Lionel Zouma

Lionel Christopher Zouma (born 10 September 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Championnat National 3 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.

On 12 July 2016, Zouma signed a three-year contract with Greek club Asteras Tripolis of Super League Greece. 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.

In 2019, he moved to Dhofar Club in Oman.

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.

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