Wilfried Zahibo

Wilfried Aimeric Jocelyn Ziri Zahibo (born 21 August 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder. Born in France, he represents the Central African Republic national football team.

Wilfried Zahibo
Zahibo playing For Valencia in 2015
Personal information
Full name Wilfried Aimeric Jocelyn Ziri Zahibo[1]
Date of birth (1993-08-21) 21 August 1993
Place of birth Marseille, France
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
2008–2010 FC Sète 34
2010–2012 Ajaccio
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Ajaccio B 26 (0)
2013 Ajaccio 0 (0)
2013–2014 Ponferradina 0 (0)
2013–2014 → Fuenlabrada (loan) 19 (0)
2014–2016 Valencia B 68 (3)
2015–2016 Valencia 2 (0)
2016–2018 Gimnàstic 21 (0)
2018–2020 New England Revolution 58 (5)
2020 Houston Dynamo 4 (0)
National team
2019– Central African Republic 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 November 2020

Club career

Ajaccio

Born in Marseille and raised in Guadeloupe, Zahibo spent time with FC Sète 34 before he joined the academy of AC Ajaccio.[2] During the 2011–12 season, he made 2 appearances for the Ajaccio reserve team in the Championnat de France Amateur 2, the 5th tier of French football. The following year, Zahibo established himself in the side, making 24 appearances for the reserve team.[3] On 5 January 2013, he made his first team debut for Ajaccio against FC Rouen in the Coupe de France. Zahibo scored his first professional goal in the 88th minute to level the score at one all, but Ajaccio would lose 3–2 on penalties.[4][5]

Fuenlabrada

Zahibo rejected a new contract from Ajaccio in 2013 after expressing his desire to play in Spain and wanting more first team chances.[6] In August 2013, he signed with SD Ponferradina of the Spanish Segunda División and was sent on loan to Segunda División B club CF Fuenlabrada.[7][8][9] He made his Fuenlabrada debut on 25 August 2013 in a 0–0 draw with Barakaldo CF. Zahibo played in 19 of a possible 21 league games during his time with Fuenlabrada.[10]

Valencia

On 23 January 2014, Zahibo signed with Valencia CF, being initially assigned to the B-side.[11] He made his Valencia B debut on 25 January in a 3–0 loss to CD Olímpic de Xàtiva. He made 11 appearances during his first season with Valencia B. Zahibo established himself as a key player for the reserves during the 2014–15 season, making 33 appearances and scoring twice as he helped Valencia B avoid relegation to the 4th tier.[12]

Zahibo started the 2015–16 season with the B team before being promoted to the Valencia first team. On 16 December, he made his debut for the first team, playing the full 90 of a 2–0 win over Barakaldo CF in the Copa del Rey. He scored his first goal for the first team on 14 January in 3–0 win in a Copa del Rey match against Granada CF.[10] Zahibo made his first La Liga appearance on 24 January, playing 60 minutes in a 1–1 draw at Deportivo de La Coruña.[13] The 2015–16 saw Zahibo make 7 total appearances and score one goal for the first team, while also making 24 for Valencia B.[12]

Gimnàstic

On 8 July 2016, Zahibo signed a three-year deal with Segunda División side Gimnàstic de Tarragona.[14][15] He made his debut for Gimnàstic on 21 August, starting in a 2–2 home draw against CD Lugo.[16] Zahibo made 15 appearances in the league, helping them to a 14th-place finish, along with 2 more appearances in the Copa del Rey during his first season with Gimnàstic.[12]

He played 7 times for Nàstic in the 2017–18 season before agreeing to terminate his contract on 5 January 2018.[17]

New England Revolution

On 11 January 2018 Zahibo signed with Major League Soccer side New England Revolution.[18] He made his debut for the Revolution on 3 March in a 2–0 loss to the Philadelphia Union. He picked up 2 assists on 24 March to help the Revs to a 2–2 draw with New York City FC. On 6 April Zahibo scored his first goal for the Revolution and added an assist to help New England get a 4–0 win over the Montreal Impact. The performance saw Zahibo be named to the MLS Team of the Week.[19] On 5 May he scored 2 goals, however New England lost the game 4–2 to Montreal. He ended his first season in New England with 4 goals and 4 assists from 31 MLS regular season appearances as well as 1 appearance in the U.S. Open Cup.[19][12] However the Revs finished 8th in the Eastern Conference, 9 points off the final playoff spot.[20] Zahibo received MLS All-Star honors for 2018, and played in the 2018 MLS All-Star Game against Juventus.[21]

Zahibo scored his first goal of the 2019 season on 24 August in a 2–1 win over the Chicago Fire. On 29 September, he had an assist in a 2–0 Revolution win against NYCFC to clinch a playoff spot for the Revolution in their penultimate game of the regular season. Zahibo ended the regular season with 24 games, 1 goal and 1 assist, helping New England to a 7th-place finish in the Eastern Conference. He also had 1 assists from 2 games in the Open Cup. Zahibo started the Revs' playoff game, however they would lose 1–0 to Atlanta United.[19]

Zahibo played in the first 2 games of the 2020 season before the season was paused in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MLS returned to play in July with the MLS is Back Tournament. Zahibo missed the Revolution's first 2 games of the tournament due to an injury, but returned on 21 July for the final game of the group stage, a 0–0 draw with Toronto FC.[19] He started the round of 16 matchup with the Philadelphia Union, but the Revs would lose 1–0.[22]

Houston Dynamo

On 17 August 2020, Zahibo was traded to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for Tommy McNamara and an international roster spot. with New England also acquiring $175,000 of General Allocation Money spread over 2020 and 2021.[23] He made his Dynamo debut on 2 September, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 win over Minnesota United. He made his first start on 9 September in a 1–1 draw at the Colorado Rapids, but was substituted at half time.[22] Zahibo missed the next 5 games with a thigh injury.[24] On 7 October he returned to action, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 win over FC Dallas. He ended the season making 4 appearances for the Dynamo.[22] It was a poor season for Houston, ending the year last in the Western Conference, missing out on the playoffs.[25] His contract option was declined by Houston following their 2020 season.[26]

International career

Born in France and raised in Guadeloupe, Zahibo was eligible to represent Ivory Coast through his mother and the Central African Republic through his father.[27][28] In October 2019, Zahibo was called up by the Central African Republic for a friendly match against Niger, but he did not appear in the game.[29] He was called up again in November for qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his international debut on 13 November, coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 win over Burundi. Zahibo got his first start for Les Fauves on 19 November in a 2–0 loss to Mauritania.[30]

Personal life

Zahibo was born in Marseille, France to an Ivorian father and a Central African mother.[27] When he was young, his family moved to Guadeloupe for his dad's work. Zahibo began playing football when he was 8 years old.[8][2] When he was 14, Zahibo moved back to France and lived with his uncle in Sète in hopes of pursuing football professionally. He played in the youth teams of FC Sète 34 before joining the youth ranks of AC Ajaccio.[2]

He is fluent in French, Spanish and English.[19] Zahibo has a son.[31]

Career statistics
As of 10 November 2020[32][33][34][35]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ajaccio B 2011–12 CFA 2 20————20
2012–13 240————240
Total 26000000000260
Ajaccio 2012–13 Ligue 1 001100——11
Ponferradina 2013–14 Segunda División 0000———00
Fuenlabrada (loan) 2013–14 Segunda División B 19000———190
Valencia B 2013–14 Segunda División B 110————110
2014–15 332————332
2015–16 241————241
Total 68300000000683
Valencia 2015–16 La Liga 2051—00—71
Gimnàstic 2016–17 Segunda División 15020———170
2017–18 6010———70
Total 21030000000240
New England Revolution 2018 Major League Soccer 31410———324
2019 2411010——261
2020 3[lower-alpha 3]0000 0—1[lower-alpha 4]040
Total 58520100010645
Houston Dynamo 2020 Major League Soccer 4000———40
Career total 198811210001021110
  1. Appearances in Coupe de France, Copa del Rey, and U.S. Open Cup
  2. Appearances in Coupe de la Ligue and MLS Cup Playoffs
  3. Includes one appearance in the MLS is Back Tournament group stage
  4. Appearance in the MLS is Back Tournament knockout stage

Honours

Individual

References
  1. "Acta del Partido celebrado el 24 de enero de 2016, en A Coruña" [Minutes of the Match held on 24 January 2016, in A Coruña] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  2. "Interview Wilfried Zahibo "Je n'ai rien lâché"". Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  3. Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Wilfried Zahibo". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  4. "Road to Rouen as Emon loses on debut". SuperSport. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  5. "Rouen vs. Ajaccio - 5 January 2013 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  6. "Zahibo, una 'perla' a la espera de destino" [Zahibo, a 'gem' waiting to be placed]. Marca (in Spanish). 25 July 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  7. Rodríguez, Javier (14 August 2013). "Zahibo aprueba el periodo de prueba — Portaldelsur.es". portaldelsur. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  8. "Videoentrevista a Wilfried Zahibo: "Vamos a intentar ganar por Carlos Delgado" - Valencia News". Valencia News. 9 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  9. "Wilfried Zahibo, cuarto refuerzo del Nàstic de Tarragona". Marca.com (in Spanish). 8 July 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  10. "Central African Republic - W. Zahibo - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  11. "El Valencia ficha a Wilfred Zahibo para el filial" [Valencia signs Wilfried Zahibo for the reserves] (in Spanish). Super Deporte. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  12. "Central African Republic - W. Zahibo - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  13. "Expediente X" [X files]. Marca (in Spanish). 24 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  14. "Zahibo, nuevo jugador del Nàstic" [Zahibo, new player of Nàstic] (in Spanish). Gimnàstic de Tarragona. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  15. "Zahibo, nuevo jugador del Nàstic". Gimnàstic de Tarragona. 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  16. "El Lugo desperdició una ventaja de dos goles y el Nástic rescató un punto" [Lugo threw away a two-goal advantage and Nàstic rescued a point]. Marca (in Spanish). 21 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  17. "Zahibo y el Nàstic rescinden el contrato" [Zahibo and Nàstic rescind the contract]. Gimnàstic de Tarragona (in Spanish). 5 January 2018. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  18. "Revolution Add Midfielder Wilfried Zahibo". New England Revolution. 11 January 2018.
  19. "Wilfried Zahibo". New England Revolution. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  20. "2018 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  21. "Revolution midfielder Wilfried Zahibo named MLS All-Star". www.prosoccerusa.com. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  22. "Wilfried Zahibo 2020 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  23. Sigal, Jonathan (17 August 2020). "New England Revolution, Houston Dynamo exchange Wilfried Zahibo, Tommy McNamara in trade". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  24. "Wilfried Aimeric Zahibo (Houston Dynamo) - Player Profile - FlashScore.com". www.flashscore.com. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  25. "Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  26. https://www.houstondynamofc.com/post/2020/12/01/houston-dynamo-fc-exercise-2021-contract-options-10-players
  27. "WENDIE ZAHIBO FAIT REVIVRE 10 REINES AFRICAINES DANS SON LIVRE « REINES DES TEMPS" [Wendie Zahibo revives 10 African queens in her book "Reines des Temps"] (in French).
  28. "African All-Stars in Major League Soccer: The Complete Guide | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  29. Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "François Zahoui déjà aux affaires". CAFOnline.com (in French). Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  30. Lemieux, Jeff (20 November 2019). "International Roundup | Trio of Zahibo, Turner, Rivera wrap up national team duty". New England Revolution. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  31. "Wilfried Zahibo facing global reach of pandemic: "You have to deal with it"". New England Soccer Journal. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  32. "Central African Republic - W. Zahibo - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  33. "Wilfried Zahibo Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  34. "Wilfried Zahibo". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  35. "Wilfried Zahibo". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  36. "Watch MLS All Star Wilfred Zahibo hit some trick shots". Retrieved 11 February 2018.
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