Denis Zakaria

Denis Lemi Zakaria Lako Lado (born 20 November 1996) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Monaco, whom he captains, and the Switzerland national team. He has also represented Switzerland internationally at youth level.

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

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 Zürich in 1–1 away draw replacing Alexander Gerndt after 79 minutes.

In June 2017, Zakaria signed a five-year contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach. 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 Mönchengladbach.

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 €8.6 million. On 6 February, Zakaria scored on his debut in the 61st minute, helping his side beat Hellas Verona 2–0.

On 1 September 2022, Zakaria was loaned to Premier League club Chelsea until the end of the 2022–23 season with an option of a permanent transfer at the end of the season.

On 2 November 2022, Zakaria made his Chelsea debut in the club's final UEFA Champions League group stage match, scoring the winning goal of a 2–1 victory against Dinamo Zagreb.

On 14 August 2023, Zakaria moved to Ligue 1 club Monaco on a five-year contract.

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 a Congolese father and a South Sudanese mother.

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.

In May 2019, Zakaria played in the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals, where his team finished fourth. He was named in the 26-man Swiss squad for the UEFA Euro 2020. On 2 July 2021, he scored an own goal in the 8th minute of Switzerland's quarter-final match against Spain, which they went on to lose on penalties. His own goal was the fastest in European Championship history, breaking Wojciech Szczęsny’s record of 18 minutes vs Slovakia earlier in the same tournament until Donyell Malen broke the record in the next tournament with an own goal in the 6th minute during the Netherlands vs Austria.

On 20 May 2026, Zakaria was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Due to his characteristics and playing style, Zakaria has been compared with former France international Patrick Vieira as well as Paul Pogba. Zakaria has been described as a midfield powerhouse due to his pace, strength, athleticism and aggressive playing style. He is also known for being a composed passer and for making surging forward runs from midfield. Primarily a defensive midfielder, he is also capable of playing as a central midfielder, in a holding role, or a box-to-box role, and has even played as a central defender.

Swiss Super League Young Player of the Year: 2016–17

Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2016–17