Steve Zakuani

Steve Zakuani

Zakuani playing for Seattle Sounders FC in 2010
Personal information
Date of birth	(1988-02-09) 9 February 1988 (age 29)
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Zaire
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Winger
Youth career
1997–2003	Arsenal
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2008	Akron Zips	44	(26)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008	Cleveland Internationals	11	(9)
2009–2013	Seattle Sounders FC	80	(17)
2014	Portland Timbers	17	(0)
Total		108	(26)
National team‡
2010	DR Congo	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 October 2014. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 October 2014

Steve Zakuani (born 9 February 1988) is a Congolese former association football player. He was born in Zaire—now the Democratic Republic of the Congo—and grew up in London. He had a successful college career before playing for Seattle Sounders FC and the Portland Timbers.

Zakuani played for the Arsenal youth academy but as a teenager he struggled finding a team. He attended the University of Akron on a soccer scholarship and excelled as a forward. In 2009, Seattle selected Zakuani first overall in the MLS SuperDraft. He quickly became a fan favorite as a winger who had the speed and ability to take on opposing defenders. He had success in 2010, scoring ten goals and debuting for the Congo DR national football team in a friendly. However, in 2011, he suffered a leg injury that almost ended his career. He returned in 2012 but failed to recapture his early success, and retired after playing the 2014 MLS season with the Portland Timbers. After soccer, Zakuani has pursued helping young athletes through charity.

Zakuani was born in Kinshasa, Zaire—now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When he was four, his father, Mao Zakuani, moved his family to London for political and professional reasons after receiving a job offer as a translator. The family switched homes often and lived with extended family for long periods. They later settled in a north London neighborhood with other African families, where Zakuani attended White Hart Lane School.

At the age of nine, Zakuani attracted interest from West Ham United's youth program. He later tried out for the youth team of Queens Park Rangers, and in 1997, he joined the Arsenal Academy. Zakuani became cocky and brash while not focusing on schoolwork and was released. His off-the-field issues culminated in serious injuries when he was involved in a crash while riding on a moped that one of his friends had stolen. Zakuani was unable to play for 18 months. After losing interest in soccer and renewing his efforts in school, his teacher and mentor Paul Goodison took him to watch motivational speaker and evangelist Myles Munroe. This inspired Zakuani to renew his commitment to becoming a professional player and, although unsuccessful, he tried out for the senior teams of Queens Park Rangers, Wigan Athletic, AZ Alkmaar, and Real Valladolid.