Jonathan Zebina

Jonathan Zebina (born 19 July 1978) is a French retired professional footballer.

Having started his career as a striker, he played right-back for much of his career before being increasingly used as a centre-back.

During his playing career, Zebina was an athletic defender, with good man-marking skills.

However, Zebina, at times, was criticised throughout his career for being error-prone.

He later made six more league appearances at the end of the 1996–97 season.

The following year Zebina continued to develop and he made 21 league appearances as Cannes were relegated to Ligue 2.

Zebina was then signed by Cagliari Calcio, whose president had spotted him during a match against Marseille while scouting Cyril Domoraud.

I had to impose myself.

There, you have to earn your place.

This is why the support of my family has been essential in the development of my profession which is football.

She followed me when I left Cannes for Cagliari and allowed me to keep a balance to which I am strongly attached.

I remember my first match with Cagliari, it was against Inter Milan and I had Roberto Baggio on the mark.

This deadline, this match, I had thought about it all week.

I was anxious and euphoric at the same time.

And you know what?

At the end of the meeting, when I returned home with my relatives, everything evaporated.

I was just happy.

This entourage allowed me to go titillate the highest level.

In Rome, for example, being a good footballer was not enough.

I arrived, a year when the craze in the city was palpable.

It wasn't even the pressure on our shoulders anymore.

I hardly ever went out into town, it was very difficult to go unnoticed.

To my great regret, moreover, I who like to be quiet.

It was, at times, very difficult to live with.

But like I said, my family has been very important in helping me get through the stages.

I have not been offered anything in the world of football.

So I clung to what is most dear to me.

This latest exhibition has come full circle and elsewhere the gallery closed its doors after that.

I realized that it was beyond a passion, a profession in its own right that I could no longer combine with that of a footballer.

He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against Inter Milan in the opening game of the season.

Since making his debut for Cagliari, Zebina was given a chance at a right-back position after injuries to two other defenders and soon made the position his own, in the process, he established a reputation as one of the most promising defenders in Europe.

In the second half of the season, Zebina found himself placed in the substitute bench in a number of matches, at times, he returned to the starting line–up.

In the last game of the season against Fiorentina, however, he scored an own goal, in a 1–1 draw.

After progressing through the youth system, Zebina made his debut for AS Cannes, where they were playing in the French Division 1 in a home game against Metz which ended 0–0 on 8 March 1997.

At the end of the 1998–99 season, Zebina went on to make twenty–four appearances in all competitions.

He spent his club career with several French and Italian clubs, most notably Roma – with whom he won a Serie A title and a Supercoppa Italiana in 2001 – and Juventus.

At international level, Zebina obtained his only senior cap for the France national team in 2005.

Born in Paris, France, Zebina began his football career at US Palaiseau, first joining the club when he was seven years old and started out playing as a striker.

However, due to competitions in the striker at the club's youth system, he was left out and soon playing in the right–back position.

Zebina then played for ES Viry-Châtillon before joining AS Cannes, where he began his professional football career there.