 6 November 2019 . French.
  6. News: Fauves A: La liste des 22 joueurs convoqués pour Malabo . Wildcats senior team: The list of the 22 players chosen for Malabo. 11 August 2018 . Bangui.com . 2 October 2017 . French.
  7. News: Les retrouvailles des " jumeaux " Zouma. The reunion of the Zouma "twins". 29 January 2015. Le Parisien. 23 March 2014. French.
  8. News: Moore . Glenn . Defiance, pride and anger as Bolton fans cheer on team of strangers . 3 August 2019 . The Guardian . 3 August 2019.
  9. News: France: Kurt Zouma parle de la paix en Centrafrique. France: Kurt Zouma speaks of peace in the Central African Republic. 28 August 2015. Journal de Bangui. 8 October 2014. French.