Denis Zakaria

Denis Lemi Zakaria Lako Lado (born 20 November 1996) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Serie A club Juventus and the Switzerland national team.

Club Career

Servette

Born in Geneva, Switzerland, to a South Sudanese mother and Congolese father, Zakaria first began playing for local club Servette.

Young Boys

Zakaria joined Young Boys in June 2015 for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year contract. He made his Swiss Super League debut on 18 July 2015 against FC Zurich in 1–1 away draw replacing Alexander Gerndt after 79 minutes.

Borussia Monchengladbach

In June 2017, Zakaria signed a five-year contract with Borussia Monchengladbach. He was transferred as a replacement for Mahmoud Dahoud who left the club for Borussia Dortmund. The transfer fee paid to Young Boys for Zakaria was reported as €10 million. Zakaria scored a total of 11 goals in 125 appearances for Borussia Monchengladbach.

Juventus

On 31 January 2022, with six months remaining on his contract, Zakaria moved to Serie A club Juventus on a four-and-a-half-year contract, in a deal worth €4.5 million. On 6 February, Zakaria scored on his debut in the 61st minute, helping his side beat Hellas Verona 2–0.

International Career

Zakaria played for various Swiss youth national teams. He could have represented either Switzerland, South Sudan or Congo at a senior level due to being born in Switzerland and having South Sudanese and Congolese parents.

Zakaria made his debut for the senior Switzerland national team in a friendly 2–1 loss to Belgium on 28 May 2016. He was part of the squad for the 2016 European Championships. Zakaria was included in the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Денис Закариа (russian)