Biography
Who is Denis Zakaria?
Early life and career beginnings
Denis Zakaria was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 20, 1996. He grew up with a South Sudanese father and a Congolese mother. He began playing football locally for the club Servette in his hometown of Geneva.
He later moved to BSC Young Boys in June 2015, signing a four-year contract with the club. He made his Swiss Super League debut in July 2015 during a match against FC Zürich. During his time with Young Boys, he was named the Swiss Super League Young Player of the Year and earned a spot on the Swiss Super League Team of the Year for the 2016 and 2017 period.
Club career and European transfers
In June 2017, Denis signed a five-year contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach as a replacement for Mahmoud Dahoud. He made a total of 125 appearances and scored 11 goals for the German club before transferring to Juventus on January 31, 2022, on a four-and-a-half-year contract. He scored on his debut for Juventus against Hellas Verona in February 2022 and later reached the Coppa Italia final.
Denis moved to Premier League club Chelsea on a loan deal in September 2022 until the end of the season. He made his debut for Chelsea in November 2022 during a UEFA Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb, where he scored the winning goal in a 2 to 1 victory. Following his time in England, he moved permanently to Ligue 1 club Monaco in August 2023 on a five-year contract, where he eventually took on the role of team captain.
International career
Denis represented Switzerland at various youth levels, including the under-19 and under-21 national teams, before breaking into the senior squad. He made his senior debut for the Switzerland national team in May 2016 during a friendly match against Belgium. Because of his family background, he was also eligible to represent South Sudan or Congo at the senior level.
He was selected for the Switzerland squad for the 2016 European Championships and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals and the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. During the European Championship match against Spain, he scored an own goal that became the fastest in tournament history. He was later selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.
Playing style and physical attributes
Denis stands at a height of 191 centimeters and is primarily deployed as a defensive midfielder. Due to his physical strength, pace, athleticism, and aggressive playing style, analysts and observers have compared him to former players like Patrick Vieira and Paul Pogba. He is known for making surging forward runs from the midfield and acting as a composed passer.
While his primary position is in defensive midfield, he possesses the versatility to play in a central midfield role, a holding role, a box-to-box role, or even as a central defender when required by his teams.
Birthday and age
Denis Zakaria was born on November 20, 1996, which makes Denis 29 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. Denis shares the date with 30 other famous people.
Explore more
