Teenage kicks: Kurt Zouma

Kurt Zouma is the latest player to look back on his time learning the game as a young footballer...

What age did you start at a club?
I started when I was nine at a small club in Lyon before I joined St-Etienne. The club was called Vaulx-En-Velin, and then when I was 15 I came to St-Etienne. The Vaulx-En-Velin senior team played in CFA which is like League Two in England.

What positions did you play?

When I started football at nine, I played right winger and also then striker. Since then, for 10 years, I have played defender. I was average height and then in one year I grew 17 centimetres. I became very tall suddenly and at first it was difficult, but after that I improved to be quick despite my tall size. I worked very hard.

Did you play with anyone who went on to make it as a major player?
Nobody of my age yet but I have friends still in the reserves at St-Etienne where they have a big squad. So maybe soon. We are still young.

Tells us about important coaches for you.
When I was with the Under-18s, my coach was Abdel Bouhazama and I worked very hard with him and I learned in every training session. For me he was very important and after that, Christophe Galtier, my first coach with the first team at St-Etienne, put me in a League Cup match against Bordeaux at right-back for my debut. I was very happy because after that I stayed in the first team.

Where did you live? How did you get to training?
I was born in Lyon and my parents lived in Lyon, but after I moved to St-Etienne I lived there, close to the training ground. I lived alone and then after a while with my friend. I was about five minutes away on feet and after that with a car, two minutes.

What was your favourite music during your academy years?

There was a lot. Akon - Right Now. I love this music, I listened to this with my friends in my room and I liked dancing – Logobi - an African dance (as demonstrated below by the band Logobi GT). When I was with my friends we listened and danced every day




Any clothes or haircuts you are embarrassed about now?
Before, when I was a little bit crazy I had my shirt number, no.4, shaved in my hair and I also had KZ – the first letters of my name. No special clothes – normal clothes like everybody.


Looking back, what was the best piece of advice you received?
The most important was from Abdel Bouhazama who said you are young, you are a good player but you have to learn every day.


What were the facilities like?

They were not like Chelsea but they were good.

Did you win any youth team competitions?

No, but I was awarded the best young player in the squad twice.

Tell us about the moment when you were given a professional contract?

When I signed it I was with my mother and father and my mother cried. My father told her - stop, stop, we are not alone - but she couldn’t because she had big emotion. I was very happy and I could see that my mother was very happy. After that we went back to Lyon and eat with all my family a meal made by a famous chef. So a big day.