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Didier Zokora
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Didier Zokora | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Didier Zokora | |
| Date of birth | December 14, 1980 (age 26) | |
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire | |
| Height | 5'10" / 1.79m | |
| Nickname | Maestro, Didi, Zok, Zoko-Pops | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1999-00 2000-04 2004-06 2006- |
ASEC Mimosas KRC Genk AS Saint-Etienne Tottenham Hotspur |
0 (0) 126 (1) 66 (2) 23 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2000- | Cote d'Ivoire | 41 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Didier "Maestro" Zokora (born December 14, 1980 in Abidjan) is an Ivorian footballer who plays the position of midfielder. He joined the English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2006. Zokora plays in a withdrawn defensive role and is a strong tactical player in the middle of the park.
Starting his career in Côte d'Ivoire, in 2000 eventually moved abroad to play for Belgian team KRC Genk. In the summer of 2004 he went to play for AS Saint-Étienne. Zokora has also played 41 international matches for the Côte d'Ivoire national football team, as of October 2006.
Just before Christmas of 2005, his agent revealed that his contract had a £10 million release fee at the end of the season (June 2006). He noted that Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal were all vying for his client's signature, and as of December 22, Arsenal looked like the most likely candidate to win his signature. However, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger publicly stated that he would not make a move for Zokora (although, enigmatically, club scout Gilles Grimandi stated that the club may target an unnamed Ligue 1 midfielder, later revealed to be Abou Diaby), making Manchester United (looking to replace Roy Keane) seemingly the forerunners of the race to sign him.
On June 22, 2006, pictures of him posing with a Tottenham Hotspur fan and his flag surfaced. The fan claimed he met up with Damien Comolli, Didier Zokora and his agent, who claimed he was close to signing for Tottenham. The same day, Eurosport France posted the news that AS Saint-Étienne and Tottenham Hotspur had agreed a deal at around £8.6 million. On June 30, 2006 he completed his move to Tottenham.
Didier has become a firm favourite amongst the Tottenham Hotspur fans, in the short time he has been a player at the club most notably for his powerful attacking runs as well as his enthusiastic celebrations of goals and his interaction with the fans after games.
- Didier Zokora career stats at Soccerbase
- (French) Club profile
 |
Côte d'Ivoire squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup | |
|---|---|---|
|
1 Tizié | 2 Akalé | 3 Boka | 4 K. Touré | 5 Zokora | 6 Kouassi | 7 Faé | 8 Kalou | 9 A. Koné | 10 Yapi Yapo | 11 Drogba | 12 Méïté | 13 Zoro | 14 B. Koné | 15 Dindane | 16 Gnanhouan | 17 Domoraud | 18 Keïta | 19 Y. Touré | 20 Demel | 21 Eboué | 22 Romaric | 23 Barry | Coach: Michel |
||
| Tottenham Hotspur F.C. - Current Squad |
|---|
|
1 Robinson | 2 Chimbonda | 3 Lee Y.P. | 4 Zokora | 6 Tainio | 7 Stalteri | 8 Jenas | 9 Berbatov | 10 Keane | 11 Mido | 12 Černý | 13 Murphy | 14 Ghaly | 15 Malbranque | 17 Alnwick | 18 Defoe | 19 Taarabt | 20 Dawson | 22 Huddlestone | 24 O'Hara | 25 Lennon | 26 King | 28 Barnard | 29 Ifil | 30 Gardner | 32 Assou-Ekotto | 33 Rocha | 35 Dervite | 38 C. Lee | 39 Barcham | Manager: Jol |
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