Kurt Happy Zouma is a French professional football player who plays for Premier League club West Ham United and the France national team as a centre-back. He started playing football for the youth team of FC Vaulx-en-Velin in 2003 and played until 2009. In 2009, he joined the youth team of Saint-Etienne and began his career at the club, making his professional debut aged 16, and going on to win the Coupe de la Ligue with the club in 2013. 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). During his career at Chelsea, he was loaned to three different clubs: Saint-Etienne, Stoke City, and Everton. With Chelsea, he won two Premier League, one Football League Cup, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Super Cup. On 28 August 2021, he joined West Ham United for £29.8 million signing a four-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 16 September 2021 in the Europa League.
On the international level, he has represented France at various age levels. He has represented France at U16, U17, U19, U20, U21, and the senior level. He was part of the France U20 squad that won the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey. He made his international team debut for France on 29 March 2015. He was named in France’s final squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 where he didn’t make any appearances for the team as his team was eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland on penalties by 7-8.
What is Kurt Zouma Famous For?
- Being a French professional football player.
- For playing as a center-back for Premier League club West Ham United.
What nationality is Kurt Zouma?
Kurt Happy Zouma was born on 27 October 1994. His birthplace is Lyon, France. He was born to his father Guy Zouma, and his mother whose name is unknown. He grew up alongside an older brother identified as Lionel and 4 other siblings. His older brother Lionel plays in the same position, and his younger brother Yoan is also a defender. His parents emigrated to France from the Central African Republic. He is named after Kurt Sloane, Jean-Claude Van Damme’s character in the 1989 film Kickboxer, while his middle name Happy reflects an African tradition of using positive words as middle names. He holds French nationality. He belongs to the African ethnicity. His religion is Muslim. His horoscope sign is Scorpio.
Which club is Kurt Zouma playing now?
- He started playing football for the youth team of FC Vaulx-en-Velin in 2003 and played until 2009. He played as a right-winger and also as a striker before switching to his current position as a defender.
- In 2009, he joined the youth team of Saint-Etienne and began his career at the club. On 2 April 2011, he signed his first professional contract, agreeing to a three-year contract. He made his professional debut at 16 years old, on 31 August 2011 in a 3-1 win against Bordeaux in a Coupe de la Ligue match. He then made his Ligue 1 debut for the club on 17 September 2011 in a 3-0 loss to Lorient. On 19 November 2011, he scored his first professional goal for the club in a 2-0 win over OGC Nice. In his first season, he made 24 appearances for the club, scoring 2 goals in all the competitions.
- On 20 April 2013, he played in Saint-Etienne’s 1-0 win over Rennes in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue. During his 2012-13 season, he made 23 appearances for the club, scoring 2 goals in all the competitions as Saint-Etienne won the Coupe de la Ligue that season.
- On 7 November 2013, he was banned for ten games following a challenge that left Sochaux’s Thomas Guerbert with a broken right leg and a dislocated ankle.
- On 31 January 2014, he joined Chelsea on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a transfer fee believed to be around £12 million (€14.6 million). He remained at Saint-Etienne on loan for the remainder of the 2013-14 season. During his 2013-14 season, he made 27 appearances for the club, providing 1 assist in all the competitions.
- He made his first competitive appearance for Chelsea on 24 September 2014, 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 for Chelsea on 21 October 2014 in a 6-0 win against Maribor. He made his Premier League debut for the club on 26 October 2014 in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. During his 2014-15 season, he made 26 appearances for the club, scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist in all the competitions as Chelsea won the Premier League and Football League Cup that season.
- On 19 September 2015, he scored his first Premier League goal for the club in a 2-0 home win over Arsenal. 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. On 7 February 2016, he 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. During his 2015-16 season, he made 32 appearances for the club, scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist in all the competitions.
- In the summer of 2016, he traveled and trained with the first team during the preseason. On 24 October, he made his first competitive appearance after being out of action for nine months, playing 45 minutes for the Chelsea U23 team in a 2-2 draw against Derby County. On 8 January 2017, he made his first-team comeback in Chelsea’s 4-1 FA Cup third-round win over Peterborough United. On 4 February 2017, he made his first appearance of the 2016-17 Premier League season as a substitute in a 3-1 win against rivals Arsenal. During his 2016-17 season, he made 17 appearances for the club, providing 1 assist in all the competitions as Chelsea won the Premier League that season.
- Following agreeing to a new six-year contract with Chelsea, on 21 July 2017, he joined fellow Premier League club Stoke City on loan for the 2017-18 season. He made his debut for the club on 12 August 2017 in a 1-0 loss against Everton. On 20 November 2017, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion. During his loan spell at Stoke City, he made 37 appearances for the club, scoring once in all the competitions as Stoke City suffered relegation to the EFL Championship.
- On 10 August 2018, he joined fellow Premier League club, Everton, on loan for the 2018-19 season. He made his debut for the club on 25 August as a last-minute substitute for the injured Michael Keane in a 2-2 draw at AFC Bournemouth. On 13 January 2019, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 home win also against AFC Bournemouth. On 9 February 2019, he was sent off for dissent after the final whistle in a 1-0 loss at Watford. During his loan spell at Everton, he made 36 appearances for the club, scoring 2 goals and providing 2 assists in all the competitions.
- He then returned to Chelsea following the expiration of his loan at Everton. On 11 August 2019, he made his first appearance of the season as a starter in the 4-0 away defeat to Manchester United. On 25 September 2019, he was back on the scoresheet in a 7-1 home win against Grimsby Town in the third round of the EFL Cup. On 1 January 2020, he marked his 100th appearance for the club as Chelsea drew 1-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion at Falmer Stadium. During his 2019-20 season, he made 43 appearances for the club, scoring once and providing 3 assists in all the competitions.
- On 14 September 2020, he scored his first Premier League goal in over five years for Chelsea in a 3-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. On 6 December 2020, he headed in his team’s second goal of a 3-1 win over Leeds United. 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, he had also won 74.5 percent of his duels, which put him among the top 20 players in Europe. During his 2020-21 season, he made 36 appearances for the club, scoring 5 goals in all the competitions as Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League that season.
- On 11 August 2021, he made his last appearance for Chelsea in their win in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup against Villarreal. The game finished 1-1 before being decided in a penalty shoot-out. Villarreal’s equalizer had come following a poor defensive clearance by him. In August 2021 he left to join West Ham United. He had played 151 games for Chelsea, scoring 10 goals and providing 6 assists in all competitions.
- On 28 August 2021, he joined West Ham United for £29.8 million signing a four-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 16 September 2021 in a 2-0 win against Dinamo Zagreb in a Europa League. On 7 November 2021, he scored his first goal for West Ham, the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over Liverpool.
Kurt Zouma International Career
- He has represented France at various age levels.
- He has represented France at U16, U17, U19, U20, U21, and the senior level.
- He played with the U17 team at the 2011 UEFA European U17 Championship and the 2011 FIFA U17 World Cup.
- He has been the captain of the French U21 team.
- He was part of the France U20 squad that won the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey.
- On 19 March 2015, he was called him up for the first time for friendlies against Brazil and Denmark.
- He made his international team debut for France on 29 March 2015 in a 2-0 friendly win against Denmark at his former club ground with Saint-Etienne, the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
- After his injury for Chelsea in February, he missed France’s hosting of UEFA Euro 2016.
- He returned to the squad in August 2017, replacing the injured Raphael Varane for a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands.
- He then earned his first France cap in over three years on 11 October 2018 as a substitute in a 2-2 friendly draw with Iceland.
- On 11 June 2019, he 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 in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match.
- He was named in France’s final squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 where he didn’t make any appearances for the team as his team was eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland on penalties by 7-8.
Honors
- Won the 2012-13 Coupe de la Ligue with Saint-Etienne.
- Won the 2014-15, 2016-17 Premier League with Chelsea.
- Won the 2014-15 Football League Cup with Chelsea.
- Won the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League with Chelsea.
- Won the 2021 UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea.
- Won the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup with France U20.
Awards
- Won the 2014-15 Chelsea Young Player of the Year.
How much does Zouma get paid?
Kurt Zouma earns from his professional career as a football player. His income is from contracts, salaries, bonuses, and endorsements. In January 2014, he joined Chelsea on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a transfer fee believed to be around £12 million (€14.6 million). In August 2021, he joined West Ham United for £29.8 million signing a four-year contract. As of 2022, his estimated net worth is €26.7 million and his salary is £5.2 million. His market value is around €32 million.
Is Kurt Zouma married?
Looking at his personal life, he is a married guy. He got married to his beautiful girlfriend, Sandra Zouma who have been together for a long time. They tied the knot back in 2012. The couple is blessed with three children. He has an intimate relationship with his wife and children where they are living their life happily together.
What is the height of Kurt Zouma?
Kurt Zouma stands at a height of 1.90m i.e. 6 feet and 3 inches tall. He has a bodyweight of 95kg. He has an athletic body build. His eye color is dark brown and his hair color is black. His sexual orientation is straight. His other body measurement such as chest size, biceps size, and waist size is still got to get revealed yet. Overall, he has got a healthy body.
Source: Gossip G
