Kurt Zouma

Kurt Happy Zouma (born 27 October 1994) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captains club West Ham United.

Zouma joined Saint-Étienne 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 Christophe Galtier ahead of the 2011–12 season, and initially played without a name on his shirt in order 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 match against Bordeaux, playing the entire match in a 3–1 win.

On 17 September, he made his Ligue 1 debut in a 3–0 loss at Lorient; his first professional goal came on 19 November, replacing Paulão after nine minutes and finishing a corner kick to confirm a 2–0 win before half time at OGC Nice.

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 at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

Zouma began his career at Saint-Étienne, making his professional debut aged 16, and going on to win the Coupe de la Ligue with the club in 2013.

On 20 April 2013, Zouma played in Saint-Étienne's 1–0 win over Rennes in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue.

Eight days later in the Derby du Rhone away to Lyon, he opened a 1–1 draw by heading Yohan Mollo'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.

He remained at Saint-Étienne on loan 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 in the third round of the League Cup.

He made his second Chelsea start and first UEFA Champions League appearance on 21 October against Maribor, helping his team keep a clean sheet in a 6–0 win.

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, a UEFA Champions League title and a UEFA Super Cup.

After loan spells with Stoke City and Everton, he moved to across London to West Ham in 2021, winning the UEFA Conference League in his second season.

Zouma represented France at several youth levels, up to under-21.

On 31 January 2014, Zouma joined Chelsea on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a transfer fee believed to be around £12 million (€14.6 million).

He made his Premier League debut as an added-time substitute for Willian in the 1–1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on 26 October 2014.

He made his senior international debut against Denmark on 29 March 2015.

Born in Lyon, 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.

On 4 January 2015, Zouma scored the third goal for Chelsea in the 3–0 victory over Watford in the FA Cup.

Six days later, he started in the Premier League for the first time, partnering John Terry in place of Gary Cahill and keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 home win over Newcastle United, which put Chelsea back into first place in the league table.

With Nemanja Matić suspended and Mikel John Obi injured, Zouma played in defensive midfield as Chelsea won the League Cup Final on 1 March after a 2–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

On 3 May, he featured as a substitute for the final five minutes in place of Willian as Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace 1–0 to win the league title.

On 2 August 2015, Zouma was a 69th-minute substitute for César Azpilicueta as Chelsea lost 1–0 to rivals Arsenal in the Community Shield.

Starting ahead of John Terry, he scored his first Premier League goal on 19 September, heading in Cesc Fàbregas' 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 in the Champions League group stage.

Under interim manager Guus Hiddink, 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 traveled and trained with the first-team during preseason.

Chelsea also rejected a loan offer from Schalke 04.

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 4 February, he made his first appearance of the 2016–17 Premier League season as a substitute in a 3–1 win against rivals Arsenal.

On 8 January 2017, Zouma made his first team comeback in Chelsea's 4–1 FA Cup third-round win over Peterborough United.

Following agreeing to a new six-year contract with Chelsea, on 21 July 2017, Zouma joined fellow Premier League club Stoke City on loan for the 2017–18 season.

On 12 August, he made his debut in a 1–0 loss at Everton.